WONDERFUL PRAYERS

Part III

At a church gathering the men spoke about a certain person. The one said this, and another said something else about that person. Oh, what an unruly evil the tongue is, and a world of iniquity. Then often the tongue is made loose, then it is revealed that we are awake when it concerns bringing forth an evil report. A devil is in our heart, in our ear, in our eye, and upon our tongue. But there all at once an elder stood up and said: “And such were some of you”, I Cor. 6:11. And all gossip and slander was ended. The mouths were stopped. It was an arrow shot in simplicity and hearts were touched. That is the power of God’s Word. It is years ago already that this took place. I also was present. But it was really impressive, how that text out of I Cor. 6:11 influenced and made such a deep impression upon the conscience. No one had anything more to say. Oh, the authority of God’s testimony! God’s work cannot remain concealed, although many of God’s people must live as hidden ones. But now concerning true conversion, God converts His people to become unconverted in themselves. When God begins, then the work in us also begins. The true conversion is also a progressive and continuous discovering and enlightening of God the Holy Spirit. “Turn thee yet again, and thou shalt see greater abominations”. Discovering is necessary, so that there shall be room for the revelation and glorification of Christ in our heart. Let us remember that God does not waste His grace. And concerning both these matters, discovery and revelation, here it is only in part. The Lord also is so free in the dispensation of His grace. The one receives more than the other; and the one is led through much deeper ways than the other. The only wise God has decreed from eternity, what shall be the portion of each and everyone of His people. But how different the ways of God may be, they are all led by the selfsame spirit, concerning the main thing, and the order of salvation,—there is no difference. They are all called from death into life; called out of darkness unto God’s marvellous light; translated out of the power of Satan into the Kingdom of God’s dear Son. They all receive a godly sorrow that works repentance unto salvation not to be repented of. And in a greater or lesser degree they all receive a joy in God through Christ. The love of God is shed abroad in the hearts by the Holy Spirit, and they all learn to hate and flee from sin.

They shall all find death in themselves, so that they may seek and find life in Christ. It must be learned here, that by the deeds of the law no flesh shall be justified in His sight. But on the other hand that consciousness and knowledge shall be obtained, whereby the language of the heart becomes: “Surely shall one say, in the Lord have I righteousness and strength: to Him shall men come; and all that are incensed against Him shall be ashamed. In the Lord shall all the seed of Israel be justified and shall glory.” Isa. 45:24–25. Yea, they shall all be taught of the Lord, and learn to be saved by grace (Eph. 2:8).

But now comes the question, in what manner, and through what ways shall this all be learned? The first answer to that question is: By God’s Word and Spirit. In that infallible Word all God’s ways which He holds with His people here upon earth are explained. But it is only by the enlightening of the Spirit that we receive an eye for it. The entrance of the Word giveth light. Just to mention something: God’s Word speaks of the true conversion to God, as a deed wrought by Him in the heart. That Word speaks of a second conversion. Does Christ not say of Simon in Luke 22:32, “And when thou are converted, strengthen thy brethren.” Did Peter understand this at the moment that it was said unto him? I doubt it. At that time Peter was still so converted in his own eyes. Oh yes, the experience of this life teaches that, (but, of course, it must be understood), we are much sooner converted than unconverted. It takes God’s people a lifetime to be converted. Very likely this is a strange language for many, but it is the truth. A second conversion is a raising up and restoring after a deep fall.

The Bible also speaks of a daily conversion; Lam. 5:21, “Turn Thou us unto Thee, O Lord, and we shall be turned; renew our days as of old”. When those people that are sought out by God, are living in the time of allurement, and in the first love, then nothing is understood of this. Therefore expressions, as I have written here, seem so strange for us in the beginning. Oh, just let me say it honestly: we are not susceptible for it. Though we dare not contradict it, we cannot agree with it either. The thought sometimes arises—that there must be something wrong with those people, something is not in order. Converted by God, and then for hours still praying to be converted. The Lord Jesus has become so dear, and then they still pray for hours that He might make Himself dear. A person would think (and how could he think differently) that when Christ has revealed Himself and has been formed in the heart, that the result would be, that there would always be an active love for Christ. Oh if we have once cried out: “I will love Thee, O Lord, my strength”, then they think that it will always stay that way. But the practice teaches differently. It can become so loveless within that they say: “Lord, I don’t know what to think of it anymore”, and that is also the way it is with bringing our needs before the Lord.

In those first times they are such willing burden-bearers. Then they have so many things to pray for. Then they can pray for half an hour at a time. They mention everything. Here they kneel down, there they pour out their heart, then they have so many needs, and so much to tell, then their prayers have not yet become sin unto them. They can still do it, and they still know it, and do it gladly. Woe if they are skipped once, and are not asked to pray. I once experienced in a gathering that two began to pray at the same time, they both thought that it was their turn. An old experienced minister once said to a man, who was no stranger of the grace of prayer: “If it was longer in secret, and shorter in public, that would be more edifying.” What a message! and what a remark. Yes, it can take a long time, before we loathe ourselves, and learn to know ourselves as being without heart, without prayer and without needs. There have formerly been times, that we often retired from the world and spent much time in prayer before we went to sleep, and that it was so pleasant for our heart. But later we were not able to come to that place anymore. In the evening we would rather go to sleep than to pray. To what a low state man sometimes comes. Yet it is very necessary to look away from self, and to be happy with the interceding High Priest.

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