Everyone who has prayed devoutly1 and sincerely has undoubtedly2 experienced at times the keenest kind of disappointment because he has not received an immediate3 answer to his prayer, Perhaps you have yourself prayed sometimes for something that you wanted badly. It was an insistent4, an urgent desire. You felt that you could hardly wait even to utter the prayer. Yet, your prayer has remained apparently5 unanswered. At such times you may have found comfort in this beautiful Sunday School hymn6:
"Unanswered yet? Tho' when you first presented
This one petition at the Father's throne,
It seemed you could not wait the time of asking,
So urgent was your heart to make it known.
Tho' years have passed since then, do not despair;
The Lord will answer you, sometime, somewhere."
This is a beautiful hope, a sublime7 faith; and every one of us should cultivate such hope, such faith. Moreover, everyone of us should practice such persistency8 in prayer as is described by the poet in this hymn.
"The prayer your lips have pleaded
In agony of tears these many years?"
For very often, without question, our prayers fail to move the Father, because they are not urged upon Him, nor are they upheld by that hopeful trust which knows no wavering. Jesus emphasized two points in this connection that we should grapple to our hearts.
Pray often and persistently9.
As we have already learned, Jesus condemned11 long. {98} repetitious prayers. He despised also the hypocrite, and the hollow prayer of the hypocrite. But Jesus did not mean by such condemnation12 that we should not appear often before the persistently. Father, and press the case for which we are pleading. On the contrary, as you will readily see from the following parables14, Jesus emphasized the importance of persistency in prayer.
The importunate15 friend.
"And (Jesus) said unto them. Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves; for a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him? And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee. I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity16 he will rise and give him as many as he needeth."
The unrighteous judge.
"And (again) He spake a parable13 unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint; Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man: and there was a widow in that city: and she came unto him, saying, Avenge17 me of mine adversary18. And he would not for awhile: but afterward19 he said within himself. Though I fear not God, nor regard man; yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me. And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith. And shall not God avenge His own elect, which cry day and night unto Him, though He bear {99} long with them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily."
An urgent desire necessary.
These parables speak sufficiently20 for themselves. The lesson that Jesus wanted to impart is clear. It is important that we persist in the prayer that we want urgently to be fulfilled. However, it was not Jesus's purpose to teach His disciples21 merely to repeat constantly an urgent prayer. Merely repeating a prayer is really of no more worth than uttering a long prayer full of repetitions. Jesus taught that Father gives His best and choicest gifts only to those who desire them intensely. We keep on praying for those things that we truly want, because the desire for them is urgent, intense and insistent; and we keep on keeping on.
Implicit22 trust necessary.
But there is a second element that must necessarily enter into the right attitude in prayer to God. Not only should our prayers express our intense desires, and be spoken frequently, but they should be accompanied by a simple, childlike trust and confidence in God.
Seek first the kingdom of God.
"Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink," taught Jesus; "Nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold23 the fowls24 of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature25.
"And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil26 not, {100} neither do they spin: and yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, If God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall He not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? . . . .
"Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof."
Labor27 and confidence hand in hand.
Now, Jesus did not mean by this splendid teaching that we should not plan for the future; nor that we should not be industrious28 and spin and weave and harvest. His illustrations impress the thought that we should not allow ourselves to fret29 over the petty worries and anxieties of life. God knows our needs before we utter them. We should rely implicitly30 then upon His providence31, knowing that if we serve Him and do our best, He will care for us as well as for the birds of the air and the lilies of the field.
The sin of worry.
Undue32 anxiety may be called almost a sin. It preys33 upon the peace of mind and happiness of untold34 thousands of men and women. The most learned and efficient men in the world have devoted35 much of their time to the study of worry; but no one of them has found a cure for it. Many books have, however, been written advising this or that course of life to overcome the evil, and all these books possess value. But it is to be noted36 that the cause of worry in any man is {101} usually something over which man has no control. Neither worry, nor any other thing that man may do, can change the nature of things. We are forced therefore to admit that the only cure for worry known to man is that presented by Jesus. His cure consists of a childlike faith and trust in the goodness of God—a trust so simple and strong that anxious care can find no place in the mind. It consists of such a confidence in the providence of God as Abraham displayed when he was commanded to offer his dearly beloved son Isaac on the altar of sacrifice. Abraham wavered not; he worried not; and God provided the sacrifice that was meet. Of course, it requires courage, patience, and persistent10 effort to cultivate so supreme37 a degree of faith. Yet, one who has it not can hardly say with truth that he has learned fully38 to know God. Indeed, such sublime faith alone marks the truly converted and nobly devoted soul; whereas the lack of such faith reveals a lack of fulness of trust in God—almost a disloyalty to God. One cannot in this world attain39 to real peace and happiness without implicit faith in God. Without it, one can not keep on keeping on in fervent40 prayer to God.
God knows best.
Finally, it must be remembered that another phase of this childlike trust may affect the answer to our prayers. If they remain unanswered, it may be because it is best for us so. No other man has ever suffered as did Jesus in Gethsemane. No other man has ever prayed as Jesus did there. Yet, recall the spirit of that prayer. "O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from {102} me: nevertheless not as I will but as Thou wilt41." This is the true spirit of faith-inspired prayer.
Thy will be done.
Such petitions Jesus would have us utter. He would have us pray constantly for those things that we desire intensely. He would have us repose42 implicit childlike trust in the Heavenly Father. He would have each one of us feel always, "Nevertheless not my will, but Thine, be done." And in this spirit He would have us always keep on keeping on.
THE REFERENCES
Luke 11:5-8. Matt. 6:25-30.
Luke 18:1-8. Matt. 6:33-34.
THE QUESTIONS
1. What should be the feeling of one whose prayer is not immediately answered?
2. What is the lesson conveyed in the Sunday School hymn "Unanswered Yet?"
3. Why are our prayers often unanswered?
4. What is the difference between long repetitious prayers and frequent prayers?
5. What is the meaning of the parable of the importunate friend?
6. What is the lesson of the parable of the unrighteous judge?
7. Why is childlike trust and confidence in God necessary in prayer?
8. What did Jesus mean by teaching "Take no thought for your life?"
9. How can anxiety or worry be called almost a sin?
10. What lesson do we derive43 from the attitude of Jesus in the wonderful prayer in Gethsemane?
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1
devoutly
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| adv.虔诚地，虔敬地，衷心地 | |
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undoubtedly
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| adv.确实地，无疑地 | |
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immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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insistent
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| adj.迫切的，坚持的 | |
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5
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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hymn
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| n.赞美诗，圣歌，颂歌 | |
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7
sublime
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| adj.崇高的，伟大的；极度的，不顾后果的 | |
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8
persistency
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| n. 坚持(余辉, 时间常数) | |
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9
persistently
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| ad.坚持地；固执地 | |
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10
persistent
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| adj.坚持不懈的，执意的；持续的 | |
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condemned
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| adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词 | |
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condemnation
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| n.谴责; 定罪 | |
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parable
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| n.寓言，比喻 | |
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parables
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| n.（圣经中的）寓言故事( parable的名词复数 ) | |
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15
importunate
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| adj.强求的；纠缠不休的 | |
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16
importunity
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| n.硬要，强求 | |
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17
avenge
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| v.为...复仇，为...报仇 | |
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18
adversary
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| adj.敌手，对手 | |
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19
afterward
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| adv.后来；以后 | |
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20
sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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21
disciples
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| n.信徒( disciple的名词复数 )；门徒；耶稣的信徒；（尤指）耶稣十二门徒之一 | |
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22
implicit
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| a.暗示的，含蓄的，不明晰的，绝对的 | |
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23
behold
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| v.看，注视，看到 | |
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24
fowls
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| 鸟( fowl的名词复数 )； 禽肉； 既不是这； 非驴非马 | |
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25
stature
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| n.（高度）水平，（高度）境界，身高，身材 | |
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26
toil
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| vi.辛劳工作，艰难地行动；n.苦工，难事 | |
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27
labor
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| n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦 | |
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28
industrious
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| adj.勤劳的，刻苦的，奋发的 | |
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29
fret
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| v.(使)烦恼；(使)焦急；(使)腐蚀，(使)磨损 | |
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30
implicitly
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| adv. 含蓄地, 暗中地, 毫不保留地 | |
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31
providence
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| n.深谋远虑，天道，天意；远见；节约；上帝 | |
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32
undue
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| adj.过分的；不适当的；未到期的 | |
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33
preys
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| v.掠食( prey的第三人称单数 )；掠食；折磨；（人）靠欺诈为生 | |
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34
untold
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| adj.数不清的，无数的 | |
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35
devoted
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| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
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36
noted
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| adj.著名的，知名的 | |
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37
supreme
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| adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的 | |
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38
fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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39
attain
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| vt.达到，获得，完成 | |
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40
fervent
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| adj.热的，热烈的，热情的 | |
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41
wilt
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| v.(使)植物凋谢或枯萎；(指人)疲倦，衰弱 | |
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42
repose
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| v.(使)休息；n.安息 | |
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43
derive
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| v.取得；导出；引申；来自；源自；出自 | |
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