was a `man subject to like passions as we are' (James 5:17). He was an ordinary mortal being and yet, if this was so,

what was the secret of his effective praying?

He based it on the Word of God and its promises. Moses, in Deuteronomy 11:13-17, had warned Israel that

departure from God would bring drought on their land with consequent famine and destruction. Elijah knew this,

and in a time of apostasy under Ahab, he asked God to fulfil His Word in judgment to bring Israel back again to

Him in repentance. He said, in effect, what David prayed at an earlier date, `LORD, let the thing that Thou hast

spoken ... be established for ever, and do as Thou hast said' (1 Chron. 17:23).

Effective praying is based upon the Word of God. But here we must be careful to apply the great principle of 2

Timothy 2:15. It will be useless for us to pray, in a dispensation of reigning grace, according to the conditions of a

dispensation of law. What we need therefore, is to get to know the particular Scriptures that are addressed to us

Gentiles, namely the epistles of Paul. These reveal our high calling, its practical walk and its hope. Then, having

this word of Christ dwelling richly within, our thoughts, desires and aspirations will be moulded by the precious

truth revealed within, and we shall be able to say in our measure, as David did: `Lord, Thou hast said ... do as Thou

hast said'. We are dealing with a God Who always honours His own Word and the exceeding great and precious

promises which are centred in the Lord Jesus Christ.

9

One of the great truths for the present time is the Mediatorial work of Christ. `For there is One God, and One

Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus ... the testimony (to be rendered) in its own appointed time to

which I was appointed a herald and apostle' (1 Tim. 2:5-7). So Paul wrote under inspiration, and this is made very

clear in his prayers. There is only one approach to God now by believer or unbeliever and that is through Christ, the

Way. `No man cometh unto the Father but by Me' (John 14:6).

We should always remember this when we pray. Sometimes the question is asked, `to Whom should we address our

prayers?' and often one hears prayers offered to the Lord Jesus Christ. If we study the model prayers of the apostle

Paul in Ephesians one and three, we shall find that they are addressed to the Father (1:17; 3:14) and in Ephesians

5:20 we have `giving thanks unto God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ' (see also Col. 1:3,12; 3:17).

If we pray directly to Christ, then we are, in effect, by-passing Him as the One Mediator. He Himself said:

`whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in My Name, He will give it you. Hitherto have ye asked nothing in My

Name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full' (John 16:23,24). Our petitions then should be addressed

to God the Father, through the Son, as enabled by the Spirit.

Instead of hastily concluding our prayers by saying `for Christ's sake, Amen', as is so often done, or even not

mentioning Christ at all, shall we realise that the Mediation of our Saviour is the most important item in our praying

and is one glorious fact that makes answered prayer possible?

10

In previous articles we have considered many important aspects of prayer. This time we pause to ask why prayer

sometimes receives a negative answer from our Heavenly Father.

1. 1 John 3:22, reads: `And whatsoever we ask, we receive of Him, because we keep His commandments, and do

those things that are pleasing in His sight'. `We receive of Him', says the apostle, because we are obedient to His

commands. If there is any degree of unfaithfulness or disobedience, can we expect to `receive of Him' and have

abundant answers to our prayers? The answer is obvious.

2. In the fourth chapter of the epistle of James and verse three, we have: `Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask

amiss, that ye may spend it in your pleasures' (R.V.). How many times have believers prayed for things that

merely minister to self gratification? Such asking is evil (amiss) says James and will be disregarded by God.