HOW
TO PRAY
R.
A. TORREY
CHAPTER
V
PRAYING
IN THE SPIRIT
1.
Over and over again in what has already been said, we have seen our dependence
upon the Holy Spirit in prayer. This comes out very definitely in Eph. 6:18,
"Praying always with all prayer and supplication IN THE SPIRIT," and
in Jude 20, "Praying IN THE HOLY GHOST." Indeed the whole secret of
prayer is found in these three words, "in the Spirit." It is the
prayer that God the Holy Spirit inspires that God the Father answers.
The
disciples did not know how to pray as they ought, so they came to Jesus and said,"Lord teach us to pray." We know not how to
pray as we ought, but we have another Teacher and Guide right at hand to help
us (John 14:16,17), "The Spirit helpeth our infirmity" (Rom. 8:26, R.V.). He teaches
us how to pray. True prayer is prayer in the Spirit; that is, the prayer the
Spirit inspires and directs. When we come into God's presence we should
recognize "our infirmity,"our ignorance of
what we should pray for or how we should pray for it, and in the consciousness
of our utter inability to pray aright we should look up to the Holy Spirit,
casting ourselves utterly upon Him to our prayers, to lead out our desires and to guide our utterance of them.
Nothing
can be more foolish in prayer than to rush heedlessly into God's presence, and
ask the first thing that comes into our mind, or that some thoughtless friend
has asked us to pray for. When we first come into God's presence we should be
silent before Him. We should look up to Him to send His Holy Spirit to teach us
how to pray. We must wait for the Holy Spirit, and surrender ourselves to the
Spirit, then we shall pray aright.
Oftentimes
when we come to God in prayer, we do not feel like praying. What shall one do
in such a case? cease praying until he does feel like
it? Not at all. When we feel least like praying is the
time when we most need to pray. We should wait quietly before God and tell Him
how cold and prayerless our hearts are, and look up
to Him and trust Him and expect Him to send the Holy Spirit to warm our hearts
and draw them out in prayer. It will not be long before the glow of the
Spirit's presence will fill our hearts, and we will begin to pray with freedom,
directness, earnestness and power. Many of the most blessed seasons of prayer I
have ever known have begun with a feeling of utter deadness and prayerlessness, but in my helplessness and
coldness I have cast myself upon God, and looked to Him to send His Holy Spirit
to teach me to pray, and He has done it.
When
we pray in the Spirit, we will pray for the right things and in the right way.
There will be joy and power in our prayer.
2.
If we are to pray with power we must pray WITH FAITH. In Mark 11:24 Jesus says,
"Therefore I say unto you, What things soever you desire, when you pray, believe that you receive
them, and you shall have them." No matter how positive any promise of
God's Word may be,
we will not enjoy it in actual experience unless we
confidently expect its fulfillment in answer to our
prayer. "If any of you lack wisdom," says James, "let him ask of
God that giveth to all men
liberally, and upbraideth
not; and it shall be given him." Now that promise is as positive as a
promise can be, but the next verse adds, "But let
him ask in faith, nothing doubting: for he that doubteth
is like the surge of the sea driven by the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the
Lord." (R.V.) There must then be confident
unwavering expectation. But there is a faith that goes beyond expectation, that believes that the prayer is
heard and the promise granted. This comes out in
the Revised Version of Mark 11:24, "Therefore I say unto you, All things whatsoever you pray and ask for, believe that you
HAVE received them, and you shall have them."
But
how can one get this faith?
Let
us say with all emphasis, it cannot be pumped up. Many a one reads this promise
about the prayer of faith, and then asks for things that he desires and tries
to make himself believe that God has heard the prayer.
This ends only in disappointment, for it is not real faith and the thing is not
granted. It is at this point that many people make a collapse of faith
altogether by trying to work up faith by an effort of their will, and as the
thing they made themselves believe they expected to get is not given, the very
foundation of faith is oftentimes undermined.
But
how does real faith come?
Rom
10:17 answers the question: "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing
BY THE WORD OF GOD." If we are to have real faith, we must study the Word
of God and find out what is promised, then simply
believe the promises of God. Faith must have a warrant. Trying to believe
something that you want to believe is not faith. Believing what God says in His
Word is faith. If I am to have faith when I pray, I must find some promise in
the Word of God on which to rest my faith. Faith furthermore comes through the
Spirit. The Spirit knows the will of God, and if I pray in the Spirit, and look
to the Spirit to teach me God's will, He will lead me out in prayer along the
line of that will, and give me faith that the prayer is to be answered; but in
no case does real faith come by simply determining that you are going to get
the thing that you want to get.. If there is no promise in the Word of God, and
no clear leading of the Spirit, there can be no real faith, and there should be
no upbraiding of self for lack of faith in such a case. But if the thing
desired is promised in the Word of God, we may well upbraid ourselves for lack
of faith if we doubt; for we are making God a liarby
doubting His Word.