With Christ in the School of Prayer by Andrew Murray, excerpt 140

This post continues a series of excerpts from With Christ in the School of Prayer, by Andrew Murray. I thank the Christian Classics Ethereal Library for making this public domain work available. To see their post of the book, go here.  His book is based on Mark 11:22-24. The previous post in this series is here. As usual in this blog, long quotations are in this color. Murray's book is based on Mark 11:22-24.

‘If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatsoever ye will, and it shall be done unto you.’—John xv. 7.
In all God’s intercourse with us, the promise and its conditions are inseparable. If we fulfil the conditions, He fulfils the promise. What He is to be to us depends upon what we are willing to be to Him. ‘Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.’ And so in prayer the unlimited promise, Ask whatsoever ye will, has its one simple and natural condition, if ye abide in me. It is Christ whom the Father always hears; God is in Christ, and can only be reached by being in Him; to be IN HIM is the way to have our prayer heard; fully and wholly ABIDING IN HIM, we have the right to ask whatsoever we will, and the promise  that it shall be done unto us.
When we compare this promise with the experiences of most believers, we are startled by a terrible discrepancy. Who can number up the countless prayers that rise and bring no answer? The cause must be either that we do not fulfil the condition, or God does not fulfil the promise. Believers are not willing to admit either, and therefore have devised a way of escape from the dilemma. They put into the promise the qualifying clause our Saviour did not put there—if it be God’s will; and so maintain both God’s integrity and their own. O if they did but accept it and hold it fast as it stands, trusting to Christ to vindicate His truth, how God’s Spirit would lead them to see the Divine propriety of such a promise to those who really abide in Christ in the sense in which He means it, and to confess that the failure
in the fulfilling the condition is the one sufficient explanation of unanswered prayer. And  how the Holy Spirit would then make our feebleness in prayer one of the mightiest motives to urge us on to discover the secret, and obtain the blessing, of full abiding in Christ.

With Christ in the school of prayer, by Andrew Murray, 65

This post continues a series of excerpts from With Christ in the School of Prayer, by Andrew Murray. I thank the Christian Classics Ethereal Library for making this public domain work available. To see their post of the book, go here. The previous post is here. As usual in this blog, long quotations are in this color.

But, it may be asked, is it not best to make our wishes known to God, and then to leave it to Him to decide what is best, without seeking to assert our will? By no means. This is the very essence of the prayer of faith, to which Jesus sought to train His disciples, that it does not only make known its desire and then leave the decision to God. That would be the prayer of submission, for cases in which we cannot know God’s will. But the prayer of faith, finding God’s will in some promise of the Word, pleads for that till it come. In Matthew (ix. 28) we read Jesus said to the blind man: ‘Believe ye that I can do this?’ Here, in Mark, He says: ‘What wilt thou that I should do?’ In both cases He said that faith had saved them. And so He said to the Syrophenician woman, too: ‘Great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt.’ Faith is nothing but the purpose of the will resting on God’s word, and saying: I must have it. 

To believe truly is to will firmly. But is not such a will at variance with our dependence on God and our submission to Him? By no means; it is much rather the true submission that honours God. It is only when the child has yielded his own will in entire surrender to the Father, that he receives from the Father liberty and power to will what he would have. But, when once the believer has accepted the will of God, as revealed through the Word and Spirit, as his will, too, then it is the will of God that His child should use this renewed will in His service. The will is the highest power in the soul; grace wants above everything to sanctify and restore this will, one of the chief traits of God’s image, to full and free exercise. As a son, who only lives for his father’s interests, who seeks not his own but his father’s will is trusted by the father with his business, so God speaks to His child in all truth, ‘What wilt thou?’ It is often spiritual sloth that, under the appearance of humility, professes to have no will, because it fears the trouble of searching out the will of God, or, when found, the struggle of claiming it in faith. True humility is ever in company with strong faith, which only seeks to know what is according to the will of God, and then boldly claims the fulfilment of the promise: ‘Ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.’

Impressions, by Martin Wells Knapp, 47

In a previous excerpt, Knapp stated that there are four features of "impressions" from God. These are Scriptural; Right (consistent with good morals); Providential (in harmony with God's will); and Reasonable. His discussion of "Impressions from Above" continues:

 Clark in his excellent book on "The Offices of the Holy Spirit," says:

"Whenever the will of God is clearly revealed in the Bible in regard to any subject, our duty in regard to that subject is determined. We are not to expect an inward revelation in addition to the outward one to show us what to do.

"If Jesus says: 'Do not kill, do not steal, do not bear false witness, defraud not, honor thy father and mother,' we need no other revelation in regard to our duty in these particulars.

"And the Scriptures do go into more detailed directions than we should imagine, until we acquaint ourselves thoroughly with them. If the Christian lady wishes to know how she may dress so as to please God, she finds that women are 'To adorn themselves in modest apparel;' and with God's providence and the Holy Spirit to assist the sincere inquirer in determining, I think few would be left long in doubt.

"If we want to know what kind of talk is acceptable to God, we read (1) that we are to let no corrupt communication proceed out of our mouth, nor any foolish talking, and (2) that our talk ought to be good 'to the use of edifying.'

"If we are in doubt how to treat our enemies and those who have injured us, we are told explicitly, 'Love your enemies,' 'Pray for them that despitefully use you,' 'Avenge not yourselves.' And if our civil or personal rights are invaded, we are asked, 'Why do ye not rather suffer wrong than go to law?' and told that charity, which is perfect love, 'seeketh not her own.' And the universal duty of Christians when praying is, 'Forgive, if ye have aught against any man.'

"If we want to understand our obligations to the civil magistrates and rulers, we are told to honor them, to obey them in all things, not in conflict with our duty to the King of kings, to pray for them, and to pay tribute to them.

"If we are at a loss as to how far we may join in the pleasures and customs of the world, we are enjoined not to be conformed to the world, and assured that 'If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.' It is to the written Word then that we are first to look for the knowledge of our Christian duties as well as for the knowledge of salvation."

In applying these tests all light should be welcomed, the Scriptures should be diligently studied, good books read, wise counselors conferred with, and above all the presence and guidance of the Holy Spirit should be constantly claimed.

All the conditions mentioned in the preceding chapter should also be met. Converted, cleansed, filled, acknowledging God's guidance, persistently praying and believing for it, and patiently waiting for and expecting it in the use of all known means, it will be freely and graciously given.

Only a few of the practical questions which are daily arising have been noticed, but the same process of testing will apply to all.

It is the gracious privilege of every Christian in this way to be so assuringly convinced of the truthfulness and divinity of his convictions, that with Isaiah he can exclaim:

"For the Lord God will help me; therefore I shall not be confounded; therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know I shall not be ashamed." 

Excerpted from Impressions, by Martin Wells Knapp. Original publication date, 1892. Public domain. My source is here. The previous post in the series is here.

Excerpts from Impressions, by Martin Wells Knapp, 2

CHAPTER I
IMPRESSIONS -- THEIR ORIGIN

An impression is defined as "an influence on purposes, feelings or actions."

While we are free to choose the right or wrong, yet we are continually acted upon by influences which impress in different ways. Some of them come silently as the sunshine; others come like the lightning's stroke or thunder's peal; others like gentle zephyrs, and some like the devastating tornado. Every impression has a source. Back of all operating second causes there is with each impression a designing mind which is the source of it. God is the author of all good impressions, Satan of all that are evil.

Hence all impressions are naturally divided into two Classes:
1. Those from our Father, which we will call "Impressions from above." These, if followed ripen into convictions.
2. Those from the devil, which we will call "Impressions from below."

From Impressions, by Martin Wells Knapp. Original publication date, 1892. Public domain. My source is here. The previous post in this series is here.

Excerpts from Impressions, by Martin Wells Knapp, 1

IMPRESSIONS By Martin Wells Knapp
PREFACE The author has written this book for the following reasons: 1. Because of the great need of light and the absence of books on this subject. 2. It is believed that Some have gone over the falls of fanaticism, and that others have been greatly perplexed and hindered in their life work on account of lack of such light. 3. Some who read the two sections, which were published, declared themselves to have been greatly helped thereby. 4. God brought the subject-matter to the author's mind, laid it upon his heart, and opened the way for its writing and publication. He feels that equally with his other books, God has directed and will bless in its circulation and perusal. He also believes that with His blessing upon it, it will prove a light-house by life's sea, which will help to warn of threatening danger, and aid its readers in standing "perfect and complete in all the will of God." To whom be glory forever.

From Impressions, by Martin Wells Knapp. Original publication date, 1892. Public domain. My source is here.

Sunspots 479

Things I have recently spotted that may be of interest to someone else:
Christianity: Relevant offers some thoughts on following God's will.
Romans Ten Fifteen has a tongue in cheek list of ideas on how to get rid of a pastor.
Science: Wired reports on a squirrel with a really big tail.
National Public Radio reports on a study that indicates that watching too much TV news, especially watching repeating footage of disasters, leads to stress.
NPR reports that we seem to be approaching a crisis -- we don't have enough variety in the antibiotics available to us, because so many bacteria have evolved resistance to them.
NPR reports on the history of ocean waves. They last for a long time, and move long distances.
The Atlantic reports that various kinds of childhood trauma may cause the children involved to be misdiagnosed as ADHD.


Image source (public domain)

Things that the Bible tells us are God's will

We are told that we should pray according to God's will, and that He will answer if we are doing so. What, then, is God's will? What are the things that are in God's will? Here's the result of a search for the phrase "will of God," using the English Standard Version for the search. The results are quoted from the public domain World English Bible. There are, no doubt, other things that are also in God's will, but which do not have that phrase associated with them, in the Bible. And, of course, there are situations which are not in the Bible at all where we can be pretty sure of God's will, but the list is just as indicated, with some annotation.

It is God's will that some Christians be called to special service:
2 Corinthians 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus through the will of God, and Timothy our brother, to the assembly of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints who are in the whole of Achaia:

1 Corinthians 1:1a Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God

Ephesians 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus through the will of God, to the saints who are at Ephesus, and the faithful in Christ Jesus:

Colossians 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus through the will of God,

2 Timothy 1:1a Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God,

It is God's will that Christians live godly, holy, sanctified lives, and it is appropriate to pray that other Christians do this:
Romans 12:2 Don’t be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what is the good, well-pleasing, and perfect will of God.

1 Thessalonians 4:3 For this is the will of God: your sanctification, that you abstain from sexual immorality, 4 that each one of you know how to possess himself of his own vessel in sanctification and honor, 5 not in the passion of lust, even as the Gentiles who don’t know God;

Colossians 4:12 Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, salutes you, always striving for you in his prayers, that you may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God. 

1 Peter 4:1 Forasmuch then as Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind; for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin;  that you no longer should live the rest of your time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the will of God.

It is God's will that Christians do God's will. The last entry in this group indicates that we can receive divine help:
Mark 3:35 For whoever does the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother.

Ephesians 6:5 Servants, be obedient to thosing to the flesh are your masters, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as to Christ; 6 not in the way of service only when eyes are on you, as men pleasers; but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart;

1 John 2:17 The world is passing away with its lusts, but he who does God’s will remains forever. 


1 Peter 2:15 For this is the will of God, that by well-doing you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish men:

2 Corinthians 8:3 For according to their power, I testify, yes and beyond their power, they gave of their own accord, 4 begging us with much entreaty to receive this grace and the fellowship in the service to the saints. 5 This was not as we had hoped, but first they gave their own selves to the Lord, and to us through the will of God.

Romans 8:27 He who searches the hearts knows what is on the Spirit’s mind, because he makes intercession for the saints according to God. [other versions use something like "according to the will of God"]

It is God's will that we be thankful for what God does:
1 Thessalonians 5:18 In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus toward you.

It is God's will that we be redeemed:
Hebrews 10:36 For you need endurance so that, having done the will of God, you may receive the promise.

You may be interested in this post on what the New Testament Christians prayed for. Thanks for reading!

Prayers in the Bible: Paul in Colossians 1

Colossians 1:3 We give thanks to God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, 1:4 having heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which you have toward all the saints, 1:5 because of the hope which is laid up for you in the heavens, of which you heard before in the word of the truth of the Good News, 1:6 which has come to you; even as it is in all the world and is bearing fruit and growing, as it does in you also, since the day you heard and knew the grace of God in truth; 1:7 even as you learned of Epaphras our beloved fellow servant, who is a faithful servant of Christ on our behalf, 1:8 who also declared to us your love in the Spirit. 1:9 For this cause, we also, since the day we heard this, don’t cease praying and making requests for you, that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 1:10 that you may walk worthily of the Lord, to please him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; 1:11 strengthened with all power, according to the might of his glory, for all endurance and perseverance with joy; (WEB)

This is another in a series on prayers in the Bible. The last such is here.

In this prayer, by Paul, he is praying that the Colossian Christians will be filled with a knowledge of God's will, and strengthened with "all power." What a reservoir! What a resource!

Thanks for reading. May I, and you, be strengthened with all power, and filled with a knowledge of God's will.