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THE IMPORTANCE OF PRAYER
IT is curious to observe in what different estimation the same persons are held by their fellow-creatures and by God. We may certainly be allowed to say, that there was not, at the time referred to in our text, a more holy person upon earth than Jeremiah; yet by his countrymen was he held in such abhorrence, as to be deemed worthy only of imprisonment and death. God, on the contrary, honoured him with the highest tokens of his regard. As a friend (so to speak), he repeatedly visited him in prison; he encouraged him to inquire into his most secret counsels, and confided to him the most stupendous mysteries both of his providence and grace.
We need not however confine our attention to Jeremiah: for the words, though primarily addressed to him, may well be applied to all who suffer for righteousness’ sake, and to all who are truly devoted to their God. In this view, they accord with many other passages of Scripture; and contain a most important truth, namely, that prayer is the necessary and effectual moans of obtaining divine knowledge.
I. It is necessary—
God is always represented as the fountain of light and truth—
[He is “the Father of lights:” and whatever light there is in the whole creation, it is all derived from him. There are indeed amongst us stars of greater and smaller magnitude; but all in themselves are opaque, and destitute of any native lustre: they shine only by a borrowed light, and are glorious only in proportion as they reflect a greater or less portion of Jehovah’s beams. Even whore their knowledge is only in arts and sciences, it must be traced to God as its author; much more must it be so, when it pertains to things which the natural man is not able to receive. “In the hearts of all that are wise-hearted, I have put wisdom [Note: Exo_31:3; Exo_31:6.].”]
Those who would obtain knowledge from him must seek it by prayer—
[This is God’s command. He needs not indeed to be prevailed upon by our solicitations, as though he were of himself averse to grant us his blessings; but still it is our duty to pray unto him; and he teaches us to expect his blessings only in the discharge of this duty: “Ask, and ye shall have; seek, and ye shall find:” “If any man luck wisdom, let him ask of God; and it shall be given him.” We are far from saying that prayer is the only mean of obtaining knowledge; for we must read, and meditate, and search after truth, as much as if all depended on our own unaided exertions: but we say, that our exertions without prayer will be of no avail: we must “search for knowledge, as for hid treasures;” but we must also “cry after it, and lift up our voice for understanding:” when we combine the two, “then shall we find the knowledge of God: for the Lord giveth wisdom; out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding [Note: Pro_2:1-6.].”]
Nor is this an arbitrary, but a wise and gracious appointment—
[By this means our hearts are prepared for the reception of divine knowledge. If we could obtain it purely by our own study, we should pride ourselves in it, as having made ourselves to differ from those around us: but when we have been made sensible that it is God alone who “openeth the eyes of the understanding,” we learn to acknowledge him in our gifts, and to humble ourselves in proportion to the benefits we have received at his hands. We are stirred up also to improve our knowledge as a talent committed to us, and to diffuse, for the benefit of others, the light with which God has irradiated us.]
As all are invited to ask, so every prayer shall be heard and answered.
II. It shall be effectual—
The things which God shewed to Jeremiah, related, not merely to the return of the Jews from Babylon, but to Christ and his spiritual kingdom [Note: ver. 14–16.]: and, respecting Christ, “he will shew great and mighty things unto all that ask him.”
1. To the ignorant—
[Little do the world imagine what great and glorious things are known to those whom they despise; things “which prophets and kings in vain desired to see” and “which angles themselves desire to look into.” It is possible enough that the truths themselves, as a system, may be known to the ungodly: but, in their use, their excellence, their importance, they are known to those only who are taught of God. To these God has revealed the source and depth of their own depravity; the suitableness and sufficiency of Christ’s atonement; the fulness of grace that is treasured up in him; and the blessedness of all those who experience his salvation. These things, “great and mighty” as they are, are brought to their minds “with power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance:” and, by the revelation of them to their souls, they are “made wise unto salvation.”]
2. To the enlightened—
[It is not at first only that “God brings us into marvellous light:” there is, in the spiritual, as well as the natural world, a progress from the glimmering of the early dawn to the splendour of the noon-day sun. Job had known much of God by the hearing of the ear; but far more when he could say, “Now mine eye seeth thee.” And Moses had bright discoveries of Jehovah on various occasions; but brighter far, when God was pleased to “proclaim to him his name,” and “make all his glory pass before his eyes.” Thus, however advanced the believer may be in knowledge and in grace, there are in God, and in the wonders of his redeeming love, heights and depths and lengths and breadths, of which he has yet no adequate conception. Not that any fresh truths shall be revealed to him, much less any which are not contained in the Holy Scriptures: but the same truths shall be applied to his soul with a clearness and energy vastly surpassing any thing he has before experienced, provided he give himself unto prayer, and wait upon God for the teachings of his Spirit: “The light of the moon shall be to him as the light of the sun; and the light of the sun seven-fold, as the light of seven days [Note: Isa_30:26.].”]
We shall conclude this subject with a word,
1. Of reproof—
[Scarcely any subject is so reprobated by ungodly men, as this. They consider the influences of the Holy Spirit as chimerical; and all expectation of answers to prayer, as enthusiastic and absurd. They have never experienced these things themselves; and therefore they suppose that no one else can. But they have never used the means; how then should they attain the end? Suppose a person to affirm, that, with the help of glasses, he could see things invisible to the naked eye: would not any one, refusing to make the experiment, be justly deemed unreasonable, if he denied the possibility of such a thing, and imputed the affirmations of the other to vanity and folly? Every one knows, that objects dimly seen, may be made clearly visible by the use of glasses: and why may not the acquisition of an humble contrite frame be equally useful to the eye of our minds? There is not any one so ignorant, as not to know, how passion and interest distort the objects that are seen through them; and that they who are under their influence, view things very differently from what they appear to an impartial judge. Thus then it is in spiritual things: “whilst the eye is evil, the whole mind is dark; but when it is single, the whole is full of light:” and when God, by removing our earthly and carnal dispositions, presents heavenly objects to the soul in their true character, they shine with a lustre inconceivable to the blind ungodly world. Would any then ascertain whether God will teach his people? let him pray: but let him pray with sincerity, with fervour, and with faith i these are the requisites of effectual prayer [Note: See Psa_145:18-19. Jer_29:12. Jam_1:5-7.] — — — and prayer thus offered, shall never go forth in vain.]
2. Of encouragement—
[Many are discouraged because they have not those manifestations of God to their souls, which they have heard, and read of, in the experience of others. But have they mortified their in-dwelling lusts as much as others; and been as constant and importunate in prayer? But be it so: “God gives to every one severally as he will:” yet none shall ever say, that they have sought his face in vain. Our talent may be small; our capacity narrow and contracted: yet have we no cause to despond: for God has said, that “he will reveal to babes and sucklings the things which he has hid from the wise and prudent: and if only we were more conscientious in looking to God for his blessing on the ordinances; if, before we come to them, while we are under them, and after we have returned from them, we were earnest in prayer for the influences of his Spirit; we should not so often return from them empty and unedified. God would hear us, and “would answer us, and would shew us great and mighty things, which we know not.” Our private meditations also on his blessed word would be attended with “an unction which should teach us all things [Note: 1Jn_2:20; 1Jn_2:27.].” He would “open our understandings to understand the Scriptures.” “At the very beginning of our supplication” would he send his Holy Spirit to instruct us [Note: Dan_9:20-23.]; yea, “before we called, God would answer: and while we were yet speaking, he would, hear [Note: Isa_65:24.].”]