Pastor's corner - “If You Will Ask”

Christian author Oswald Chambers wrote a book on prayer entitled, If You Will Ask. The first chapter asks the question, What’s the good of prayer? He quotes First Timothy 2:1-8 that tells Christians to pray for all men especially kings and those in authority so that believers may lead a quiet and peaceable life in godliness and honesty. The apostle Paul exhorts us to “pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.” The following information is taken from chapter one of this book.

“Only when a man flounders beyond any grip of himself and cannot understand things does he really pray. Prayer is not part of the natural life or the ordinary, sensible, healthy, worldly-minded life.” Mr. Chambers points out that we often miss the importance of prayer. I believe that prayer expresses our humility towards God and teaches us to trust in Him alone for solutions to our problems.

“Some say that a man will suffer in his life if he does not pray. I question it. Prayer is an interruption of personal ambition, and no person who is busy has time to pray. What will suffer is the life of God in him, which is nourished not by food but by prayer. Prayer is other than meditation; it develops the life of God in us. When a man is born from above, the life of the Son of God begins in him, and he can either starve that life or nourish it.” Remember the saying, “If we feel far from God, guess who moved?” If we feel disconnected from our Lord then it is time to start actively seeking His will through prayer.

Oswald continues; “Prayer nourishes the life of God. Our Lord nourished the life of God in Him by prayer. He was continually in contact with His Father. We generally look upon prayer as a means of getting things for ourselves, whereas the biblical idea of prayer is that God’s holiness, purpose, and wise order may be brought about. Our ordinary view of prayer is not found in the New Testament.”

“When a man is in real distress he prays without reasoning; he does not think things out, he simply spurts it out ( Psalms 107:13). When we get into a tight place our logic goes to the winds, and we work from the implicit part of ourselves.”

Matthew 6:8 says that God knows what we need before we ask Him for it. “So why ask? It is the way we may get to know God. Prayer is not to be used as the privilege of a spoiled child seeking ideal conditions to indulge his spiritual propensities; the purpose of prayer is to reveal the presence of God, equally present at all times and in every condition.” Oswald’s wise counsel to all believers in the Lord Jesus Christ is that the first priority of prayer is to learn about God, listen to Him, and know His ways.

Chaplain Ron McMurray,

Whitman County Sheriff’s Office