Prevailing Prayer: What Hinders It?Moody, Dwight Lyman
Religion
Prevailing Prayer: What Hinders It?
Moody, Dwight Lyman
Christian life; Prayer -- Christianity
History informs us that the Tusculani, a people of Italy, having
offended the Romans, whose power was infinitely superior to theirs,
Camillus, at the head of a considerable army, was on his march to
subdue them. Conscious of their inability to cope with such an enemy,
they took the following method to appease him: They declined all
thoughts of resistance, set open their gates, and every man applied
himself to his proper business, resolving to submit where they knew
it was in vain to contend. Camillus, entering their city, was struck
with the wisdom and candor of their conduct, and addressed himself to
them in these words: “You only, of all people, have found out the true
method of abating the Roman fury; and your submission has proved your
best defense. Upon these terms, we can no more find in our heart to
injure you than upon other terms you could have found power to oppose
us.” The chief magistrate replied: “We have so sincerely repented of
our former folly, that in confidence of that satisfaction to a generous
enemy, we are not afraid to acknowledge our fault.”
In view of the difficulty of bringing our hearts to this complete
submission to the Divine will, we may well adopt Fenelon’s prayer: “O
God, take my heart, for I cannot give it; and when Thou hast it, keep
it; for I cannot keep it for Thee; and save me in spite of myself.”
Some of the best men the world has ever seen have made great mistakes
on this point. Moses could pray for Israel, and could prevail with
God; but God did not answer his petition for himself. He asked that
God would take him over Jordan, that he might see Lebanon; and after
the forty years’ wandering in the wilderness, he desired to go into
the Promised Land; but the Lord did not grant his desire. Was that
a sign that God did not love him? By no means. He was a man greatly
beloved of God, like Daniel; and yet God did not answer this prayer of
his. Your child says, “I want this or that,” but you do not grant the
request, because you know that it will be the ruin of the child to give
him everything he wants. Moses wished to enter the Promised Land; but
the Lord had something else in store for him. As some one has said,
God kissed away his soul, and took him home to Himself. “God buried
him”--the greatest honor ever paid to mortal man.
Fifteen hundred years afterward God answered the prayer of Moses; He
allowed him to go into the Promised Land, and to get a glimpse of the
coming glory. On the Mount of Transfiguration, with Elijah, the great
prophet, and with Peter, James, and John, he heard the voice come from
the throne of God, “This is My beloved Son; hear ye Him.” That was
better than to have gone over Jordan, as Joshua did, and to sojourn for
thirty years in the land of Canaan. So when our prayers for earthly
things are not answered, let us submit to the will of God, and know
that it is all right.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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