The Bible is like a field that is full of buried treasure and prayer digs up the promises of God. That’s what prayer does. Imagine owning a field that is full of buried treasure and never digging. It s what it is if we don’t pray. Welcome to Open the Bible with Pastor Colin Smith. I’m David Pick, and Colin, that’s quite a picture of prayer if we’re not praying we Literally, leaving buried treasure in the ground. Absolutely, and God’s Word is full of promises, and prayer is the means by which the promises of God are applied in our lives. I want the program today to be a wonderful encouragement to you with regards to prayer. I don’t want you to think of prayer as simply a matter of duty and oh have I done this. There is so much for you to gain today as you pray according to the promises of God. Steve, this is one of the wonderful things about praying with an open Bible. Just read a little bit from the Bible. What is God saying? What is God promising? And then let me dig that up, let me apply that to myself, let that be given in my life for today that I may live on it. There is a richness and an abundance that God has available for us and it’s there to be dug up, so spades out today. OK, let’s get our spades out today then and dig into James chapter 5 as we continue our message, Praying in the Name of Christ. Here’s Colin. Just this week, I came across in my own reading of The Life of C.H. Spurgeon. Fascinating account from the late 1880s, recorded in his biography. Spurgeon, for any of you who don’t know, was the pastor of the Metropolitan Tabernacle, large church in the city of London. We’re now going back by nearly 150 years. But there was a remarkable ministry going on there, and what has so interested me in reading Spurgeon, is that God laid on Spurgeon’s heart a sense that the church where he had been privileged to be pastor ought to be doing more for the advance of the gospel in the city. And that has fascinated me because, as you know, I feel that myself in regards our situation. I think that many of us are feeling the same and are therefore rejoicing in what God is doing in these days. Now, having said that frame, a man by the name of Welton who was a student at Spurgeon’s College at the time, and therefore part of the church, records a story of how, at a Monday night prayer meeting, Spurgeon got up in front of the congregation and I quote what he said, Dear friends, we are a huge church and we should be doing more for the Lord in this great city. I want us tonight to ask him to send us some new work and, if we need the money to carry it out, let us pray that the means may also be sent. That’s what he says to the congregation. Now the way in which they prayed in that setting was very fascinating. They had all these students from the college and they had the deacons and they had the elders, so rather than just throw it open to everybody at least in the first part of the evening, what Spurgeon would do, and this was done in many churches in those days, is he would call to the platform those who were leaders because what would leaders do except lead the congregation in prayer? And so the deacons were called forward and the elders were called forward and those who were students at Spurgeon’s College were called forward and there they are on the platform one by one. They begin to lead in prayer. This man Welton, who was one of the students, records what happened. He said several of the students had been called to the platform along with the deacons and the elders to lead the assembly before God’s throne of grace and to plead with God about matter. Then he says, while that mighty man of prayer Mr. William Olney, this was one of the lay leaders, a man by the name of Olney, and he’s leading in prayer and he’s wrestling with the Lord, Spurgeon knew that the answer had come. Had the Holy Spirit told him? Welton asks, it seems so for walking lightly across the platform to where I was sitting. Spurgeon said, it’s all right, Welton, you pray for the conversion of sinners, will you? He had the sense, right, as Olney is praying that there’s been a breakthrough. And now we’re going to move on. We’re going to pray about something else because God has heard this prayer. Spurgeon had that sense within his the prompting within his spirit. I continue to quote from the biography. A few days after this Tabernacle prayer meeting, a Mrs. Hillyard wrote to Spurgeon offering a gift of 20,000 pounds. Now folks, I don’t know if anyone can do the calculation of value. That’s about $30,000, but it’s 150 years ago! £20,000 for the purpose of founding an orphanage for fatherless children. You see what had happened. The Spirit of God had prompted in Spurgeon to ask for more work to be given and for the means by which it would be done. And as that prayer was prompted by the Spirit, and as the people under the leadership of those who were able to lead them in prayer, Mr Olney wrestling in prayer, and the people engaging, Spurgeon came to a point where he was quite convinced within his own heart, God would do it. And within a week both a new work, and the provision for it, arrived on his desk. The prayer of faith. I think some of us perhaps know more of this than we perhaps immediately realize. Have you not had an experience at some time of being wakened up in the night and you just know there is someone for whom you must pray? You do not know why that has to be the case. The Spirit of God lives within. And sometimes moves in particular ways in individuals and churches so that we may be positioned to pray in a particular way with assurance into the advance of his purpose for us. So this is the first kind of prayer that I want us to grasp clearly and to understand and to which the great promises earlier that we read clearly relate. Prayer with assurance is prayer that arises either from a promise of Scripture or from a prompting of the Spirit that is given by God in order to give direction to our prayers. It is a gift! And so, if this should happen in your experience, then be grateful for it and pray in this way. Now, we said there are two kinds of prayers. Faith prays in two ways. Faith prays with assurance where God has made the outcome known. That’s what we’ve been looking at these last minutes. But here’s the second thing. It’s equally valuable and it’s equally important. Faith prays with submission where God has kept the outcome hidden. Now, folks, this is how we are to pray in all the situations where you do not know what the outcome will be. You apply for a job. There is no special promise in the scripture relating to whether you will get it or not. You pray for an unconverted loved one. There is no particular scripture nor promise that tells you whether they indeed will be converted. In all these situations where the outcome has not been made known, faith prays with submission. Now, here’s the thing that is so important to grasp. This kind of prayer is equally effective, and I want you to see that today. It is not that there are two kinds of prayer, you see, and one is greater and the other is lesser. It is not that the first one involves faith and that the second one somehow does not. No. Faith can only be made on the basis of faith. That’s what we saw in Hebrews 11. These are two kinds of prayer that both involve faith that are given to us for different situations. So, let me give you two examples of the second kind of prayer. The first is in Mark 1, verse 40 where we have the story of a man with leprosy who came to Jesus. In Mark 1, verse 40, this man comes to Jesus and he begs him. There’s the intensity of his request. Begged him on his knees. If you are willing, this man says to Jesus, you can make me clean. Now notice two things about this man’s prayer. He knows that Christ can heal him. You can make me clean. There’s no doubt about that. But he does not know if it is Christ’s purpose, particularly to make him clean. To cleanse him from his leprosy. So he says if you are willing. So here’s a man who comes in a situation where the outcome is not clear to him. For him to ask with assurance would only be presumption. Because Christ has not made his will known. So he asks with submission. And in this way he honors Christ with his faith. And I want you to see how wonderfully he receives the gift. Filled with compassion, Mark 141, Jesus reached out his hand and he touched the man. I am willing, he said, be clean. So friends this is not an inferior kind of praying. Faith prays with assurance where God has made the outcome clear and faith prays with submission where God has kept the outcome hidden. This is the appropriate way of praying where we do not have a promise of Scripture directed to our particular situation or a prompting of the spirit that has been made known in regards to the matter about which we pray. You’re listening to Open the Bible with Pastor Colin Smith and today’s message Praying in the Name of Christ is part of our series the Anatomy of Faith and if you’ve missed any of the series or you want to go back and listen again do that by coming online to our website www.openthebible.org.uk. Back to the message now, we’re in James chapter 5. Here’s Colin. Let me give you a second example and it comes from no one less than the Apostle Paul in Second Corinthians chapter 12 and verse 7 you know this passage well. There was given to me, Paul says, a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me. Now you would think that the outcome of Paul’s praying here would have to be quite clear. Here’s the apostle. What a mighty man of faith he is. He’s doing God’s work. And there is something that he perceives here is tormenting him, it’s trouble to him. And what’s more than that, Satan is actively involved. If Satan actively involved, surely it’s an open and shut case as to what the outcome must be. So, Paul begins to pray. Verse 8, three times I pleaded with the Lord. Notice that word. I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. Here’s the Apostle pouring himself into intercession. See Satan in this. But, verse 9, Christ said to me, my grace is sufficient for you for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses so that Christ’s power may rest on me. So you see, Paul’s faith rests not on an assurance of the outcome, but in a submission to the outcome. And friends, the Bible is full of examples of this marvelous faith. The King Nebuchadnezzar sets up this image of gold in the book of Daniel. And Shadrach and Meshach and Abednego will not bow down to the image, and they’re called before the King, and there’s a fiery furnace that’s being prepared, and it’s very hot, and they say to him, if you throw us into the blazing furnace, Oh, King, the God that we serve is able to save us from the furnace, and He will, but even if he does not. We want you to know, oh king, that we will never worship the image of gold that you have set up. And of course, the greatest example of praying in faith in all of Scripture, is right here in the garden of Gethsemane when our Lord Jesus says, Abba, Father, everything is possible for you, and then He says this, Take this cup from me. Mark 14 36. Not what I will, but what you will, and your salvation and mine, hangs on the faith of Christ submitting to the purpose of the Father Almighty. So, folks, that’s what we’re learning from the Bible. faith prays in two ways. It prays with assurance, and it prays with submission. These are not grades or tiers of prayer in any kind of way. They are simply two kinds of prayer that are appropriate to different circumstances and inappropriate to the reverse circumstance. Prayer with assurance, where God’s will is known. In prayer with submission, where God’s will is kept hidden. So I want simply to make these two applications and encouragements to us so that we may grow in our own prayer as a result of our time today. Here is the first obvious encouragement. Pray with submission in what God has kept hidden. Will you do that? I want to encourage you in that. Pray with submission. In what God has kept hidden. In other words, I’m asking that we cultivate humility in our praying. You may ask, you may plead as Paul did. You may beg as that guy, the Leper, who came to Jesus did. But always remember that you are asking. You are not commanding. Listen to these words from James Chapter 4. Listen to you, he says, verse 13, listen you who say today or tomorrow we’re going to go to this and that city, we’re going to spend a year here, we’re going to carry on business, we’re going to make money, why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say if it is the Lord’s will, we will live and we will do this or that. Folks, what James says to us there applies to our praying as well as to our planning. It is not a cop out to say as you pray if it is the Lord’s will. If God has not made the outcome known, that is how we pray. Anything else would be presumption. So cultivate humility where you are praying about a job or about health or about salvation of a loved one. We know that it is God’s will that people should be saved. We do not know which people will be saved so we pray with humility. That will keep you from blaming yourself and it will keep you from resenting God. It’s of huge practical importance. And folks, I’m convinced that this is of huge importance to us as we pray for our nation. The secret things belong to the Lord. The purpose of God in the rise and in the fall of nations is kept hidden from us. And God may give us a thorn in the side of the nation. A nation that in large measure moves away from Christian faith and He may do it to keep us from becoming conceited over the surpassingly great blessings that He has given to us. And He may say to us in it, my grace is sufficient for you, my strength is made perfect in your weakness. I do not know what the purpose of God is, nor do you. What I’m saying is this. Let us cultivate humility. Oh, what a dreadful thing, what an offensive thing to be arrogant before the throne of grace. Let us cultivate humility in our praying. Pray with submission in regards to all that God has kept hidden. And then pray with assurance with regards to all that God has revealed. Or, to put it another way, cultivate boldness—boldness in your praying. God may make his purpose known either through, we thought about, a prompting of the spirit, but much more often and regularly, God makes his purpose very plain through the promises of scripture. And when God has spoken a clear promise for all people, you can pray with great assurance. The scripture is full of such promises. The Bible is like a field that is full of buried treasure, and prayer digs up the promises of God. That’s what prayer does. Imagine owning a field that is full of buried treasure and never digging. That’s what it is if we don’t pray. And prayer digs up the promises of God. And where God has given a particular promise, which is for all people, we may pray with great assurance. So let me end on this note. God has said, Those your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. When you come to ask God for forgiveness, you don’t need to come and say, oh Lord, please forgive me, if it is your will. Why? Because you know it’s His will. He’s revealed. He’s already told you. Christ has come. Christ has died. Christ has risen. Christ calls you. Christ invites you. His blood is shed for you. So when you come to pray about this, pray with great assurance, because His promise is given. God has said, If you who are fathers know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him? So when you come to ask for power from the Holy Spirit and strength to be able to stand this week, you don’t need to say, give me strength, if it be your will. Why? Because God has already revealed His will in the promise that He has given to you. The promises of God open the door to faith that prays with great assurance and with boldness. Let us come boldly, the Book of Hebrews says, to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us, Christians, in our time of need. That’s how faith operates in prayer. You take God at His word. You say Lord, You’ve said though my sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow. And Lord, my sins are as scarlet. You have said, O God, that You sent your Son into the wonrld for sinners. O Lord, I am that sinner. So I believe your promise and I embrace and I receive and I rejoice in all that You have said as mine. That’s terrific isn’t it? So we should pray with submission when we pray for what God has hidden and pray with assurance for what God has revealed. Our message today is called Praying in the name of Christ and it’s part of our series The Anatomy of Faith. If you’ve missed any of the series or if you tuned in late you can always go online to hear this message or any of our previous messages. Come to opennessible.org.uk You can also find us as a podcast if you search for Open the Bible UK on your favorite podcast site and subscribe to receive regularly updates. Open the Bible is supported by our listeners, and this month, if you’ve been considering setting up a new payment in support of Open the Bible, we have a great offer for you. To say thank you we will send you a copy of C.H. Spurgeon’s book Encouragement for the Depressed. Colin, how will C.H. Spurgeon’s book help those who feel discouraged today? Well, Spurgeon is really a very tender Sheperd. He was a pastor, and he spoke with great strength, but also with great gentleness, that arose really out of his own experience of suffering. And especially what he sometimes referred to as the black dog. There was a darkness that sometimes came over him and it was a real struggle in his life. I mean, he says, for example, the strong are not always vigorous. The wise are not always ready, the brave are not always courageous, and the joyous are not always happy. So this is a realistic view of the Christian life. He is speaking into the realities that we all experience, and he is speaking out of his own personal experience. And what he brings is a wonderful encouragement to lay our burdens on the lord, and to trust his promises even in the darkest times. Well, we’d love to send you a copy of this book to say thank you, for supporting Open the Bible Financially. This offer is available all this month if you are able to set up a new donation to the work of Open the Bible in the amount of £5 per month or more. Full details, or to give on-line come to our website openthebible.org.uk For Open the Bible and Pastor Colin Smith, I’m David Pick, and I hope you’ll join us again next time. Some Christians think it really doesn’t matter how they live. Other Christians feel defeated by their failure. Find out how to avoid the first error without falling into the second, next time on Open the Bible.