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The Spirit of Submission, March 23
Pray without ceasing.
1 Thessalonians 5:17
.
Pray often to your heavenly Father. The oftener you engage in prayer,
the closer your soul will be drawn into a sacred nearness to God. The
Holy Spirit will make intercession for the sincere petitioner with groanings
which cannot be uttered, and the heart will be softened and subdued by
the love of God. The clouds and shadows which Satan casts about the
soul will be dispelled by the bright beams of the Sun of Righteousness,
and the chambers of mind and heart will be illuminated by the light of
Heaven.
But be not discouraged if your prayers do not seem to obtain an im-
mediate answer. The Lord sees that prayer is often mixed with earthliness.
Men pray for that which will gratify their selfish desires, and the Lord
does not fulfill their requests in the way which they expect. He takes
them through tests and trials, He brings them through humiliations, until
they see more clearly what their necessities are. He does not give to
men those things which will gratify a debased appetite and which will
prove an injury to the human agent and make him a dishonor to God. He
does not give men that which will gratify their ambition and work simply
for self-exaltation. When we come to God we must be submissive and
contrite of heart, subordinating everything to His sacred will.
In the Garden of Gethsemane, Christ prayed to His Father, saying, “O
my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me” (
Matthew 26:39
).
The cup which He prayed should be removed from Him, that looked so
bitter to His soul, was the cup of separation from God in consequence
of the sin of the world.... “Nevertheless not what I will, but what thou
wilt” (
Matthew 26:39
). The spirit of submission that Christ manifested
in offering up His prayer before God is the spirit that is acceptable to
God. Let the soul feel its need, its helplessness, its nothingness; let all its
energies be called forth in an earnest desire for help, and help will come....
Let faith pierce the darkness. Walk with God in the dark as well as in the
light, repeating the words, “He is faithful that promised” (
Hebrews 10:23
).
Through the trial of our faith we shall be trained to trust in God.
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