The Value Of Prayer

Prayer in virtue of the blood of the Lord Jesus touches the deepest things, touches everything and is associated with everything.

It is as though the Lord were saying, Yes, there is an atonement; in the most holy place atonement has been made. 

Yes, there is a mercy seat for communion. Yes, there is every provision. 

But for a daily value of that, a prayer life is essential.

All this is ministry by prayer, is entered into by prayer. There is nothing however great and comprehensive the divine provision may be — which can be known independently of prayer.

Find a prayerless life, and all the great, wonderful meaning of God's provision in Christ is of little real value.

There is no entering gloriously into God's great provision where prayer life is at low ebb.

Whether it be communion with God, that communion is in prayer; whether it be in testimony to the world, that testimony is made effectual through prayer; whether it is in feeding upon Christ, the Living Bread, that is by prayer.

You say, The Word! Yes, but what is the Word without prayer? 

If you divorce your Bible from your prayer life you simply have a Book of laws and instructions, a manual, and you become merely theological or doctrinal.

But prayer in association with the Word makes the Word live and makes it of spiritual value.

Notice what the Lord said: "When Aaron dresses the lamps in the morning, he shall offer incense". 

What does he do in dressing the lamps? He takes the snuffers. 

Some wick has got a bit dry and used up, and it is smouldering and smoking and filling the atmosphere with something that is not pleasant, and that is the flesh.

This old man does get up, and this flesh life does manifest itself from time to time.

Even though we have the Spirit, the flesh becomes unsteady at times, and there is always the possibility very near at hand of the flesh and the self and the old nature filling the air with something obnoxious, unpleasant, smoky and smouldering. 

That has got to be trimmed every morning by prayer: "Lord, trim the smouldering wick of my fleshly lips, of my fleshly doing; trim my nature, Lord, this morning.

Cut off that which is me, which if not cut off today will make for much that is regrettable, and fill the day with cloudy, smoky, smouldering flesh.

Aaron trimmed the lamps with prayer every morning, and every evening when he lit the lamps he offered incense.

There is always darkness about, ready to encroach and overcome the heart which is God's sanctuary, and it has got to be withstood lest the light which is in us become darkness.

~T. Austin Sparks~