From the TeachingtheWord Bible Knowledgebase

Part seven of a series of selections from Profiting From the Word by A. W. Pink. Read part six.

Edited by Dr. Paul M. Elliott, president of TeachingTheWord Ministries

The prayer of faith pleads God's promises and expects an answer, but recognizes that it must be God's answer.

In our last article, Arthur Pink wrote of the need to plead God's promises in prayer. He next addresses the need to submit to God in prayer.

We are profited from the Scriptures when we are brought to complete submission unto God. As stated above, one of the Divine designs in appointing prayer as an ordinance is that we might be humbled. This is outwardly denoted when we bow the knee before the Lord. Prayer is an acknowledgment of our helplessness, and a looking to Him from whom all our help comes. It is an owning of His sufficiency to supply our every need. It is a making known our requests" (Philippians 4:6) unto God; but requests are very different from demands... We are to spread our case before God, but leave it to His superior wisdom to prescribe how it shall be dealt with. There must be no dictating... In all our praying we must add, "Nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt."

But may not faith plead God's promises and expect an answer? Certainly; but it must be God's answer. Paul besought the Lord thrice to remove his thorn in the flesh; instead of doing so, the Lord gave him grace to endure it (2 Corinthians 12). Many of God's promises are promiscuous rather than personal. He has promised His Church pastors, teachers and evangelists, yet many a local company of His saints has languished long without them. Some of God's promises are indefinite and general rather than absolute and universal; as, for example, Ephesians 6:2-3... Moreover, He reserves to Himself the right to determine the fit time and season for bestowing His mercies. "Seek ye the Lord, all ye meek of the earth . . . it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the Lord's anger" (Zephaniah 2:3). Just because it "may be" God's will to grant a certain temporal mercy unto me, it is my duty to cast myself upon Him and plead for it, yet with entire submission to His good pleasure for the performance of it.

Next: Is Praying a Joy or a Burden to You?

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