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Prayer Availeth Much
by Tony Marshall (T.M.) Anderson

Originally Posted At:
Holiness Data Ministry

Filename hdm0223.zip. Converted to HTML by Pastor David.

"...The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." -- James 5:16

Published by
The Advocate Publishing House
Circleville, Ohio
(No copyright or date of publication)

The brief messages on prayer contained in this little book have been written for the purpose of stimulating a greater interest in the importance of praying without ceasing.

I am convinced that the people of God have not explored the boundless possibilities of prayer.

We evidently believe that the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much, but we are often aware of the fact that very little has been accomplished by our own prayers.

It has not been possible to present a complete study of the subject of prayer revealed in the Holy Scriptures. For one to undertake such a task would be like an attempt to measure eternity by a span.

It is my sincere desire to encourage God's people to pray without ceasing. When once they understand the fundamental principles of prayer, they will not find it difficult to accomplish some amazing results through effectual fervent intercession.

"Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God." -- Phil. 4:6

This timely exhortation stresses the fact that God's people should consult with Him in every matter pertaining to life. Unless they see the imperative necessity of prayer, and give it an important place in daily life, they cannot expect to be maintained by the ample resources of a generous Savior. It is apparent that we cannot obtain the things essential to life unless we make everything pertaining to life a matter of earnest prayer. It is impossible to live a consistent Christian life in the sight of God by praying occasionally. Praying intermittently is certainly not praying incessantly and importunately. Such careless praying is not consistent with the exhortation to pray without ceasing.

Persons praying spasmodically are like men that gorge themselves with food and drink on special occasions and starve themselves between the feasts. We do not live from feast to famine when we enter into a partnership with Christ in prayer. We are not disturbed by doubts and defeats when we make everything a matter of earnest prayer. We enjoy an unbroken fellowship with Christ when we make our requests known unto Him in daily prayer. He imparts to us the necessary strength to cope with the temptations and trials incident to life in this benighted world when everything relating to life is made known unto Him in prayer. When the inspired Apostle said,"...Let your requests be made known unto God," he was obviously emphasizing the importance of revealing to the Lord everything required to sustain us in life. We find it necessary to reveal both our spiritual and our temporal needs unto Him in prayer.

Nothing pertaining to our life in this world is unimportant in the sight of God. He is interested in everything that concerns us in life.

The Lord would have us understand that we obtain rest of soul when we enter into the fellowship of prayer with Him. When Paul said, "Be careful for nothing...," he revealed the true rest of soul to be found in the covenant of prayer. He is urging us to lay aside our troublesome cares and anxieties lest they hinder us in making our requests known unto the Lord. Paul was saying in substance, "Be not anxiously solicitous; do not give place to trouble, no matter what occurs; for anxiety cannot change the condition of things from bad to good, but will certainly injure your soul if you give place to it." It is certainly true that we must cast our burdens and earthly concerns upon the Lord before we can make our requests known unto Him by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving.

Perhaps my personal testimony will enable others to perceive the value of entering into the fellowship of prayer with Christ, for I found true rest of soul and quietness of heart when I entered into the partnership of prayer with Him. "Ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full."

I was teaching in the department of religious education in Asbury College when I entered into the covenant of prayer with Christ. It had been my purpose for several months to prepare some written messages on the Epistle to the Hebrews. In order to have time to devote to this work it was necessary for me to arise early in the morning and do the writing before the hour I was scheduled to meet my classes. I began this work during the first week of 1950.

I was suddenly awakened about midnight on January sixth. Knowing that I had a full day of work before me, I felt it necessary to sleep a few hours lest I be too weary in mind and body to do the writing and teaching. At that moment the Savior. spoke to me. He asked me if I were willing to sacrifice some sleep in order to give Him an opportunity to speak with me in the quiet hours of the morning. He told me that it was necessary to deny myself of sleep in order to prevail in prayer. I realized for the first time that denying myself of sleep was a form of fasting. For five hours I waited before the Lord in sacred worship and holy communion. My soul was greatly revived, and I felt refreshed in mind and rested in body.

After this remarkable manifestation of the Savior. I was constrained to examine my prayer life. I was impressed to consider the time spent in prayer during the average day. I was humbled before the Lord when I discovered how little time had been given to Him in prayer and meditation. It had been my daily practice from the day I was saved to spend some time in prayer morning and evening. I had established the family altar in my home. I had spent time in secret prayer during the years of my ministry. I had never knowingly overlooked the importance of prayer. I am now aware that I had never discovered the possibilities in prayer like they were revealed to me when I waited five delightful hours before the Savior. that memorable morning.

When I entered into the fellowship of prayer with Christ, I solemnly promised Him that I would not allow my plans and pursuits of daily life to infringe on my time to pray. I vowed to take sufficient time to commune with Him in prayer no matter what duties of the day demanded my attention. When I made this covenant with Christ I emptied myself of earthly possessions and concerns. I placed my ministry, my teaching, my writings, my vocation, my travels, and my home in a heap before the Lord. I separated myself from these interests as completely as I ever expect to be separated from them in death. I deliberately put these earthly concerns in a place of secondary importance in my life. I counted all things loss for the excellency of the knowledge of the fellowship with Christ in prayer. I fully realized that Christ was speaking to me when He said, "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it." I was reminded of how much I had lost through the years because I had not known the value of fellowship with Christ in prayer.

When I entered the fellowship of prayer with the Lord my soul was immediately relieved of the burdens and cares of life. I found the place of His rest in the covenant of prayer. My duties are many, and my body is often weary from my labors in the ministry, but my spirit knows no weariness for my soul dwells at ease in the haven of perfect peace. There were times in the past when the responsibilities of the ministry were almost more than my mind and body could endure. The many concerns of preaching made me restless in the night and disturbed during the day. It is clear to me now that I had not discovered the secret of resting in the Lord. I was pushing and pulling in my own strength. I was not trusting the Spirit to bring things to pass.

I have the same burdens and cares of the ministry today, but I have discovered how to cast my cares upon the Lord in the fellowship of prayer. The yoke of the Meek and Lowly Christ is easy, and His burden is light. He has given me rest of soul and quietness of spirit in the covenant of daily prayer. It is now my daily practice to keep the morning watch with the Savior.

"My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and look up." -- Psa. 5:3.

The hours between midnight and six o'clock in the morning are the most peaceful. The duties and distractions of the preceding day have ended, and the activities of the new day have not begun.

It is apparent that Jesus made it a practice of His life to pray in the quiet hours of the morning. It is written,

"In the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed." -- - Mark 1:35.

The duties of the coming day demanded much from the Savior. The virtue that went out of Him to heal the hearts and hurts of the people was replenished in the place of prayer. His physical strength was constantly renewed through His ceaseless prayers. Before the dawn of the busy day our Lord went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed. We are not told where He found this peaceful place to pray. He may have found a place of sacred seclusion to pray beneath the overshadowing boughs of a towering tree where nature remained speechless with reverence and the morning star looked down in solemn contemplation. The Lord may have longed to pour out His sinless soul with strong crying and tears in some voiceless valley filled with holy hush. It could be that He sought a solitary place among the friendly hills where the silent shadows of the departing night lingered until hastened into hiding by the light of the approaching dawn. Perhaps He found rest for His burdened heart in a sequestered place in a lonely desert carpeted with shifting sands where the sighing winds ceased to whisper while He prayed.

The example of our Lord enables us to perceive the value of unburdening our hearts in the quiet hours of the morning. It is difficult to pray when the mind is filled with the confusion and rush of the day. We can pray in the quietness of the home while the day is young if we are willing to sacrifice some sleep. The Savior. admonished us to enter into the closet and shut the door. We must shut the door of our mind and exclude the cares and burdens of the day in order to prevail with God in the secret place of prayer.

One will be astonished at the results obtained in the quiet place of prayer. I have seen the Lord work wonders in answer to prayer offered before Him in the early hours of the morning. I have known Him to heal people in homes and hospitals hundreds of miles from the place where I was praying.

Paul, the pattern saint, would have us see the value of revealing our needs to God in prayer. We must not presume that the things required to sustain life will be granted without making our requests known unto God. Our requirements on earth and God's resources in heaven are meant for each other. If we ask, we shall receive. When we fail to ask, we fail to receive. The Word declares, "Ye have not, because ye ask not." There would be no point in exhorting Christians to make their requests known unto God unless He had made a sufficient provision to supply all their need. The apostle revealed the abundant riches of God when he said...

"My God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus." -- Phil. 4:19

This assuring promise discloses the resources God made available to His people in answer to prayer. In the clear light of this certified promise they have no justifiable excuse for spiritual poverty.

We can think of God's promise to be a certified check made payable to us the moment we present it for payment. No matter what gracious spiritual and temporal blessings the promise contains, we cannot receive them until we make our requests known unto God in prayer. It is possible to have an all sufficiency in all things by claiming the riches of God made available to us by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving. When Paul said, "My God shall supply all your need," he is saying, "Christ is all you need." We are enriched in all things pertaining to life in time and in eternity when we possess Him. Christ is all we ever need to cope with the difficulties and dangers confronting us in the path leading to the Father's house of many mansions.

The temporal blessings received from the Lord are not sufficient to supply all our need in this world. Jesus stated this fact when He said,

"...A man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth." -- Luke 12:14

The fertile fields cannot produce true riches. A man is truly rich toward God when he possesses the resources of Christ contained in His certified promise to supply all our need. When Paul said, "My God..." he disclosed the amazing fact that a man can possess God. It is written in the covenant of grace,

The paramount purpose of Christ is achieved the moment He gives Himself to us in the covenant of God. The Scriptures reveal that the Savior. has given everything to redeem us, and provided everything to supply us, and wills to give all that He is in His divine nature to satisfy us. If a man has not received the indwelling Christ in answer to prayer, he has failed to obtain the grand objective of all praying.

We do not find it difficult to make our requests known unto God when we are fully aware of His presence. Paul stated this fact when he said,

This amazing revelation is evidently an essential part of the admonition to make our requests known unto God. The inspired apostle focused attention on a great truth when he said, "...The Lord is at hand." He is saying in substance, "The Lord is handy. The Lord stands ready to give aid and comfort to His praying people." No matter how we interpret the statement, "...The Lord is at hand," we are fully aware of His nearness when we make our requests known unto Him. Jesus confirmed this truth when He said, "Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world." He evidently knew that we had the mental and moral capacity to sense His presence at all times and in all places on earth. If we cannot know that He is at hand when we pray, then His promise has no place of value in our profession of faith.

To offer a prayer without realizing the nearness of the Lord would be like speaking meaningless words into empty space. How could we know that our requests had been made known unto God unless He responded by assuring us that our petitions had been heard? I am persuaded that it is not possible to pray with confidence toward the Lord without being aware of His presence. The inspired apostle said,

"...This is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: and if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him." -- 1 John 5:14,15

John is saying in substance, "If you know that God hears you, then you know you have the answer." It is apparent that we must first know that He hears us before we know that we have the answer. Knowing that God hears us when we pray is something vastly more than a beautiful theory about prayer. Spiritual perception in prayer is the norm of spiritual life. We rejoice in prayer when we perceive that the Lord is at hand. Paul said, "Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, rejoice." The realization that the Lord is near is the cause of constant praise.

If His abiding presence with us in this troubled world is not the only source of lasting joys, then let us hope that someone will come to guide our footsteps toward the place of endless happiness. God's Word reveals that the Lord will direct our weary feet into the path of praise.

"Thou wilt show me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand are pleasures for evermore." -- Psa. 16:11.

It is apparently true that the measure of our joy is always in proportion to the measure of our praying. One must pray without ceasing in order to have joy unspeakable and full of glory. God's praying people discover that the joy of the Lord is their strength, and His abiding presence is their shield. Perhaps Paul was in prison when he uttered the immortal words of praise. The dark and dingy prison was not so carefully guarded, and its rigid bars so firmly fixed that the Lord was prevented from entering its dismal confines to give comfort and courage to His suffering servant.

If Paul had been asked what he had found in the dank cell to cause him to sound such a note of praise, he would have said, "...The Lord is at hand." His consoling nearness caused the prisoner to praise, and His assuring presence inspired the suffering saint to sing. The dreary confines of a prison cannot stifle the songs of the soul girded with the gladness of God. The righteous may be incarcerated in dungeons, and the redeemed fastened in the stocks, but their achieving faith is not fettered, and their supplications are not shackled. From the inner cell of the common jail the singing servants of God shook the foundations of the earth, and caused hardened sinners to seek salvation.

The infirmities of the body may imprison a saint like the formidable walls of a federal prison; but the afflictions of the flesh and the trials of life cannot prevent the saints from singing in the shadows like those that sing in the shining. It is written,

"...He that trusteth in the Lord, mercy shall compass him about. Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart." -- Psa. 32:11

"...Let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." -- Phil. 4:6,7

When we make our requests known unto God by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving we are assured of receiving His peace through Christ Jesus. When we enter into the sacred Presence of the Prince of Peace, we enter into the place of perfect peace. The house of prayer is the sanctuary of peace.

Paul would have us understand that Christ imparts a measure of His own peace to our worshipping hearts when we make everything pertaining to life a matter of prayer. We can readily comprehend the possibilities of prayer when we perceive that mortal man can obtain a measure of the peace which the God of Peace possesses in His divine nature. It is not necessary for the children of God to enter heaven in order to enjoy the priceless possession of peace. Christ wills to give the heavenly heritage of His Peace to all the sons of God. He revealed this truth when He said,

"Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." -- John 14: 27

It is obviously true that Jesus has purposed that His own peace shall give His praying and believing people untroubled hearts in this world of trouble. He would have us understand that His own perfect peace shall confirm us in hope, and comfort us in heart. It is apparent that this heavenly heritage of the heart can be obtained in answer to prayer. God's peace is an essential quality of His divine nature. We saw His peace manifested in Jesus Christ, The Prince of Peace. Jesus was never excited and perturbed by the trickery and hypocrisy of the religious leaders of His day. He never lost His spiritual poise when persecuted and slandered by His enemies.

Jesus was always calm and composed in the time of trial. He was never intimidated by the threats of violence. He had an indomitable courage that confounded His critics. He never compromised truth to gain favor with men. His sublime silence in the hour of His trial caused the multitude to marvel. A faithful witness of the Savior's sufferings said:

"...Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that we should follow in his steps: who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously." -- 1 Peter 2:21-23

Peter's testimony enables us to see how the peace of God behaves in this world of turmoil and strife. The quality of God's peace was exemplified in the sinless character and conduct of the Savior. His life revealed the inherent nature of God's peace which passeth all understanding. God has designed that His peace shall keep our hearts and minds. He would have us understand that His peace shall be our guard when we make our requests known unto Him in prayer. When once we grasp the truth about this, and give it an important place in daily life, we will know what it means to possess the peace of God which passeth all understanding.

The heart is the center of man's spiritual being. It is the citadel of his immortal soul. The ambitions, the aspirations, and the affections reside in the heart. The will, the conscience, and the desires dwell in the heart of man. The Word says,

"Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life." Prov. 4:23

It is God's purpose to expel the indwelling sin of the soul by the power of the indwelling Spirit, and impart peace to man's heart.

"...The work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever." -- Isa. 32:17

When Jesus said. "...Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid," He implied that it was possible to be delivered from the perplexing troubles and agitating fears incident to life in this world. The peace of God can banish all our burdensome bewilderment's and fill our yearning hearts with comfort and contentment. God is willing to make the citadel of our souls the stronghold of His garrison of peace. He wills to make our hearts an impregnable fortress of spiritual power. His peace will mount guard over our hearts and minds like a sentinel appointed to keep watch over a city. Paul added to our comfort when he said,

He is saying that we can have the peace of God within, and God of peace without.

When Paul speaks of the mind he is evidently speaking of the intellect, the feelings, and the understanding. We have the capacity to think and to reason about the things of God. We are capable of having the truth of God revealed to us by the Holy Spirit. It is not possible to comprehend the peace of God without the help of the Spirit. We cannot analyze the peace of God in the laboratory of the human mind to ascertain its true nature; neither can we discover the component parts of God's peace by the methods of modern science and philosophy. His peace passeth all human understanding. There are times when our minds are sorely perplexed by the problems confronting us in this uncertain world. There are times when we cannot depend on our reasoning to find the answer to life's trials and tribulations. Jesus said,

"...In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." -- John 16:33

Life has no fears and death holds no terrors for the soul fortified by the eternal peace of Christ. He is our peace and our protection. The peace received in answer to prayer does not prevent the problems of life from perplexing us; but His peace does prevent these trials from triumphing over us.

There will be times when our feelings will contradict our faith. Sickness can depress our emotions to such an extent that we are disposed to doubt our relationship to Christ. When we are sick, when our nerves are tense, when we are constantly on the verge of tears, our faith will be submerged by our feelings. In such times of trial it seems that the joy of the Lord has departed, and we are tempted to think that for some unknown reason we are suffering the displeasure of the Lord. Our confused state of mind is caused by our illness. The loving Lord has not been grieved by our infirmities of body and mind.

There will be times in life when we seem to stand on the brink of an impassable gulf which the human understanding cannot cross. When we come to the place where reasoning ends and despair begins, we will discover that Christ's protective peace is like a bridge that spans the gulf which our own limited understanding cannot cross. The infirmities of the body can cause the imagination to run wild. Sickness can cause many fantastic ideas and strange impressions to disturb and confuse our minds. Some unhappy people imagine they are being tormented by evil spirits. Some think their nervous disorders are caused by some strange power of Satan. These distressing nervous disorders and groundless fears are caused by their physical condition. A just and holy God will not allow His praying and trusting people to become the unwilling victims of satanic power. He has provided a peace to garrison their hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

A few devout individuals have been tormented by the fear that they have committed the unpardonable sin. Some have been so completely engulfed by this terrifying thought that they have abandoned all hope. These misguided persons have allowed themselves to become victims of their own confused state of mind. The terrifying thought that they have forfeited all hope of salvation exists only in their overwrought imaginations. If these troubled souls will exercise faith in a merciful and faithful Christ, and humbly ask Him for help and hope, their groundless fears will immediately pass away, and the peace of God will comfort their troubled hearts.

The Savior. has paid a great price to redeem us from all iniquity. He will not withhold His saving mercy and grace from any seeking soul longing with all the heart to please Him in all things. The peace of God will prevent us from becoming the hapless prey of our distraught minds if we will pray without ceasing, and continue to believe on the name of the Son of God. When Jesus said, "...Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid," He intended to impress us with the fact that we can prevent the fears and troubles from entering our hearts and minds. He expects us to keep our minds stayed on Him. The inspired prophet saw this fact when he said,

"Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee; because he trusteth in thee." -- Isa. 26:3

"Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved." -- Psa. 55:22

If we continue to make our requests known unto God by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, He will not suffer us to be moved by the forces of evil in this disquieted earth.

"...Whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son." -- JOHN 14:13

Jesus revealed His purpose in answering prayer when He said, "...That the Father may be glorified in the Son." In order to achieve His exalted purpose to glorify the Father, the Son has bestowed on His redeemed people the inalienable right to ask anything in His Name. In the clear light of this remarkable truth it is not difficult to perceive that the possibilities in prayer are as great as the purpose of the Son of God. It is likewise apparent that every prayer offered in the Name of the Son must be offered for the specific purpose of obtaining the things which glorify the heavenly Father.

The Savior. was near the close of His public ministry with His disciples when He delivered His parting address preserved for us by John. In His closing address He speaks to the men whose training time has about ended. He instructed His messengers in the "Sermon on the Mount" to pray, believing and trusting the Father to give them all good gifts; but in His closing discourse He points to something higher to be accomplished through prayer and faith. These faithful men were to go and perform His works, even greater works than He had achieved during His ministry in the world. The Master disclosed to them that praying in His Name was to be the channel through which the enabling power was obtained to perform the works which glorify the Father in the Son.

When Jesus said, "...I go to my Father," He was obviously speaking of His ascension to the right hand of God. His exaltation to the right hand of the Majesty on high began a new epoch in the praying and working of the disciples. The Savior. had imparted power to His chosen disciples while with them in the world, and He now purposes to enable them to do greater things for Him. He has promised to impart the power from heaven to accomplish greater works for Him in the world. He ordained His chosen apostles to go and bring forth fruit, saying,

"Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples." -- John 15:8

The indomitable courage they had to witness for Him, the miracles performed in His Name, and the sufferings endured for His sake, were living testimonies of the power received through the fervent prayers offered in His Name.

What is true regarding the Savior's works achieved by His faithful disciples is likewise true regarding His works to be accomplished by His faithful people in this present age. The same Christ who worked in them and through them in that day, is the same changeless Christ who wills to work in and through His people in these last days. If the people of God expect to perform the works of Christ which shall glorify the Father, they must believe on Him for the very work's sake, and pray in His Name.

We can perceive our responsibilities to Christ when we consider His words regarding the greater works to be accomplished for Him in the world. Apparently the greater works to be performed are not works more excellent in quality, but works greater in quantity. Perhaps the ministry of Jesus did not extend beyond the borders of the land where He lived and died. But it is obvious that He fully intended that the whole world should feel the spiritual impact of His invincible power through the preaching and praying of His ransomed people. Therefore He filled His faithful witnesses with the Holy Ghost and power and sent them unto the uttermost part of the earth to perform the works which glorify the Father in the Son. Let us ever be mindful of the fact that power to achieve the greater works for Christ is obtained through prayer and faith. A man cannot achieve the works of Christ through his eloquence And education; he must fervently pray in the Name of Jesus, and receive power from Him in order to accomplish the works of God in this pleasure loving age.

As long as Jesus was in the world, He performed the works of the Father; devils fled at His word of command, the sick were healed, and the poor had the Gospel preached unto them. When He returned to the Father, His works from the throne of grace must be performed through His praying and trusting people. The oneness between the Lord on His mediatorial throne in heaven and His people on earth is so divinely perfect, that He meant it as the literal truth when He said, "...Greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father."

It is for the express purpose of accomplishing the works of Jesus in this present world that such great promises regarding prayer have been given to His people. But His people are not at liberty to claim the Savior's promise, "If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it," in order to obtain something very special for themselves. His certified promise does not authorize us to make him a servant of our own comforts in life. The Master has assured us that the Father is mindful of our personal needs, and wills to give good things to His children, but our creature comforts are not the things which matter most in this life. Our chief concern should always be to obtain power through prayer to achieve the greater works for Christ.

A careful study of the Savior's words reveal that it is His purpose to glorify the Father through the life and love and labors of His redeemed people. When once we fully comprehend this amazing truth it will not be difficult to understand the meaning of the praying that glorifies the Father in the Son. When Jesus said, "...He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also...," He revealed the obvious fact that a man has both the mental and moral capacity to perform the works of God in this world. It is apparently true that all men do not have the same natural abilities to serve God in this world. The Master disclosed this truth in His parable relating to the Kingdom of heaven.

"Unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability..." Matt. 25:15

Jesus would have us understand that each man shall be rewarded according to his faithfulness in performing his assigned task. The Master will not require more than any man is capable of doing for Him. It is impossible for any man to accomplish the works of Christ unless he first possesses the works of Christ in his own heart. We must not overlook the fact that moral character and moral conduct are so intimately related that one does not exist apart from the other. A man's character is always exemplified in his conduct. The Savior. said,

"A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good..." -- Luke 6:45

"For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure." -- Phil. 2:13

It certainly is possible for Almighty God to impart the inherent qualities of His divine nature to a redeemed soul, seeing that He did impart His image and likeness to the first man in the original creation. When Jesus said, "...I go to my Father," He was speaking of His death on the cross and His ascension to the throne in heaven. If we sincerely believe in the provisional sacrifice of Christ on the cross, we must believe that the inherent graces of mercy, truth, and holiness together with the fruit of the Spirit can be produced in the heart of mortal man.

When we request Christ to perform His works in our hearts we are devoutly praying that the Father may be glorified in the Son. We must open the doors of our hearts and extend to the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit the right to rule us for ever, when we truly pray that the Father may be glorified in His Son. Jesus assured us that the heavenly Father would make His abode with us in answer to prayer. Surely a people so signally blessed would be able to exemplify the greater works of Christ in their diligent labors. It is apparent that our Lord has not limited the power made available to His people through prayer in His Name. When He said, "...I will do it," He placed His unlimited power at our disposal. He reveals himself to be an Almighty Servant standing ready and willing to do anything and everything pertaining to His works in answer to prayer. While meditating on these amazing promises it is necessary to keep in mind that the primary purpose of Christ in answering prayer is, "That the Father may be glorified in the Son."

The measure of our faith and the fervency of our prayers determine the effectiveness of our labors for Christ. If our faith is weak and our praying passionless we cannot expect to achieve much for Him. A man can ease his accusing conscience by explaining that he failed to accomplish the works of Christ because of adverse conditions where he lives and labors. When a man is willing to face the facts, he may discover that he failed because he had not believed in Christ for the very work's sake, and prayed fervently in His Name. We cannot justify our failures by pleading our lack of natural ability. I am persuaded that God does not impart a greater measure of natural ability to us when we are saved by grace, but I do firmly believe that He releases the powers of our souls when we give ourselves to Him. Only the Creator knows the latent forces and inherent potentialities in an immortal soul. When these spiritual powers are released by the indwelling Spirit of God the whole world can feel the dynamic force of a living Christ.

When Jesus said, "...Believe me for the very works' sake," He was pleading for a faith that would not fail to give the message of redeeming love to the whole world. He was thinking of the generations yet unborn when He gave us the right to ask anything in His Name. While Jesus was in the world, mankind could see His miracles, hear His messages, and be blessed by His ministry. The astonishing fact is that the people of yesterday saw Him crucified, dead and buried, but cared very little about Jesus of Nazareth, the penniless preacher of Palestine. They were too engrossed in their own affairs of life to be impressed by a suffering Savior. The world of today is too busy to be bothered with thoughts of life eternal. It is God's will to reveal the Son's works to a perishing world. He has willed that the works of His Son shall be accomplished in this present world through the labors and consistent living of His people.

Let us heed the pleadings of the Christ, and believe His promise to answer our prayers that the Father may be glorified in His Son. Let us continue to believe on Him for the very work's sake and pray in His Name for power to achieve the victory for Him on earth. No matter how sorely we are tried, nor how dark the hours may seem in times of sufferings, we must continue to pray that the Father may be glorified in the Son through our services and sacrifices in His work. Let us ever keep in mind that the countless years which have fled into the dateless past have not outmoded the works of Christ, neither shall the oncoming ages overthrow them. His glorious works of grace performed in our hearts and exemplified in our living and labors shall glorify the Father in the Son throughout all ages, world without end.