What about Self?

Continued from “Why Prayer is Lost”

          The more the idea (for an orphanage) remained with George Muller, the more it grew upon him.  He prayed over it.  And he prayed much.

          And this thought seized him: “Suppose you succeed.  It will give you a great name.  George Muller will be known the world over, and your name will become a household word wherever this institution is known.  How about this?  Is there no Muller in this?  Is there no personal and sinful ambition in view?  Is God, alone, in your thought?”

          Certain things he could well but know.  What he was planning was great.  To succeed in it he knew he must be known.  Was there no self in all this?  Did he really want it with a right motive?

          Mr. Muller said: “I lay on my face before God by the hour, asking Him to search my heart, and I got an evidence from God Himself that my motive was a pure one—that I was acting for His glory and in the interests of His kingdom alone.”

          We may and should take God into all business.  The promises of God relate to temporal affairs and material, as well as to matters that are spiritual.  God, evidently, would be pleased to have His people get ahead in their business affairs.  But few do; more might.  Job was rich, so was Abraham, and not a few more of whom the Scriptures make mention prospered in matters that pertain to this world.

          This at once suggests that God be taken into partnership—that He be given a place in the business.  People say, “Oh, I asked God to aid me in my affairs and give me prosperity, but did not seem to get on much.”  Well, was God made a convenience?  Was He appealed to that one might be furthered in one’s own selfish enterprises?  God is no play thing, neither is He to be used  at the whims of men; but he answers prayer and helps all who go to Him as they should.  To let God direct as to what the vocation shall be, how it shall be followed, give Him a share in the profits, and situations in the world of business even among good people would be quite unlike what they now are.

--by Rev. Charles J Fowler, 1912

 

Why Prayer is Lost

What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you?  You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. 

You do not have because you do not ask God.  When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.  Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us?  But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says:

“God opposes the proud
  but shows favor to the humble.”                             --James 4:1-6

          Prayer is a power.  Nothing is more really so.  Gravitation, electricity, wind, are no more really and truly powers in the physical realm, than is prayer in the spiritual.

          And yet James is calling attention to a prayer that is not a power—an asking from which we never hear, and brings no answer.  (James 4:1-6)

          Of this we are certain as we are that prayer avails—that there is a prayer that does not secure its end.

          It will not do to conclude that all prayer not yet answered is lost; still we do well to consider the matter which James is here emphasizing, for it evidently is of practical moment in the church-life of to-day.

          Prayer is lost because of its motive.  The reason for much of prayer is the reason for its failure.  Successful prayer is a great searcher of motives.

          Years ago—thirty or more—I heard the Rev. George Muller deliver in Boston an address concerning his work in Bristol, Eng.  He brought out a point—this point of motive—and in a way I never have forgotten.

          To my mind this man Muller is one of the most remarkable men of the past one hundred years.  Knowing him by what he did, he may be so classed.

          He spoke of the inception of his great work.  He saw the crying need of the poor orphans of his city and his heart was moved to aid them, and aid them in a general and generous way.

          “Oh,” he said, “that God would be the patron of a great institution.”  He saw rich English Lords founding homes and establishments for the poor and getting the credit for it and a great name, and he said, “Would that God would do this for the orphans and Himself get a great name.”

--by Rev. Charles J Fowler, 1912

THOUGHTS ON PRAYER

Books are important.  Many today would dispute that, but just one argument in favor of books is that some old volumes, now out of print, will never be digitized.

I have one in my possession, and have decided to type and post sections of it on this blog.  The wisdom of our forbears should not be lost to technology.

This small volume also has sentimental value to our family.  It was owned and inscribed by the Rev. James A. Williams*, the great-grandfather of my children: Joel, Abigail and Hannah Mahan, and Laura Morgan.

Prayer is the lifeblood of the Christian and of the Church.  I hope the life wisdom and scriptural insights of Rev Fowler will cause you to grow in prayer power.

--LDMahan

Title page:

THOUGHTS ON PRAYER

From Sermon—Talks

By Rev. Charles J. Fowler

President for the National Association

for the Promotion of Holiness

Author of: “Counsel of Converts,” “Back to Pentecost,”

“Christian Unity,” and “How to Keep Sanctified”

THE CHRISTIAN WITNESS CO.

Chicago and Boston

Copyright, 1912

Inscribed by: J. A. Williams*, Ashland KY

INTRODUCTION

          These thoughts on prayer are not new.  They have been delivered in form of sermons, or familiar chair-talks for years at Conventions and other meetings in many sections of the country.

          They are not published in the interest of pecuniary gain; that this can be realized by any is more than unlikely, certainly to any extent worth one’s while, and to no extent to their author.

          Their publication has been requested and even urged for some years.  This has not been done before for several good and sufficient reasons.  Of late it has been pressed again by brethren whose judgment and interest I have respected for a long term of years.  They are now given to the press in prayerful hope that they may stimulate unto the exercise of that prayer life which becomes us all.

Dedication

          To the saints and faithful ones in general, and to the holiness people in particular, these Thoughts are dedicated by one of their number, who for forty-three years and more, has endeavored to practice them and has sought to help, in some measure, his brothers.

THE AUTHOR

West Newton, Mass.

Feb. 15^th, 1912

THROWING OUT THE RULES

Read the passage here: http://www.biblegateway.

com/passage/?search=romans+5%3A+1-5&version=NIV

Listen to passage here: http://www.biblegateway.

com/audio/mclean/niv/Rom.5.1-Rom.5.5 

A couple days ago I tried to bring more inner peace to myself by declaring: “No Rules Day.”  It didn’t work!  My inner “rule keeper” is very strong and always on the job.  But not all these inner dictums are even God’s rules.  They are someone else’s rules for me, or my own rules for myself, or society’s rules, or what I perceive to be society’s rules. Can you relate?

Where is that fabled inner peace?

Romans 5 says:

“Therefore since we have been justified by faith, we have PEACE with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access through faith into this GRACE in which we now stand.   

And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance, perseverance character, and character hope.   

And hope does not disappoint us because God has poured out his LOVE into our hearts by the Holy Spirit whom he has given us.”

This is different than “peace by throwing out the rules.”  This is “peace because someone paid my way.”  And even more, what fills up our empty hearts is: “someone paid my way because they love me.”

I need to be loved.  When I feel love from someone, I can sense my inner self warming.  It’s hard to explain, but it puts everything into place in my life.

“Peace by throwing out the rules” doesn’t work because – even though we need peace desperately -- we can’t attain it by ignoring several other very important needs.

The need for justice

The need for grace

The need for belonging

The need for love

JUSTICE

The sense of justice is ingrained.  It is the source of conscience in us.  If a rule is broken, it must be paid for.  If a wrong is committed, it must be made right.  It’s like a mathematic equation – what you do to one side, you must do to the other side – otherwise everything is “lopsided” with the world.

GRACE

Our need for canceling our past debts does not quite fill the bill, however.  What about the next five minutes?  We sense we will mess up again.  We are aware deep within ourselves that we can’t help it.  We need more than forgiveness – we need to walk in grace.  Grace is when you can’t mess up.  When someone likes you so much that whatever you do is going to be explained in the kindest way.

BELONGING

Having our past debts and even future ones canceled still leaves us empty.  What are we here for?  There’s a sense of emptiness that is only filled through true connectedness, true belonging.  This passage says we have that, too.  Not only are our debts, past and future, crossed out as on a balance sheet, but we have attained grace “through Christ.”  It is all the difference between being pardoned and walking out of prison alone, or walking out of prison and into a welcoming family. 

LOVE

Being pardoned and welcomed is almost the whole package.  But not quite.  It is real love we are needing.  Unconditional, no strings attached, love.  So often sung about, so often written about, so rarely experienced in this world.  Why do we have “hope” in the midst of a world where we have been pardoned but there is still suffering?  Because we have unconditional love inside our own hearts, love that comes from God.  This is something that you have either experienced or you haven’t.  Some may scoff, but it’s something everyone needs: “God has poured out his love into our hearts…”

Now I feel more peaceful.