Do you indeed ACT as you pray?
(J.A. James, "Prayer and Practice")
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I need not prove to you that prayer, as a duty,
is essential to Christian conduct; and, as a privilege,
prayer is equally indispensable to Christian enjoyment.
All Christians give themselves to this devout exercise.
Their petitions are copious, comprehensive,
and seemingly earnest.
What solemn professions they make to GOD!
What ardent desires they express!
What numerous blessings they seek!
What strong resolutions they form!
If we so pray--
how ought we to live?
What kind of people must we be,
to live up to the standard of our prayers?
And ought we not, in some measure at least,
to reach this standard? Should there not be
a harmony, a consistency, a proportion--
between our practice and our prayers?
Do you indeed ACT as you pray?
Do you understand the import, and feel
the obligation of your own petitions?
Do you rise from your knees where
you have asked and knocked--
to seek? Do you really want, wish for,
and endeavor to obtain an answer
to your prayers? Are you really intent
upon doing and being, what you ask
for in prayer?
Our prayers are to act upon ourselves;
they have, or ought to have, great power
in the formation of character and
the regulation of conduct.
It is plain, therefore, that much of prayer
is mere words. We either do not understand,
or do not consider, or do not mean--
what we say.
Do we go from praying--
to acting, and to live for JESUS,
for Heaven, for eternity?
How common is it for professors . . .
to pray for victory over the world;
to be delivered from the lust of the flesh,
the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life;
to be enabled to set their affections on things
above, and not on things of the earth;
and to be dead to seen and temporal things.
And yet all the while they are as obviously eager . . .
to amass wealth,
to multiply the attractions of earth, and
to enjoy as much luxurious gratification as possible!
'Spirituality of mind' is the subject
of innumerable prayers from some
who never take a step to promote it!
But, on the contrary, who are doing all they
can to make themselves carnally-minded!
How many repeat that petition,
"Lead us not into temptation,"
(Matthew 6:13 )
who, instead of most carefully keeping
at the utmost possible distance from all
inducements to sin, place themselves
in the very path of sin!
How often do we pray to have the mind
of CHRIST, and to imitate the example
of JESUS. But where is the assiduous
endeavor, the laboring effort, to copy
this high model in . . .
its self-denying condescension,
its profound humility,
its beautiful meekness,
its indifference to worldly comforts,
its forgiving mercy,
its devotedness to GOD?
How often do we pray to be delivered
from evil tempers and irascible feelings;
and yet we indulge them on every slight
provocation, and take no pains
to subdue them!
It is unnecessary to multiply the illustrations
of the inconsistency between our prayers
and our practice.
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