(Continued)
I have listed the names of a few of those that practiced talking with God, the dates in which they lived and how they described their conversing with God in His own words. Some of these ancient ones were foreign and wrote in such archaic, abstruse and obsolete terminology that you might not be able to grasp what they are trying to say. Therefore, the writer has translated their words into modern, every-day English as is spoken today. The meaning, however, is carefully preserved to be the same as the original.
Peter Ainslie (1867-1943)
“Above all books, the Bible should be read until our reading becomes prayer.“
D.M. Panton (1870-1955)
“The foundations of prayer–God’s own promises–are colossal, and as sure as God Himself. Plead His own Word, and how shall God say nay?…
Pray Scripturally. Luke 11:1. To pray Scripture is a safe way to pray according to the will of God…“
Henry (Harry) A. Ironside (1876-1851)
“If you would learn to appreciate Christ more, read the book of Revelation frequently and prayerfully.“
A.W. Pink (1886-1952)
“The Word of God cannot be understood without a constant and laborious study, without a careful and prayerful scrutiny of its contents…
He who reads the Bible must come to it in the spirit of prayer, crying “that which I see not teach Thou me.” (Job 34:32).
A.W. Tozer (1897-1963)
“Lord, You have said, “I know thee–I ordained thee–I sanctified thee” and You have also said, “Thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak.” Who am I to argue with You or to call into question Your sovereign choice? The decision is not mine, but Yours. So be it, Lord. Your will, not mine, be done…
To follow Christ is to carry a cross and the cross is never easy. Read the two following passages prayerfully, preferably on your knees: Exodus 23:20-33 and Isaiah 54…“
Watchman Nee (1903-1972)
“Pray, commune, wait, and lay the Bible before God. This is not an ordinary waiting, nor ordinary prayer and communion. This is waiting before God with the Bible, and communing with God over the Bible.” (Page 169 of “The Ministry of God’s Word” by Watchman Nee, published by Christian Fellowship Publishers, Inc.)
Cameron Van Brunt Thompson (1912-1961)
“Plead the promises of God. One authority says that there are exactly 7,487 promises from God to man in the Bible. If you want to set out on a great adventure this very day, plan to read three chapters in the Bible (Old Testament and New Testament) each weekday and five on Sunday, thus reading the Bible all the way through in one year. And every time you see a promise that is for you or yours, greedily claim it, and mark in the margin FM–which means “for me!”
“Psalm 37 alone contains over forty promises which believers may claim. Here is a sample to whet your appetite:
“Delight thyself also in the Lord [your part]; and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart” [God’s part] (v.4).
Two of the promises which I have claimed most often are: “Call upon me in the day of trouble [my part]; I will deliver thee, [God’s part] and thou shalt glorify me.” [my part). (Psalm 50:15), and this amazing promise: “For He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” (Hebrews 13:5). This has been translated poorly. The literal meaning is, “I will not, I will not let you down; I will not, I will not let you go.” He would sooner let us go than let us down!
And if you are trying to learn to pray when you have not even been born again, here is a promise for you: “If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” (Romans 10:9,10). Do not fail to claim it!”
Judson Cornwall (Contemporary)
Praying the Scriptures is gloriously practical and productive. It produces a present fruit of righteousness and a future fruit of perpetual relationship with God. It now mixes what God has said with what we are saying, and it will later blend our prayers with the prayers of Jesus Christ, heaven’s great intercessor. There is no other form of prayer that is more formidable.” (Last page of “Praying the Scriptures” by Judson Cornwall, published by Creation House, Lake Mary, Florida.)
David Wilkerson (Contemporary)
Dave is the well-known author of the best-seller “The Cross and the Switch-blade.” In 12-9-91 he wrote an article titled “The Church’s Greatest Hour is Still Ahead!” On the last page of this article he states:
“These Great Promises are given to us so we will pray them to pass! (Ezekiel 36:37).
God is saying to His church right now, `I want to increase you with holy men.’ And He is telling us to pray for this increase: “I will yet for this be enquired of by the house of Israel, to do it for them; I will increase them with men like a flock” (Ezekiel 36:37). He gave us these promises so we can pray them to pass!
My prayer right now is, “God, You have to do it. I can’t see it–but You have no choice other than to do it, because You promised it.” I believe God wants us to pray that way. He yearns to show us His power and strength in our day. And prayer is the promise turned into petition! In other words, pray what God has promised you. Claim these promises over every area of your life. Lay hold of them –until God lays hold of you!
We are to pray for an influx of a flock of men to become holy followers of Jesus. And God says He wants us to do this because the salvation of so many once-wicked men will cause the world to know God’s power over sin and the devil. All flesh shall then see and know His works!
The fact is, as miraculous and wonderful as these promises are, none will be fulfilled without God’s people praying them to pass. Why did God base the condition of His promises on prayer? Because prayer proves we want what God desires–that we prize His desires enough to arouse ourselves to lay hold of Him! And if those are the Lord’s conditions, we can know that something will happen to us in the process of prayer that’s beyond anything we can understand. We’re going to be changed as we pray!
People are going to flock to Christ–without the help of celebrities, hype, pitiful appeals for money, advertising, pageantry or glitz. And when people ask, `How did this happen? What draws all these crowds?’, we will answer, `Prayer–prayer–and more prayer!’
You can’t work up a revival; you can’t buy an awakening. You can’t bring in special speakers to make it happen. No, it happens because of prayer–because `the whole house inquires.’
Beloved, it’s time to stop looking back at the “good old days” Instead, we are heading into the good last days! Thank God for all He has done in the past; He is indeed worthy of praise and thanksgiving. But He has saved the best wine for last!
Get ready to witness the saintliest, godliest generation of all time. Our sons and daughters are going to be rained upon with righteousness. Our new generation will do the greatest exploits ever. The greatest ministers of God will not be TV evangelists or mega-church pastors. They will be godly saints so full of Jesus that the world will see the very character of God just by looking at their lives.
If we pray earnestly and unceasingly, here is what God says He will do:
“I will turn unto you…I will multiply men in your midst…they shall increase and bring fruit…neither shalt thou bear the reproach of the people any more…the heathen shall know that I am the Lord…from all your filthiness will I cleanse you…a new heart also will I give you…ye shall keep my judgments, and do them…I will call for the corn, and will increase it, and lay no famine upon you…ye shall remember your own evil ways, and shall loathe yourselves…the heathen that are left round about you shall know that I the Lord build the ruined places…so shall the waste cities be filled with flocks of men: and they shall know that I am the Lord” (Ezekiel 36:9-38).
This is an incredible list of promises, found in a single chapter in Ezekiel. Yet how can we see them happen?
We must pray them to pass!”
Mary Anne Voelkel (Contemporary)
“One of my own great struggles as a Christian has been learning to pray. The first thing I needed to learn is God’s deep interest in my relationship with Him. It’s like falling in love. The main thing is our personal relationship and communication with each other. When you fall in love with somebody, you get to know the things they care about. As one comes to know the Lord, He shares with us His concerns for the world. This is why praying through the Scriptures has been so helpful for me.
I used to think of intercession as my imagining or trying to figure out what needed to be done, and then telling God to do it. But praying through the Scriptures, I can see His will. Now I say, “I see that You want to do this. May this happen.” Often the person who’s changed the most is me. I frequently use the Psalms or a New Testament Epistle when I pray for friends or groups. I also allow time to listen to God, and I look for ways to make my prayer time fresh. I close my prayer with a time of loving God and letting Him love me back. Prayer is a love exchange.”
Gene Edwards (Contemporary)
“Get alone. Get quiet. Calm your mind. Take your time in doing this… Sit before your Lord. Begin to learn to behold, not pray! Five minutes…ten minutes. Be loved. Love. Yes, love Him.
Next open to Psalm 23. Speak out loud; don’t stay just with the verse if your heart becomes filled with other sights of Him. Let these too, flow out of your heart and find spoken expression. And above all, when you speak to your Lord, talk to Him in shirt-sleeve English! Give up your King James English and prosaic terms.
If some thought jumps out of your spirit — turn that thought into words; speak this delightful thought to your Lord, out loud.
Note what is happening. You are talking to the Lord Jesus, but you are using Scripture to furnish you with the words to say. Wonder of wonders, you are praying and reading your Bible!
Not let’s take a look at just how this prayer might go.
Lord Jesus. You are my shepherd. You take care of me. You always have taken care of me. You are taking care of me now. You will take care of me in the future. I am a lamb. I was made for a shepherd. You are that shepherd…” (page 107 of “The Secret to the Christian Life. Volume II” by Gene Edwards, published by The Seedsowers. Christian Books Publishing House. Box 3368, Auburn, Maine 04212
You (Contemporary)
Reader: “Who, me?”
Writer: “Yes, you, the very one that right now is reading these lines! You can have wonderful fellowship with God prayerfully reading God’s Word. God will greatly bless anyone who dares to believe His Word and reads it prayerfully. Your daily life will become a living testimony! Try it! Check it out! Be like the Bereans, of whom God’s Word declares that,
“These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the Word with all readiness of mind, and searched the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so. Therefore, many of them believed…” (Acts 17:11,12a).
From Communing With God – Chapter 8