“Behold, he prayeth.” – Acts 9:11
Prayers are instantly noticed in heaven. The moment Saul began to pray the Lord heard him. Here is comfort for the distressed but praying soul. Oftentimes a poor broken-hearted one bends his knee, but can only utter his wailing in the language of signs and tears; yet that groan has made all the harps of heaven thrill with music; that tear has been caught by God, and treasured in the lachrymatory of heaven. ”Thou puttest my tears into Thy bottle,” implies that they are caught as they flow. The suppliant whose fears prevent his words will be well understood by the Most High. He may only look up with misty eye; but “prayer is the falling of a tear.” Tears are the diamonds of heaven; sighs are a part of the music of Jehovah’s court, and are numbered with “the sublimest strains that reach the Majesty on high.” Think not that your prayer, however weak or trembling, will be unregarded. Jacob’s ladder is lofty, but our prayer shall lean upon the angel of the covenant, and so climb its starry rounds. Our God not only hears prayer, but also loves to hear it. ”He forgetteth not the cry of the humble.” True, He regards not high looks and lofty words; He cares not for the pomp and pageantry of kings; He listens not to the swell of martial music; He regards not the triumph and pride of man; but wherever there is a heart big with sorrow, or a lip quivering with agony, or a deep groan, or a penitential sign, the heart of Jehovah is open; He marks it down in the registry of His memory; He puts our prayers, like rose leaves, between the pages of His book of remembrance, and when the volume is opened at last, there shall be a precious fragrance springing up therefrom.
“Faith ask no signal from the skies,
to show that prayers accepted rise;
Our Priest is in His holy place,
And answers from the throne of grace.”
I received some encouraging feedback from the post, “How do you listen”. Writing is so much easier when people profit from you words. After writing that article I received a copy of Dr. Joel Beeke’s book, “The Family at Church”. Dr. Beeke writes about listening to sermons. He asks Christians to be “active listeners” to the preached word. He also brings out the point that we should prepare our hearts beforehand to receive the Word; as well as discuss the preached word after the sermon. Even though we come from some differing theological convictions, it is good to be in agreement with Dr. Beeke on this subject. I heartily recommend this book.
I attended a popular bible college that was steeped in the Finney tradition of evangelism. During the invitation after a Gospel presentation, individuals were asked to pray a prayer like this, “Lord Jesus, I believe I’m a sinner. I believe Christ died on the cross for my sins. Please come into my heart and save me, for Jesus sake. Amen.” I would like to compare that still popular method of evangelism with how the Puritans viewed repentance and faith. The following prayer is taken from the book “Valley of Vision”, a compilation of Puritan prayers.
O Lord,
Thou knowest my great unfitness for service,
my present deadness,
my inability to do anything for thy glory,
my distressing coldness of heart.
I am weak, ignorant, unprofitable,
and loathe and abhor myself. I am at a loss to know what thou wouldest
have me do,
for I feel amazingly deserted by thee,
and sense they presence so little;
Thou makest me possess the sins of my youth,
so that I feel all sin,
I cannot think or act but every motion is sin.
Return again with showers of converting grace to a poor gospel-abusing sinner.
Help my soul to breathe after holiness.
after a constant devotedness to thee,
after growth in grace more abundantly every day.
O Lord, I am lost in the pursuit of this blessedness,
And am ready to sink because I fall short of my desire;
Help me to hold out a little longer,
Until the happy hour of deliverance comes,
for I cannot lift my soul to thee
if thou of thy goodness bring me not nigh.
Help me to be different, watchful, tender, lest I offend my blessed Friend
in thought and behavior;
I confide in thee and lean upon thee,
and need thee at all times to assist and lead me.
O that all my distresses and apprehensions
Might prove but Christ’s school
to make me fit for greater service
by teaching me the great lesson of humility.
The Puritan who wrote this prayer understood his brokenness and spiritually bankrupt state. His only appeal, his desperate appeal, was for God’s grace, through Christ. How different than what passes for a prayer of repentance and forgiveness in the church today.
Now is not the time to stand on doctrinal distinctives. The city of Port-au-Prince has been devastated. Initial reports are using numbers in the thousands to tabulate the dead. This does not include the scores of people who are injured and homeless. Christians should be galvanized into action. Most of us are unable to go to Haiti personally, but we are able to give. No amount is too small. Here are some Christian organizations who are helping in Haiti:
Samaritans Purse
Operation Blessing
World Vision
In addition to your gifts, you can pray. Pray that the Lord will extend His grace to the people of Haiti. Pray for the Christian missionaries who are laboring at this very moment. Pray for the church in Haiti, that they will know the provision and comfort of of the Lord at this time. Pray for the triumph of the gospel. Even though Haiti is enduring a catastrophe, the gospel is still powerful enough to save to the uttermost.
In short, pray and give.
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