From Quiet Talks on Prayer, by S.D. Gordon
It is a fiercely contested conflict. Satan is a trained strategist, and an obstinate fighter. He refuses to acknowledge defeat until he must. It is the fight of his life.
God will do in answer to the prayer of the weakest one here what otherwise he could not do.
Communion is fellowship with God. Not request for some particular thing; not asking, but simply enjoying Himself, loving Him, thinking about Him, how beautiful, and intelligent, and strong and loving and lovable He is; talking to Him without words.
The greatest strength is revealed in intelligent yielding. Here the prayer is expressing the utter willingness of a man that God’s will shall be done in him.
He yields only when he must. Therefore the prayer must be persistent. He continually renews his attacks, therefore the ground taken must be held against him in the Victor’s name.
At the root the one thing that works against God’s will is the evil one’s will. And on the other hand the one thing that effectively thwarts Satan’s plans is a man wholly given up to God’s will.
True prayer moves in a circle. It begins in the heart of God, sweeps down into a human heart upon the earth, so intersecting the circle of the earth, which is the battle-field of prayer, and then it goes back again to its starting point, having accomplished its purpose on the downward swing.
Prayer is not extracting favours from a reluctant God. It is not passing a check in a bank window for money.
Jesus is the victor. Satan knows it, and fears Him.
Prayer is working together with God. Prayer is pulling with God in His plan for a world.
With a spirit touched with glad awe that he can and may help God, and a heart full alike of peace and of yearning, and a life fragrant with an unseen Presence he goes steadily on his way, towards the dawning of the day.
The greatest thing any one can do for God and for man is to pray.
A man’s whole life is utterly dependent upon the giving hand of God. Everything we need comes from Him.
If prayer be partnership in the highest sense then the same spirit must animate both partners, the human and the divine, if the largest results are to come.
God judges a man not by his achievements, but by his purposes: not by what I am, actually, but by what I would be, in the yearning of my inmost heart.
Prayer does not influence His purpose. It does influence His action. Everything that ever has been prayed for, of course I mean every right thing, God has already purposed to do.
He must yield before His advance, and he must yield before this man who stands for Jesus down on the earth.
God takes the initiative in all prayer. It starts with Him.
Our friendships, ability to make money, health, strength in temptation, and in sorrow, guidance in difficult circumstances, and in all of life’s movements; help of all sorts, financial, bodily, mental, spiritual—all come from God, and necessitate a constant touch with Him.
The enemy yields only what he must. He yields only what is taken. Therefore the ground must be taken step by step. Prayer must be definite.
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