`Pray without ceasing' (1 Thess. 5:17)

6

Among the mighty privileges that prayer gives us is access into the Holy Presence of our Heavenly Father. This

will be more appreciated if we remember that during the period covered by the Old Testament the average Jew lived

his entire life without once entering the Presence of God which was localised in the Tabernacle or Temple.

The Tabernacle was placed in the centre of Israel's camp where it could be seen by all, yet only one Jew, the

high priest, once in twelve months, was ever allowed by God to go inside it, draw aside the veil, and enter the Holy

of Holies which contained the blazing Light of His glory over the cherubim, the ark, and the mercy seat.

God was at pains to teach His people the solemnity and tremendous privilege of approaching Him and how

impossible this was without sin being put away, which was symbolised by the shed blood of the sacrifice which the

high priest took with him.

Now the reality has been offered, the One Sacrifice once for all, and the great barrier of sin swept aside. The

redeemed can now have `boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus' (Heb. 10:19). They can `draw near'

(verse 22) and `come boldly to the Throne of Grace' (Heb. 4:16) not once a year, but at all times and always receive

a Divine welcome there.

Remembering all the mercies supplied in the past, and looking forward to the time that lies ahead of us with all

its opportunities for witness and work for the Lord, shall we not avail ourselves continually and consistently of the

tremendous privilege of access into the Lord's Presence that prayer gives us?

7

We have been seeking guidance from the Word of God regarding prayer so that it may be really effective. We

have seen that there must be an urgency and concentration about it; that it should always contain the element of

thanksgiving; that, although we may not always know what to pray for, we have the almighty aid of the Holy

Spirit making intercession for us (Rom. 8:26-28); that there is no special time for prayer. We should pray without

ceasing, remembering that it gives us the mighty privilege of access into the Holy Presence of our Heavenly Father.

We go on to note that effective prayer puts God first, others second and self last. In the Kingdom prayer of the Lord

we have first of all three references to the Father: `Thy Name ... Thy kingdom ... Thy will' (Math 6:9,10) before

there is any mention of the believer. The apostle Paul's prayers are always a model for us, specially those in the

epistle to the Ephesians recorded in chapters one and three. They are both taken up with the glories of the ascended

Christ and then the need of the Ephesians saints to come to an experimental knowledge of these riches of revelation.

Not until he gets to the last chapter does he remember his own needs and ask for prayer for himself. Even then he

says first `praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all

perseverance and supplication for all saints'. Not until he has stressed this does he say `and for me, that utterance

may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the Gospel' (Eph. 6:18,19).

Selfishness is a blight on a believer's life. May we all be delivered from it and go on to be more occupied with

`things above where Christ is seated' (Col. 3:1-3) and the needs of others to get to know these wonders of God's

will. We can then go on together in fellowship, witness and service in connection with the sacred stewardship

entrusted to us.

8

We can say, as a definite fact, that all the saints of God who occupy a conspicuous place in His Word for

faithfulness and witness were men of prayer. Take Elijah as an example. What power he must have had to have

been able to close the heavens and prevent rain for three and a half years! (1 Kings 17:1). And also to have been

able to reverse this and cause rain to fall! Yet when we read the comment of James on his action, we are told that he