With Christ in the school of prayer, by Andrew Murray, excerpt 191

This post continues a series of excerpts from With Christ in the School of Prayer, by Andrew Murray. I do this, not because I'm a powerful prayer warrior, but because I'm not. Murray was. 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. 

‘In my Name;’ Or, The All-prevailing Plea.
‘Whatsoever ye shall ask in my Name, that will I do. If ye shall ask me anything in my Name, that will I do. That whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my Name, He may give it you. Verily, verily, I say unto you, If ye shall ask anything of the Father, He will give it you in my Name. Hitherto ye have asked nothing in my Name: ask, and ye shall receive. In that day ye shall ask in my Name.’—John xiv. 13, 14, xv. 16, xvi. 23, 24, 26.
HITHERTO the disciples had not asked in the Name of Christ, nor had He Himself ever used the expression. The nearest approach is, ‘met together in my Name.’ Here in His parting words, He repeats the word unceasingly in connection with those promises of unlimited meaning, ‘Whatsoever,’ ‘Anything,’ ‘What ye will,’ to teach them and us that His Name is our only, but also our all-sufficient plea. The power of prayer and the answer depend on the right use of the Name.
What is a person’s name? That word or expression in which the person is called up or represented to us. When I mention or hear a name, it calls up before me the whole man, what I know of him, and also the impression he has made on me. The name of a king includes his honour, his power, his kingdom. His name is the symbol of his power. And so each name of God embodies and represents some part of the glory of the Unseen One. And the Name of Christ is the expression of all He has done and all He is and lives to do as our Mediator.
And what is it to do a thing in the name of another? It is to come with the power and authority of that other, as his representative and substitute. We know how such a use of another’s name always supposes a community of interest. No one would give another the free use of his name without first being assured that his honour and interest were as safe with that other as with himself.

With Christ in the school of prayer, by Andrew Murray, 31

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.

How deep the estrangement of our heart from God must be, that we find it so difficult to grasp such promises.  Even while we accept the words and believe their truth, the faith of the heart, that fully has them and rejoices in them, comes so slowly.  It is because our spiritual life is still so weak, and the capacity for taking God’s thoughts is so feeble.  But let us look to Jesus to teach us as none but He can teach.  If we take His words in simplicity, and trust Him by His Spirit to make them within us life and power, they will so enter into our inner being, that the spiritual Divine reality of the truth they contain will indeed take possession of us, and we shall not rest content until every petition we offer is borne heaven-ward on Jesus’ own words:  ‘Ask, and it shall be given you.’

Beloved fellow-disciples in the school of Jesus!  let us set ourselves to learn this lesson well.  Let us take these words just as they were spoken.  Let us not suffer human reason to weaken their force.  Let us take them as Jesus gives them, and believe them.  He will teach us in due time how to understand them fully:  let us begin by implicitly believing them.  Let us take time, as often as we pray, to listen to His voice:  Every one that asketh, receiveth. Let us not make the feeble experiences of our unbelief the measure of what our faith may expect.  Let us seek, not only just in our seasons of prayer, but at all times, to hold fast the joyful assurance:  man’s prayer on earth and God’s answer in heaven are meant for each other.  Let us trust Jesus to teach us so to pray that the answer can come.  He will do it, if we hold fast the word He gives today:  ‘Ask, and ye shall receive.’ ‘LORD, TEACH US TO PRAY.’

With Christ in the school of prayer, by Andrew Murray, 29

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.

‘Ask, and it shall be given you.’  Christ has no mightier stimulus to persevering prayer in His school than this.  As a child has to prove a sum to be correct, so the proof that we have prayed aright is, the answer.  If we ask and receive not, it is because we have not learned to pray aright.  Let every learner in the school of Christ therefore take the Master’s word in all simplicity:  Every one that asketh, receiveth.  He had good reasons for speaking so unconditionally.  Let us beware of weakening the Word with our human wisdom.  When He tells us heavenly things, let us believe Him:  His Word will explain itself to him who believes it fully.  If questions and difficulties arise, let us not seek to have them settled before we accept the Word.  No; let us entrust them all to Him:  it is His to solve them:  our work is first and fully to accept and hold fast His promise.  Let in our inner chamber, in the inner chamber of our heart too, the Word be inscribed in letters of light:  Every one that asketh, receiveth.