Great thoughts on prayer

I just finished reading The Kneeling Christian by an unknown author.  The book was a quick 105 pages but very encouraging and full of stories about the prayer lives of people in England around the 1930's.  There are countless stories I could share, but I will keep it to these three or four:

1. "One bitter winter a prosperous farmer was praying that God would keep a neighbor from starving.  When the family prayers were over, his little boy said, "Father, I don't think I should have troubled God about that."  "Why not?," he asked. "Because it would be easy enough for you to see that they don't starve!" - pg. 86-7

This simple story teaches a profound truth which the Word of God reiterates in James 2:14-17 "What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead" (NIV).  We shouldn't seek God to meet the needs of others when we ourselves have been given the means to meet their needs.  We must act in Christian love towards our brothers and sisters as part of our lief of faithful service while thanking God for the means he has already given us to do it.  Then we will be able to pray for what we are not able to do.

2. "A young convert asked his vicar to give him some Christian work.  "Have you a chum?" "Yes," replied the boy.  "Is he a Christian?" "No, he is as careless as I was." "Then go and ask him to accept Christ as his Savior." "Oh, no!" said the lad, "I could never do that.  Give me anything but that." "Well," said the vicar, "promise me two things: that you will not speak to him about his soul, and that you will pray to God twice daily for his conversion." "Why, yes, I'll gladly do that," answered the boy.  Before a fortnight was up he rushed round to the vicarage.  "Will you let me off my promise? I must speak to my chum!" he cried.  When he began to pray God could give him tstrength to witness.  Communion with God is essential before we can have real communion with our fellow-man.  My belief is that men so seldom speak to others about their spiritual condition because they pray so little for them." - pg. 87

I issue the same challenge to all of us.  Pray for someone who doesn't know Christ and see if God doesn't open up a burning desire within you to share the gospel with them.

3. "The Moslems in West Africa have a saying, "If there is no purity, there is no prayer; if there is no prayer, there is no drinking of the water of heaven." - pg. 92

Oh to view prayer as the drinking of the water of heaven. To have a desert thirst that only prayer could quench, not just a prayer life of shopping lists and names, but a prayer life that sought God and exalted him because he is worthy to be sought.  Oh that such a spirit of prayer would permeate our lives and our church.

4. "O God, make me pure but not now." -Augustine, pg. 73

How many of us pray prayers like this. I have and still do, much to my chagrin.  What folly, to ask God for something which we truly don't desire.  Our mouth betrays heart. Even when we don't express such nonsense verbally, our lives tell the story of our heart and reveal what sort of brokenness lies within us, how divided we are and our lack of devotion to our Lord.  Is it any wonder that we don't see answers to prayer, when our lives are so duplicitous and we are unrepentant for it?