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True Prayer Day

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True Prayer Day

6 minuten leestijd Arcering uitzetten

“But mine eye poureth out tears unto God” (Job 16:20b).

Rev. E. Hakvoort, Norwich, ON

On earth many tears are shed. They are tears because of the consequences of sin. Who does not know about these tears in his life? Oh, may we be given to realize that they are caused by our sin. In Paradise there was no sorrow and mourning, but, by our own fault, sin and its bitter consequences came into the world. That is the reason that many tears are shed and that many eyes can be sorrowful. The question is “What is the fruit of these tears?” Where do they bring us? The sorrow of the world sheds tears because of the consequences of sin. However, this sorrow does not pour out tears unto God but flees from God and will end in everlasting death. How sad if this is still our image.

There is also a godly sorrow. This sorrow is about sin itself and worketh repentance to salvation, not to be repented of. It causes a fleeing unto God in prayer, and only such an eye pours out its grief unto God. Job, also, was privileged to know about these tears in his life. Although we read that he was perfect and upright, fearing God and eschewing all evil, he met many adversities in his life.

He knew about numerous woes and disasters in his life. In one day everything which he possessed was taken away: his cattle, his servants, and all his children. The one woe was not yet gone, and the other woe came already. His name became true—Job, the assailed!

Who can describe the unfathomable grief in his life? Nevertheless, the Lord worked these things together for good, and He taught Job to cast his burdens upon God in true prayer. No, Job s tears were not the tears of helpless rage of rebellion against God. They were not tears wept only about the consequences of sin but about sin itself! Therefore, Job says that his “eye poureth out tears unto God.” He was privileged to experience godly sorrow. We also read that he fell down upon the ground and worshipped. Although his friends turned out to be physicians of no value and miserable comforters, Job turned in his grief unto the Lord. His eye poured out tears unto God who worketh all things after the counsel of His will.

Here we see that Job is privileged to fall before the Lord and may worship Him in all His ways and work. He may agree with the Lord, unconditionally. How is that possible? The secret thereof is in the electing good pleasure of God the Father who had elected Job from the silence of eternity. The secret thereof is in the redeeming work of God the Son who taught Job to testify, “For I know that my Redeemer liveth” The secret thereof is in the applying work of the Holy Spirit who causes the eyes to pour out tears unto God.

The Lord grants His people, in regeneration, such an eye that pours out tears before God. Already in the first time of life they know about these tears. Oh, when the Lord pours out His love into their heart, they learn to pour out their heart before God and their eye unto God because of hearty love towards God. The arrow goes further. The Lord does not only allure them, but He also brings them into the wilderness where they must learn to mourn unto God because of their sins. In a discovering way their eye pours out tears unto God. There they learn to bewail and confess their guilt:

Grievous though my sin and shame,
Hear my cry, Thy love renewing.

Oh, there the heart and eye cries unto the Lord when the need is bound upon the heart. I must die but cannot die. Bitter tears of lamentation are my food by night and day. There the eye pours out tears unto God, “Deliver Thou my soul, O Lord!” That becomes their need—an unsaved soul. How can it ever become plain between a holy and righteous God and my poor soul? With such an eye we learn to fall before the Lord without reasoning, and we learn to bow under God, to agree with God that we have to perish due to our iniquities.

There it becomes prayer day in our life, and such prayer will continue until the Lord comes over and grants them a view of Christ, the Surety of whom the prophet testifies that He was a man of sorrows, that He hath borne our grief, carried our sorrows at Calvary’s hill. In Him they may see the rich possibility of salvation.

Perhaps you say, “Then the Lord shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.” On the contrary, there the eyes pour out more tears unto Him. They weep because of desire that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection. They pour out tears not only in holy concern under the law but also in holy concern under the gospel. They pour out tears because of the desire that we may know the Surety and that He has been applied to our soul. Yes, Christ has been revealed unto their soul, but they also need the application of Christ within their soul.

The more valuable He becomes unto the soul, the more their eye pours out tears unto God. The more we may learn to know Him personally, the more the tears flow in silent admiration because of His goodness for such a beast as I am, “Why hast Thou chosen me, whereas many perish by their own fault?” They will never forget this as long as they live on earth because also after received grace there are so many reasons to mourn. They mourn in holy grief because of the sins and infirmity which still remain against their will in them, because of their wicked existence. My eye pours out tears unto God to learn more and more, time and again, to die to self and the world and to live according to His will, but one day He will wipe away all the tears from their eyes.

Beloved friends, unto what does your eye look? Unto the world and its lusts? The end of such mourning will be an eternal weeping and gnashing of teeth. Oh, ask the Lord that He would grant you a true prayer. Ask the Spirit of intercession if He will teach you such true prayer. Blessed are they whose eye pours out tears unto God on this side of the grave. Here it is many times grief and sorrow, but soon the Lord will turn this sorrow into joy and gladness. Then prayer day will turn into thanksgiving day, and at that time, it will become true:

To Thee my thanks I raise,
Who girded me with praise.

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Bekijk de hele uitgave van vrijdag 1 maart 2013

The Banner of Truth | 24 Pagina's

True Prayer Day

Bekijk de hele uitgave van vrijdag 1 maart 2013

The Banner of Truth | 24 Pagina's