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Acceptable Prayer, September 11
And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when
he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray,
as John also taught his disciples.
Luke 11:1
.
Jesus taught His disciples to pray, and He often urged upon them the
necessity of prayer. He did not bid them to study books to learn a form of
prayer. They were not to offer prayer to men, but to make their requests
known to God. He taught them that the prayer which God accepts is the
simple, earnest petition from a soul that feels its need....
God invites us to come to Him with our burden of guilt and our heart
sorrows. Sin fills us with fear of God. When we have sinned we try to hide
ourselves from Him. But whatever our sin, God bids us come unto Him
through Jesus Christ. It is only by taking our sins to God that we can be
freed from them. Cain, under the rebuke of God, acknowledged his guilt in
killing Abel, but he fled away from God, as if he could thus escape from
his sin. Had he fled to God with his burden of guilt he would have been
forgiven. The prodigal son, realizing his guilt and wretchedness, said, “I
will arise and go to my father” (
Luke 15:18
). He confessed his sin and was
taken back to his father’s heart.
If we would offer acceptable prayer, there is a work to be done in
confessing our sins to one another. If I have sinned against my neighbor
in word or action I should make confession to him. If he has wronged me
he should confess to me. So far as is possible the one who has wronged
another is to make restitution. Then in contrition he is to confess the sin
to God, whose law has been transgressed. In sinning against our brother,
we sin against God, and we must seek pardon from Him. Whatever our
sin, if we but repent and believe in the atoning blood of Christ we shall be
pardoned.... We have only one channel of approach to God. Our prayers
can come to Him through one name only—that of the Lord Jesus, our
advocate
Christ is represented as stooping from His throne and bending earth-
ward to send help to every needy soul who asks Him in faith
[261]
12
The Review and Herald, February 9, 1897
.
13
Letter 134, 1899
.
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