Prayer

There are conditions to the fulfillment of God’s promises, and prayer can never take
the place of duty. “If ye love Me,” Christ says, “Keep My commandments.”“He that
hath My commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth Me; and he that loveth
Me shall be loved of My Father, and I will love him, and will manifest Myself to him.”
John 14:15, 21. Those who bring their petitions to God, claiming His promise while
they do not comply with the conditions, insult Jehovah. They bring the name of Christ
as their authority for the fulfillment of the promise, but they do not those things that
would show faith in Christ and love for Him.—(Christ’s Object Lessons, 143.)
Prayer is the opening of the heart to God as to a friend. The eye of faith will
discern God very near, and the suppliant may obtain precious evidence of the divine
love and care for him. But why is it that so many prayers are never answered? Says
David: “I cried unto Him with my mouth, and He was extolled with my tongue. If I
regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.” By another prophet the Lord
gives us the promise: “Ye shall seek Me, and find Me, when ye shall search for Me
with all your heart.” Again, he speaks of some who “have not cried unto Me with
their heart.” Such petitions are prayers of form, lip service only, which the Lord does
not accept.—(Testimonies for the Church 4:533.)
Hurried, occasional prayers are not real communion with God.—Heaven is
not closed against the fervent prayers of the righteous. Elijah was a man subject to
like passions as we are, yet the Lord heard and in a most striking manner answered his
petitions. The only reason for our lack of power with God is to be found in ourselves.
If the inner life of many who profess the truth were presented before them, they would
not claim to be Christians. They are not growing in grace. A hurried prayer is offered
now and then, but there is no real communion with God.
We must be much in prayer if we would make progress in the divine life. When
the message of truth was first proclaimed, how
263