Revival (Section 6) PREVAILING PRAYER (From Charles Finney’s Lectures)
Introduction: James 5:16 The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
There are two kinds of means requisite to promote a revival: the one to influence men, the other to influence God. The truth is employed to influence men, and prayer to move God. When I speak of moving God, I do not mean that God's mind is changed by prayer, or that His disposition or character is changed. But prayer produces such a change in us as renders it consistent to do otherwise. When a sinner repents, that state of feeling makes it proper for God to forgive him. God has always been ready to forgive him on that condition so that when the sinner changes his feelings and repents, it requires no change of feeling in God to pardon him. It is the sinner's repentance that renders His forgiveness proper, and is the occasion of God's acting as he does. So when Christians offer effectual prayer, their state of feeling renders it proper for God to answer them. He was never unwilling to bestow the blessing--on the condition that they felt aright, and offered the right kind of prayer.
I. WHAT PREVAILING PRAYER IS
Prevailing, or effectual prayer, is that prayer which attains the blessing that it seeks. It is that prayer which effectually moves God. The very idea of effectual prayer is that it effect its object.
II. ESSENTIAL ATTRIBUTES OF PREVAILING PRAYER
A. He must pray for a definite object. He must have an object distinctly before his mind.
He cannot pray effectually for a variety of objects at once.
B. Prayer, to be effectual, must be in accordance with the revealed will of God.
There are three ways in which God's will is revealed to men for their guidance in prayer.
1. By express promises or predictions in the Bible.
2. By His Providence. Events, circumstances, etc. point to the will of God when
we attempt to discern His will.
3. By His Spirit.
Romans 8:26 -27 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know
not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh
intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
Ephesians 5:18 "Be filled with the Spirit" And He will lead our minds to
such things as God is willing to grant.
C. To pray effectually you must pray with submission to the will of God.
As the will of God is revealed, obey it. Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it!!!!
D. Effectual prayer for an object implies a desire for that object commensurate with
its importance.
Prevailing prayer is often offered in the present day, when Christians have been
wrought up to such a pitch of importunity and such a holy boldness that afterwards
when they looked back upon it, they were frightened and amazed at themselves,
to think they should have dared to exercise such importunity with God. And
yet these prayers have prevailed, and obtained the blessing.
E. Prayer, to be effectual, must be offered from right motives.
Women sometimes pray for their husbands, that they may be converted, because,
they say: "It would be so much more pleasant to have my husband go to Church
with me". They do not seem to think how their husbands are dishonoring God by their sins, nor how God would be glorified in their conversion. Parents pray for children that they might not be lost. They do not think how such lovely children are dishonoring God by their sins. Unless their thoughts rise higher than this, their prayers will never prevail with a holy God.
F. Prayer, to be effectual, must be by the intercession of the Spirit.
There must be a faith, such as is produced by the effectual operation of the Holy Ghost
G. It must be persevering prayer.
As a general thing, Christians who have backslidden and lost the spirit of prayer, will
not get at once into the habit of persevering prayer. Their minds are not in a right state,
and they cannot fix their thoughts so as to hold on till the blessing comes. If their minds were in that state in which they would persevere till the answer came, effectual
prayer might be offered at once, as well as after praying ever so many times for an object. But they have to pray again and again, because their thoughts are so apt to
wander away and are so easily diverted from the object.
Most Christians come up to prevailing prayer by a protracted process. Their minds
gradually become filled with anxiety about an object, so that they will even go about
their business sighing out their desires to God. Just as the mother whose child is sick goes round her house sighing as if her heart would break. And if she is a praying
mother, her sighs are breathed out to God all the day long. If she goes out of the
room where her child is, her mind is till on it; and if she is asleep, still her thoughts are
on it, and she starts in her dreams, thinking that perhaps it may be dying. Her whole
mind is absorbed in that sick child. This is the state of mind in which Christians offer prevailing prayer.
Do not deceive yourselves with thinking that you offer effectual prayer, unless
you have this intense desire for the blessing. Prayer is not effectual unless it is offered
up with an agony of desire.
H. If you mean to pray effectually, you must pray a great deal.
It was said of the Apostle James that after he was dead, it was found that his knees
were callous, like a camel's knees, by praying so much. Ah, here was the secret
of the success of those primitive ministers! They had callous knees!
I. If you intend prayer to be effectual, you must offer it in the name of Christ.
J. You cannot prevail in prayer without renouncing all your sins.
K. You must pray in faith.
