VICTORY IN CHRISTIAN WARFARE
(Second Edition)
CHAPTER 12 The Final Battle: The Role of Prayer
As was said before, prayer is a weapon in the hands of the saints, who by faith, as soldiers in God’s army, make war against Satan’s army. Prayer thus plays an important role in our sanctification, our second and final battle against sin and Satan. The role of prayer is the subject to which we now turn our attention in this chapter.
Prayer and Faith
God says of Himself, “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” Hebrews 11:6.
We may say then, “Let us draw near” (Hebrews 10:22), to God, “with a true heart in full assurance of faith.” Hebrews 10:22. God encourages us, saying, “Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.” Ephesians 6:16. So, we see that prayer and faith go hand-in-hand.
When Answers to Prayer are Delayed
“The Spirit also helpeth our infirmities” (Romans 8:26), our moral frailty: “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. We, as human beings, are so erring and shortsighted that we may ask for things that will not prove to be a blessing to us.
Therefore, God in His love towards us, will instead give us that which is for our highest good—things that we would ourselves desire if with our vision divinely enlightened, we could see things as they really are. So, when we do not receive the very things we ask for, at the time we ask, then it is the time to exercise faith in God. We are to still believe that God hears and that He will answer our prayers at the time that He chooses.
When our prayers seem not to be answered by God, cling to God’s promise, “Ask, and it shall be given you.” Matthew 7:7. For God’s timing in answering our prayers will surely come and we shall then receive the blessing that we need most. But to claim that our prayer will always be answered in the very way and for the particular thing we desire, is presumption.
For God is too wise to err in His dealings with us, and He says of Himself, “no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.” Psalm 84:11. Then, let us not fear to trust God, even though we do not see the immediate answer to our prayers.
When We are Perplexed
If we take counsel with our doubts and fears, or try in our human strength to solve everything that we cannot see clearly, our perplexities will only increase and deepen. But if we come to God, feeling helpless and dependent as we really are, and in humble, trusting faith “by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let…[our] requests be made known unto God” (Philippians 4:6), God can and will attend to our cry.
For God is He whose “understanding is infinite” (Psalm 147:5) and He “who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will.” Ephesians 1:11. God says, “Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me?” (Jeremiah 32:27) and the answer is “with God nothing shall be impossible.” Luke 1:37.
God holds up billions of stars in the universe and He can unravel any perplexity and, in so doing, give you a blessing. All that is required is sincerity in our prayers which brings us into connection with the mind of God, the Infinite One.
Take to God everything that perplexes the mind for nothing that in any way concerns our peace is too small for God to notice. There is no sincere prayer of ours of which God is unobservant and in which He does not take immediate interest. Thus, when we pray, we may not have any special evidence that Christ, our Saviour, is bending over us in compassion and love, but this is even so.
We may not feel His visible touch, but His hand is upon us for God says of Himself, “The Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy” (James 5:11) and God is He whose “charity [love] never faileth.” 1 Corinthians 4:8. By faith then, “trust ye in the LORD for ever.” Isaiah 26:4. For we may say of God in truth, “Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory” (Psalm 73:24), receive me to paradise. Our perplexities dissolve into nothingness when we trust in God.
Watchfulness
God commands us, saying, “My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not” (Proverbs 1:10), “neither give place to the devil” (Ephesians 4:27), give the devil no foothold in your life. “The end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.” 1 Peter 4:7. “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit [mind] indeed is willing, but the flesh [human nature] is weak.” Matthew 26:41.
“Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving” (Colossians 4:2) “lest Satan should get an advantage of us” (2 Corinthians 2:11) for we are to be such that “we are not ignorant of his devices.” 2 Corinthians 2:11. Without unceasing prayer and diligent watching we are in danger of growing careless and, hence, deviating from the right path.
Watching means to be constantly on the lookout for temptations to sin, so that we can close the doors through which Satan seeks to enter by prayer to God for help, always choosing to do God’s will. Satan ever seeks to obstruct our way to God so that we may not by earnest prayer and faith obtain grace and power to resist temptation.
To reiterate, we need to meet every temptation to sin with prayer to God for help, “and all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.” Matthew 21:22. We are to be such that we are “continuing instant in prayer” (Romans 12:12), in that, the moment that we are tempted we immediately start praying to God for help. Only then can we “watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation.” Matthew 26:41.
If we respond to every temptation of Satan with prayer, we remove Satan’s opportunity to say to God that we are on Satan’s side of the great controversy and that we do not desire God’s protection. Thus, God says, “My son, be wise, and make my heart glad, that I may answer him that reproacheth me.” Proverbs 27:11. This means be wise in meeting every temptation with prayer to God and in living in accordance with your prayers.
For God says, “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High” (Psalm 91:1), he who dwells in God’s heavenly audience chamber, “shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty” (Psalm 91:1), under God’s protection. While the content of our prayer is to be in accordance with God’s will, our watchfulness and the timeliness of our prayers will keep us in the audience chamber of God under His never-ceasing protection and care.
When praying to God for help to meet temptations, we may pray in our own words. It is also important to meet every temptation and with Scripture, with the word of God, the Bible. This is what is meant by using “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” Ephesians 6:17. For in the Bible is to be found the answer to every possible temptation to sin.
When tempted, we should search the Bible for what God says is His will with regard to such temptations. If we do not know what to look for in the Bible, ask God to show you His will as recorded in the word of God. Then we should present God’s word to God Himself in prayer, saying, “It is written” (Matthew 4:4) and the actual words of the Bible, and claim God’s help to live in accordance with His revealed will in the Bible.
If we take this approach with a sincere desire to do God’s will, God says, “Grace be with all them that love…[the] Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity.” Ephesians 6:24. God’s grace will cause us to be successful in resisting Satan and his temptations. For God stands by His word, the Bible, and He will give us moral strength to live in accordance with the Bible.
Another benefit of taking the approach of praying Scripture, is that we will come to an increasing understanding of the Bible by “experience.” Romans 5:4. Thus, we “grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18) every day, into the likeness of Christ’s character of love.
For often, when we do sin, it is because we cannot bring to mind at the time what God says in His word. Thus, we are left to follow our own evil inclinations and sinful thoughts with respect to the temptation at hand. This is why daily reading and studying the Bible is so important if we are to be victorious over sin and Satan.
“For we walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7), “while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal [temporary]; but the things which are not seen are eternal.” 2 Corinthians 4:18. If we keep our eyes fixed on God, fixed on the eternal, we shall not stumble and fall into sin.
Taught by God
Having been justified by God, we are now enrolled by God in the heavenly school of Christ in order that we may be found among those individuals who have “learned Christ” (Ephesians 4:20), who “have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus.” Ephesians 4:20, 21. The school of Christ is invisible and we learn from Christ as we, by faith, believe that Christ speaks to us and that He teaches us. In other words, the school of Christ is a spiritual school and not a physical school here on earth.
Therefore, the prayer of our hearts should be “teach me good judgment and knowledge: for I have believed thy commandments.” Psalm 119:66. “Thou art good, and doest good; teach me thy statutes.” Psalm 119:68. “Teach me, O LORD, the way of thy statutes; and I shall keep it unto the end.” Psalm 119:33. “I will hear what God the LORD will speak: for he will speak peace unto his people, and to his saints: but let them not turn again to folly.” Psalm 85:8.
If we do come to God in submission to His will and with a teachable spirit, God says, I will “teach them the good way wherein they should walk.” 1 Kings 8:36. “They shall be all taught of God.” John 6:45. “I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.” Psalm 32:8. “Thus saith the LORD, thy Redeemer, the Holy One…I am the LORD thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go.” Isaiah 48:17.
Then we may know that “now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.” 1 Corinthians 12:12, 13.
“But the natural man” (1 Corinthians 2:14), the ungodly person, “receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” 1 Corinthians 2:14. Prayer then is a time to be instructed by God and also a time to make decisions to obey God’s will as it has been revealed to us.
Now God says of His dealings with humanity, “He [God] led him about, he instructed him, he kept him as the apple of his eye. As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings: So the LORD alone did lead him, and there was no strange god with him.” Deuteronomy 32:10-12.
The manner in which the eagle teaches its young to fly is an illustration of how God teaches those who submit themselves to His will. God first instructs us and guides us, and then the individual is such that “God left him, to try him, that he [God] might know all that was in his heart.” 2 Chronicles 32:31.
If at such times of God’s testing we do not transgress, then we may know that we have learned the lessons which God desired to teach us and that we have made progress in our spiritual life. “For whom he [God] did foreknow, he also did predestinate [predestined] to be conformed to the image of his Son” (Romans 8:29), Christ, and we may know that we are being conformed to the likeness of Christ’s character of love.
“Good and upright is the LORD: therefore will he teach sinners in the way.” Psalm 25:8. “The meek will he guide in judgment: and the meek will he teach his way.” Psalm 25:9. “What man is he that feareth the LORD” (Psalm 25:12), that is to say, has reverential awe for the Lord? “Him shall he teach in the way that he shall choose.” Psalm 25:12.
God says, “He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.” John 12:25. Therefore, as a Christian, you will discover that a lifetime of learning in the school of Satan will need to be discarded in order for you to become a good student in the school of Christ. Plans of life must be relinquished, and earthly hopes surrendered. Individuals who do so are those who are taught by God.
Those who are called to unite with Christ must leave all, in order to follow Him. For God says, “I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man…be a fornicator” (1 Corinthians 5:11), one who practices sexual intimacy outside of marriage, “or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer” (1 Corinthians 5:11), who is an abusive person, “or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.” 1 Corinthians 5:11.
“Know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.” James 4:4. “Make no friendship with” (Proverbs 22:24) “sinners.” Genesis 13:13.
“Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers” (2 Corinthians 6:14), who are therefore sinners: “for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?” 2 Corinthians 6:14. “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean…and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.” 2 Corinthians 6:17, 18.
So, old associations must be broken up and no new associations formed with sinners. This applies to friendships, business associations, any new marriage, and so on. We will look at God’s guidelines for existing marriages in a subsequent chapter.
Why does God command us not to associate with sinners? The reason is as God says, “Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.” 1 Corinthians 15:33. If we “keep company” (1 Corinthians 5:11) with sinners they will surely corrupt us so that, if we do not repent, we will like them be under the condemnation of God’s law of love and shall not have eternal life.
Now God says, “Judge not, that ye be not judged” (Matthew 7:1) by God. “Speak not evil one of another…He that speaketh evil of his brother”(James 4:11), his fellow human being, “and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge. There is one lawgiver” (James 4:11, 12), God, “who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another?” James 4:12.
In disassociating ourselves from sinners, we are not to judge them by usurping God’s prerogative as Judge and condemning them as being finally impenitent. Yes, they are perishing in their sins but we cannot read the heart and, hence, we cannot tell if their character has become fixed in evildoing. How then should we treat sinners? We are to show mercy to them by treating them as a missionary field, as candidates for paradise and immortality.
So, those persons who disassociate themselves from sinners are those who are taught by God.
Led by God
To all humanity God says, “In all thy ways acknowledge him [God], and he shall direct thy paths.” Proverbs 3:6. “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.” Romans 8:14.
If we have submitted our lives to the leading and guidance of God, then we may say in truth, “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.” Psalm 23:1-3. God likens those who have yielded their lives to God’s control, to sheep under the tender loving care of a shepherd.
But what is the whole purpose of God’s leading in our lives? It is that we may be able to say at the end of our life here on earth, just as Christ said to the Father at the end of His life on earth, “I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.” John 17:4.
We may, therefore, ask, “What does it mean to glorify God?” It is to accurately and fully manifest God’s character of love in our own lives. This work God will accomplish in us if we do not allow a perverse will to come between us and God. Let us then, in accordance with God’s word, the Bible, be found “being confident of this very thing, that he [God] which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6) when Christ will return to the earth.
We may also ask, “Has God given me a work to do just like Christ?” Yes, He has. For “all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation…Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.” 2 Corinthians 5:18-20. The work which God has given every human being to do is to obey the gospel commission.
We will now consider two practical, necessary steps to take in doing the work which God has assigned to us individually. First of all, “delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.” Psalm 37:4, 5.
Make God the delight of your life and consecrate yourself to God morning and evening, surrendering all your plans to God to be abandoned, modified, or approved as God so chooses. In consecrating ourselves to God, we seek God’s help before temptation comes upon us and then we will find that “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1) when we are tempted to sin.
Secondly, we are to be found among those who “asked…counsel at the mouth of the LORD.” Joshua 9:14. We are to seek God’s will before we embark on any endeavour so that we “are led by the Spirit of God” (Romans 8:14) at all times. God will answer us by impressing His thoughts upon our mind or by the word of God, the Bible. For “where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety.” Proverbs 11:14.
Where do we find such counsellors? The word of God, the Bible, says that we should acknowledge to God that “thy testimonies” (Psalm 119:24), the word of God, the Bible, “are my delight and my counsellors.” Psalm 119:24.
The multiple authors of the whole Bible, who wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, are our counsellors and here alone is to be found safe counsel. For God says, “Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom: I [God] am understanding; I have strength.” Proverbs 8:14. “There is no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against the LORD.” Proverbs 21:30.
God also says, “I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known: I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them.” Isaiah 42:16.
“There is a path which no fowl knoweth, and which the vulture’s eye hath not seen: The lion’s whelps” (Job 28:7, 8), the lion’s young offspring, “have not trodden it, nor the fierce lion passed by it.” Job 28:7, 8. This means that we can safely and confidently follow where God leads for Satan, with his supremely selfish heart, is confounded and baffled by the wisdom of God’s ways.
We are to be such that God Himself can say of His work in us and through us, “He [God] led him about, he instructed him, he kept him as the apple of his eye.” Deuteronomy 32:10. So, we are to allow God to use us in any way that He may choose to accomplish the work that God designs to do through us, in that, we are to be God’s hands, feet, and mouth in the world.
By yielding up our will to Christ, we ally ourselves to the “omnipotent” (Revelation 19:6) God. Therefore, we will have strength from God to hold us steadfast in God’s ways and through constant surrender to God, we are enabled to live the new life, even the life of faith. It is imperative then that we do not resist God’s will, and if we do not allow a perverse will to come between ourselves and God we shall certainly be saved.
In following God’s leading, we are to say in truth, “Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.” Philippians 4:11. For God says, “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18.
In following God’s way, as we are led by Him, we are not to be found mourning, complaining, or repining. Instead, the prayer of our hearts should be, “I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.” Psalm 40:8. “Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day.” Psalm 25:5. For “the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day” (Proverbs 4:18), the day when we shall have become sinless having been made holy by God.
The religion that the Bible prescribes is not a theory, but it enters into and governs what we understand to be reality. Hence, such a religion governs how we should live our lives in that we should order our lives according to the worldview that the Bible gives us.
Hidden by God
God says of the justified, “Ye are dead” (Colossians 3:3), to sin, “and your life is hid with Christ in God.” Colossians 3:3. For “they have taken crafty [devious] counsel against thy [God’s] people, and consulted against thy hidden ones.” Psalm 83:3. In this life, the justified, who are those hidden by God, are opposed by Satan, all his demons, and the wicked among mankind.
But “we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast [steadfast] unto the end” (Hebrews 3:14) of our life here on earth, and, hence, our salvation will be sure. For the spiritual life of the justified is securely sustained by God, and therefore, they cannot be overthrown by Satan or any human being for they are hidden by God.
To reiterate, God says, “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High” (Psalm 91:1), he who dwells in God’s heavenly audience chamber, “shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty” (Psalm 91:1), under God’s protection.
The justified are individuals “who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Peter 1:5), ready to be revealed when Jesus Christ returns to the earth.
God says, “And now, little children, abide in him” (1 John 2:28), that is to say, abide in Christ, “the true vine” (John 15:1); “that, when he [Christ] shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him [Christ] at his coming.” 1 John 2:28. “Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward.” Hebrews 10:35. Again, this is what it means to be one of God’s “hidden ones.” Psalm 83:3. Such are instantaneous in prayer and “pray without ceasing.” 1 Thessalonians 5:17.
You who are justified, if you remain faithful to God and become sanctified, which is to be made holy by God such that you become sinless with your sinful nature subdued by your divine nature, shall be saved from eternal death. Saved “to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you.” 1 Peter 1:4.
The prayer of the hearts of the justified should be “Hide me from the secret counsel of the wicked; from the insurrection of the workers of iniquity.” Psalm 64:2. “Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of thy wings.” Psalm 17:8.
In response to such prayer, God says to them every day, “Hear…ye approach this day unto battle against your enemies: let not your hearts faint, fear not, and do not tremble, neither be ye terrified because of them; for the LORD your God is he that goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.” Deuteronomy 20:3, 4.
Be “in nothing terrified by your adversaries: which is to them an evident token of perdition” (Philippians 1:28), an evident indication of their coming destruction, “but to you of salvation, and that of God.” Philippians 1:28.
“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” Ephesians 6:12. The justified, are engaged in spiritual warfare that is directed at them by Satan and his “evil angels” (Psalm 78:49) and the wicked among mankind every day of their lives.
Now Christ says, “In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33. God says to you who are justified, “confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting [encouraging] them to continue in the faith” (Acts 14:22), “be of good cheer” (John 16:33), even though “we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.” Acts 14:22.
For “as many as received him [Christ], to them gave he power to become the sons of God” (John 1:12), holy and righteous, “even to them that believe on his name.” John 1:12.
For God says, “Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.” John 5:28, 29. The justified, therefore, can die in hope of “the resurrection of life” (John 5:29), “in hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began.” Titus 1:2.
Thus, even though Satan may cause the justified to suffer violence, physical harm, and even death, we, having presented our supplications to God, may confidently say to God, “Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about [surround me] with songs of deliverance.” Psalm 32:7. “Thou art my hiding place and my shield: I hope in thy word.” Psalm 119:114. (We will look at how to meet opposition even when our lives are threatened in a subsequent chapter.)
“Oh how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee; which thou hast wrought [done] for them that trust in thee before the sons of men! Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence from the pride of man: thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues.” Psalm 31:19, 20.
Therefore, God says, “Trust in him [God] at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us.” Psalm 62:8. Praise the Lord for His protection! We may be such that confidently say, “I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.” Psalm 91:2.
“And a man” (Isaiah 32:2), that is to say, “the man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5), “shall be as an hiding place from the wind, and a covert [shelter] from the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land.” Isaiah 32:2.
“The LORD is my defence; and my God is the rock of my refuge.” Psalm 94:22. “My defence is of God, which saveth the upright in heart.” Psalm 7:10. “Unto thee, O my strength” (Psalm 59:17), my moral strength and my fortitude, “will I sing: for God is my defence, and the God of my mercy.” Psalm 59:17. “For the LORD is our defence; and the Holy One…is our king.” Psalm 89:18.
The Blessings of Communion with God
To those who are of the “generation that set…their heart aright, and whose spirit [mind is]…stedfast [steadfast] with God” (Psalm 78:8), God says, “I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.” Genesis 15:1. God is our reward in that there is no greater joy than that of entering into a loving relationship with God and so knowing for ourselves “the love of God.” 2 Thessalonians 3:5.
Then it is that the individual can say of God in truth, “Thou hast made him most blessed for ever: thou hast made him exceeding glad with thy countenance” (Psalm 21:6), with your facial expression showing approval. “Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.” Psalm 16:11.
God says to those who commune with Him, “Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost [Holy Spirit].” Romans 15:13. “In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began.” Titus 1:2.
In response, the hearts of the justified say, “I have trusted in thy mercy; my heart shall rejoice in thy salvation.” Psalm 13:5. “My soul shall be joyful in the LORD: it shall rejoice in his salvation.” Psalm 35:9. “Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee: let such as love thy salvation say continually, The LORD be magnified.” Psalm 40:16.
God also says of Himself, “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee” (Isaiah 26:3), whose mind takes hold of and is fixed on God: “because he trusteth in thee.” Isaiah 26:3. “And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever.” Isaiah 32:17. These then are some of the blessings that attend those that have loving communion with God in prayer.
Moreover, God says, “I, even I, am he that comforteth you.” Isaiah 51:12. “Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.” Isaiah 40:1. Now “the whole world lieth in wickedness” (1 John 5:19) and the “righteous…dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, [are] vexed…[in their] righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds.” 2 Peter 2:8.
So, in the midst of all this, God comforts us so that we may say of God in truth, “Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort.” 2 Corinthians 1:3.
It is true of the justified individual that “he shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the LORD.” Psalm 112:7. Having a right knowledge of God, and holding blessed communion with God, fosters trust on our part in God—a trust that cannot be shaken by Satan and his schemes to ensnare us. Therefore, the language of our hearts may be, “I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.” Psalm 18:3.
Therefore, communion with God in prayer has its many blessings. Day by day we may “grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” 2 Peter 3:18. For to “grow in grace” (2 Peter 3:18) is to gain continual victories over our sinful nature, growing more and more like Christ’s character of love.
Now God desires that all humanity should say in truth, “Come and hear, all ye that fear God” (Psalm 66:16), all you who have reverence for God, “and I will declare what he hath done for my soul. I cried unto him with my mouth, and he was extolled with my tongue.” Psalm 66:16, 17.
“If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me: But verily [surely] God hath heard me; he hath attended to the voice of my prayer. Blessed be God, which hath not turned away my prayer, nor his mercy from me.” Psalm 66:18-20. Many then are the blessings of communion with God.
Recommended Reading
For many insights into the role of prayer in the life of a Christian and how to have an effective prayer life, I recommend that you read the book entitled Prayer by Ellen G. White, one of the founders of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. You can read all the writings of Ellen G. White for free at egwwritings.org. Other official websites related to Ellen G. White are to be found at whiteestate.org and ellenwhite.org.
There is also a free smartphone app named EGW Writings 2 for Android phones and the iPhone with which you can freely read, search, and download the Ellen G. White writings to your phone. One great feature of the app is that once you have downloaded books to your phone, you can read them offline.