Sword & Trowel 2016: Issue 1
assurance, nor even a sensed engagement with God, we are able to get down to the task. It may even be that this is the kind of prayer with which God is most pleased. We remem- ber Satan’s claim that
and therefore we should keep up our spiritual duties, trusting in the name of the Lord and leaning upon our God. In effect, the verse says – ‘Your emotional system is no longer co- operating, so that you cannot feel as you would like to do. The enemy of your soul is probably taking advan- tage of this and is attacking you, but this does not disqualify your prayer.’ In these circumstances you should come before the Lord without the help or co-operation of feelings, and use your mind alone, falling back on faith only. If you cannot pray with your head and heart together, you must pray with your head only. When emotions are unresponsive, you may feel you have changed, but God has not changed, and the same gracious God who hears and answers the prayers of his people will hear you. You must trust him. That is the counsel of Isaiah 50.10. Once we accept that legitimate
prayer may be made with only the mind functioning we will fi nd it easier to pray. Once we realise that prayer does not depend upon a sense of
Job did not serve God for nothing, and if his blessings were removed his insincerity would be exposed. The Lord allowed Job’s blessings to be withdrawn, but Job never abandoned his belief in the Lord. Certainly, he voiced many unworthy complaints, and behaved insolently toward God, but always his preoccupying concern was to fi nd why God dealt with him as he did, and never to deny him. Satan was proved wrong.
‘Raw’ faith Satan is convinced that we too
serve God only while good feelings are present. The Lord, in a sense, replies in Isaiah 50.10 saying, ‘My servant will seek me even if his mind is all that is left to him. He will take full advantage of it and will pray with that alone.’ Satan will be proved wrong in our case also if we keep up prayer regardless of how we feel. God looks upon us with special pleasure when we press on and pray without the help of sensed assurance and warm feelings, for this is ‘raw’ faith, unassisted and unadorned by
Remedies for Problems in Prayer page 9
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