Excerpt from Prayer and Spiritual Warfare by Charles Spurgeon
God of Israel, our Lord and King forever and ever! Help us now by the sacred Spirit to approach You appropriately with deepest reverence, but not with servile fear; with holiest boldness, but not with presumption. Teach us as children to speak to the Father, and yet as creatures to bow before our Maker.
Our Father, we want to first ask You whether You have anything against us as Your children. Have we been asking of You amiss, and have You given us what we have sought? We are not conscious of it, but it may be so. Now we are brought as an answer to our presumptuous prayers into a more difficult position than the one we occupied before. Now it may be that some creature comfort is nearer to us than our God. We would have been better off without it and to have dwelt in our God and there to have found our joy.
But now, Lord, in these perilous circumstances, give us grace so that we may not turn away from You.If our position is not such as You would have allotted to us had we been wiser, nevertheless grant that we may be taught to behave ourselves appropriately even now, lest the mercies You have given should become a cause of stumbling and the obtaining of our hearts' desires should become a temptation to us.
Rather, we feel inclined to bless You for the many occasions in which You have not answered our prayers, for You have said that we did ask amiss and therefore we could not have (James 4:3). We desire to register this prayer with You that whenever we do ask amiss, You would in great wisdom and love be pleased to refuse us.
0 Lord, if we at any time press our suit (insist on having our way) without sufficient resignation, do not regard us, we pray. Though we cry to You day and night concerning anything, if You see that we err, do not regard the voice of our cry, we ask You. It is our hearts' desire now, in our cooler moments that this prayer of ours might stand on record as long as we live: Nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done" (Luke 22:42).
0 Lord in looking back, we are obliged to remember with the greatest gratitude the many occasions in which You have heard our cries. When we have been brought into deep distress and our hearts have sunk within us, then we have cried to You, and You have never refused to hear us. The prayers of our lusts (ruling, overmastering desires, pleasures) You have rejected, but the prayers of our necessities you have granted. Not one good thing has failed of all that You have promised.You have given to us exceedingly abundantly above what we asked or even thought, for there was a day when our present condition would have been regarded as much too high for us ever to reach. In looking back we are surprised that those who lay among the pots of Egypt should now sit every man under his vine and fig tree, that those who wandered in the wilderness in a solitary way should now find a city to dwell in, that those who were prodigals in rags should now be children in the Father's house, and that we who were companions of swine should now be made heirs of God and Joint-heirs with Christ.
What encouragement we have to pray to such a prayer hearing God, who far exceeds the requests of His children.“Blessed be the name of the Lord forever," our innermost hearts are saying. "Amen, blessed be His name!" If it were only for answered prayer or even for some unanswered prayers, we would continue to praise and bless You as long as we have any being (Ps. 104:33).
Now, Lord, listen to the voice of Your children's cry. Wherever there is a sincere heart seeking for greater holiness, may You answer that request. Wherever there is a broken spirit seeking reconciliation with You, be pleased to answer it now. You know where there is prayer, though it is unuttered, and even the lips do not
move. Oh, hear the publican who dares not lift his eye to heaven Hear him when he cries, "God be merciful to me a sinner" (Luke 18:13). Let the sighing of the prisoner come before You! Oh that You would grant peace and rest to every troubled spirit all over the world who now desires to turn his face to the Cross and to see God in Christ Jesus.
0 Lord, if there are any of Your servants concerned about the cares of others, we thank You for them.
God of Israel, our Lord and King forever and ever! Help us now by the sacred Spirit to approach You appropriately with deepest reverence, but not with servile fear; with holiest boldness, but not with presumption. Teach us as children to speak to the Father, and yet as creatures to bow before our Maker.
Our Father, we want to first ask You whether You have anything against us as Your children. Have we been asking of You amiss, and have You given us what we have sought? We are not conscious of it, but it may be so. Now we are brought as an answer to our presumptuous prayers into a more difficult position than the one we occupied before. Now it may be that some creature comfort is nearer to us than our God. We would have been better off without it and to have dwelt in our God and there to have found our joy.
But now, Lord, in these perilous circumstances, give us grace so that we may not turn away from You.If our position is not such as You would have allotted to us had we been wiser, nevertheless grant that we may be taught to behave ourselves appropriately even now, lest the mercies You have given should become a cause of stumbling and the obtaining of our hearts' desires should become a temptation to us.
Rather, we feel inclined to bless You for the many occasions in which You have not answered our prayers, for You have said that we did ask amiss and therefore we could not have (James 4:3). We desire to register this prayer with You that whenever we do ask amiss, You would in great wisdom and love be pleased to refuse us.
0 Lord, if we at any time press our suit (insist on having our way) without sufficient resignation, do not regard us, we pray. Though we cry to You day and night concerning anything, if You see that we err, do not regard the voice of our cry, we ask You. It is our hearts' desire now, in our cooler moments that this prayer of ours might stand on record as long as we live: Nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done" (Luke 22:42).
0 Lord in looking back, we are obliged to remember with the greatest gratitude the many occasions in which You have heard our cries. When we have been brought into deep distress and our hearts have sunk within us, then we have cried to You, and You have never refused to hear us. The prayers of our lusts (ruling, overmastering desires, pleasures) You have rejected, but the prayers of our necessities you have granted. Not one good thing has failed of all that You have promised.You have given to us exceedingly abundantly above what we asked or even thought, for there was a day when our present condition would have been regarded as much too high for us ever to reach. In looking back we are surprised that those who lay among the pots of Egypt should now sit every man under his vine and fig tree, that those who wandered in the wilderness in a solitary way should now find a city to dwell in, that those who were prodigals in rags should now be children in the Father's house, and that we who were companions of swine should now be made heirs of God and Joint-heirs with Christ.
What encouragement we have to pray to such a prayer hearing God, who far exceeds the requests of His children.“Blessed be the name of the Lord forever," our innermost hearts are saying. "Amen, blessed be His name!" If it were only for answered prayer or even for some unanswered prayers, we would continue to praise and bless You as long as we have any being (Ps. 104:33).
Now, Lord, listen to the voice of Your children's cry. Wherever there is a sincere heart seeking for greater holiness, may You answer that request. Wherever there is a broken spirit seeking reconciliation with You, be pleased to answer it now. You know where there is prayer, though it is unuttered, and even the lips do not
move. Oh, hear the publican who dares not lift his eye to heaven Hear him when he cries, "God be merciful to me a sinner" (Luke 18:13). Let the sighing of the prisoner come before You! Oh that You would grant peace and rest to every troubled spirit all over the world who now desires to turn his face to the Cross and to see God in Christ Jesus.
0 Lord, if there are any of Your servants concerned about the cares of others, we thank You for them.
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