PUBLIC-DOMAIN CHRISTIAN BOOK
Prevailing Prayer: What Hinders It?
Moody, Dwight Lyman, 1837-1899 · 37,446 words · 58 reading sections
D. L. MOODY.
CHICAGO: F. H. REVELL, 148 AND 150 MADISON STREET. _Publisher of Evangelical Literature._ Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1884, by FLEMING H. REVELL, In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington.…
38 wordsSECTION 2_ALL RIGHTS RESERVED._
Printed and bound by J. L. REGAN & CO., Chicago.…
9 wordsSECTION 3PREFATORY NOTE.
The two first and essential means of grace are the Word of God and Prayer. By these comes conversion; for we are born again by the Word of God, which liveth and abideth forever; and whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. By these also we grow; for we are exhorted to desire the sincere milk of t…
338 wordsSECTION 4CHAPTER XI. ANSWERED PRAYERS 111
Prayer. Prayer was appointed to convey The blessings God designs to give; Long as they live should Christians pray, For only while they pray they live. And shall we in dead silence lie, When Christ stands waiting for our prayer? My soul, thou hast a Friend on high; Arise and try thy interest there. If pain afflict, …
107 wordsSECTION 5THE PRAYERS OF THE BIBLE.
Those who have left the deepest impression on this sin-cursed earth have been men and women of prayer. You will find that PRAYER has been the mighty power that has moved not only God, but man. Abraham was a man of prayer, and angels came down from heaven to converse with him. Jacob’s prayer was answered in the wonderfu…
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I want to call special attention to Christ as an example for us in all things; in nothing more than in prayer. We read that Christ prayed to His Father for everything. Every great crisis in His life was preceded by prayer. Let me quote a few passages. I never noticed till a few years ago that Christ was praying at His …
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The prayer our Lord taught his disciples is commonly called the Lord’s Prayer. I think that the Lord’s prayer, more properly, is that in the seventeenth of John. That is the longest prayer on record that Jesus made. You can read it slowly and carefully in about four or five minutes. I think we may learn a lesson here. …
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“Since I began,” said Dr. Payson when a student, “to beg God’s blessing on my studies, I have done more in one week than in the whole year before.” Luther, when most pressed with work, said, “I have so much to do that I cannot get on without three hours a day praying.” And not only do theologians think and speak highly…
513 wordsSECTION 9ADORATION.
This has been defined as the act of rendering Divine honor, including in it reverence, esteem and love. It literally signifies to apply the hand to the mouth, “to kiss the hand;” in Eastern countries this is one of the great marks of respect and submission. The importance of coming before God in this spirit is great, t…
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As you hear Job discussing with his friends you would think he was one of the holiest men who ever lived. He was eyes to the blind, and feet to the lame; he fed the hungry, and clothed the naked. What a wonderfully good man he was! It was all I, I, I. At last God said to him, “Gird up your loins like a man, and I will …
658 wordsSECTION 11CONFESSION.
Another element in true prayer is Confession. I do not want Christian friends to think that I am talking to the unsaved. I think we, as Christians, have a good many sins to confess. If you go back to the Scripture records, you will find that the men who lived nearest to God, and had most power with Him, were those who…
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Richard Sibbes quaintly says of confession: “This is the way to give glory to God: when we have laid open our souls to God, and laid as much against ourselves as the devil could do that way, for let us think what the devil would lay to our charge at the hour of death and the day of judgment. He would lay hard to our ch…
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Why is it that so many of our children are wandering off into the drinking saloons, and drifting away into infidelity--going down to a dishonored grave? There seems to be very little power in the Christianity of the present time. Many Godly parents find that their children are going astray. Does it arise from some secr…
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“_Try me._” David was tried when he fell by taking his eye off from the God of his father Abraham. “_Know my thoughts._” God looks at the thoughts. Are our thoughts pure? Have we in our hearts thoughts against God or against His people--against any one in the world? If we have, we are not right in the sight of God. Oh,…
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Soon after “James and John, the sons of Zebedee, come unto Him, saying, Master, we would that Thou shouldest do for us whatsoever we shall desire. And He said unto them, What would ye that I should do for you? They said unto Him, Grant unto us that we may sit, one on Thy right hand, and the other on Thy left hand, in T…
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“Ah, mine iniquity Crimson has been; Infinite, infinite, Sin upon sin; Sin of not loving Thee, Sin of not trusting Thee. Infinite sin. “Lord, I confess to Thee Sadly my sin; All I am, tell I Thee, All I have been. Purge Thou my sin away, Wash Thou my soul this day; Lord, make me clean!” --_Dr. H. Bonar._…
60 wordsSECTION 17RESTITUTION.
A third element of successful prayer is RESTITUTION. If I have at any time taken what does not belong to me, and am not willing to make restitution, my prayers will not go very far toward heaven. It is a singular thing, but I have never touched on this subject in my addresses, without hearing of immediate results. A ma…
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The same thing is repeated in Numbers, where we read--“And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, When a man or woman shall commit any sin that men commit, to do a trespass against the Lord, and that person be guilty; then they shall confess their sin which they have done; and he shall re…
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If there is true repentance it will bring forth fruit. If we have done wrong to some one, we should never ask God to forgive us until we are willing to make restitution. If I have done any man a great injustice and can make it good, I need not ask God to forgive me until I am willing to do so. Suppose I have taken some…
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It may be that there is something in our lives that needs straightening out; something that happened perhaps twenty years ago, and that has been forgotten till the Spirit of God brought it to our remembrance. If we are not willing to make restitution, we cannot expect God to give us great blessing. Perhaps that is the …
210 wordsSECTION 21THANKSGIVING.
The next thing I would mention as an element of prayer is THANKSGIVING. We ought to be more thankful for what we get from God. Perhaps some of you mothers have a child in your family who is constantly complaining--never thankful. You know that there is not much pleasure in doing anything for a child like that. If you m…
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There is a great deal more said in the Bible about praise than prayer; yet how few praise-meetings there are! David, in his Psalms, always mixes praise with prayer. Solomon prevailed much with God in prayer at the dedication of the temple; but it was the voice of _praise_ which brought down the glory that filled the ho…
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Even if nothing else called for thankfulness, it would always be an ample cause for it that Jesus Christ loved us, and gave Himself for us. A farmer was once found kneeling at a soldier’s grave near Nashville. Some one came to him and said: “Why do you pay so much attention to this grave? Was your son buried here?” “No…
277 wordsSECTION 24FORGIVENESS.
The next thing is perhaps the most difficult of all to deal with--FORGIVENESS. I believe this is keeping more people from having power with God than any other thing--they are not willing to cultivate the spirit of forgiveness. If we allow the root of bitterness to spring up in our hearts against some one, our prayer wi…
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A gentleman came to me some time ago, and wanted me to talk to his wife about her soul. That woman seemed as anxious as any person I ever met, and I thought it would not take long to lead her into the light; but it seemed that the longer I talked with her, the more her darkness increased. I went to see her again the ne…
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Several years ago the Church of England sent a devoted missionary to New Zealand. After a few years of toil and success, he was one Sabbath holding a communion service in a district where the converts had not long since been savages. As the missionary was conducting the service, he observed one of the men, just as he w…
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Brooks says of God’s pardon granted to His people: “When God pardons sin, He takes it sheer away; that if it should be sought for, yet it could not be found; as the prophet Jeremiah speaks: ‘In those days, and in that time, saith the Lord, the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for, and there shall be none; and the sin…
618 wordsSECTION 28UNITY.
The next thing we need to have, if we would get our prayers answered, is--UNITY. If we do not love one another we certainly shall not have much power with God in Prayer. One of the saddest things in the present day is the division in God’s Church. You notice that when the power of God came upon the early church, it was…
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“Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no division among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chlo…
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Did you ever notice that the last prayer Jesus Christ made on earth, before they led Him away to Calvary, was that His disciples might all be one? He could look down the stream of time, and see that divisions would come--how Satan would try to divide the flock of God. Nothing will silence infidels so quickly as Christi…
238 wordsSECTION 31FAITH.
Another element is FAITH. It is as important for us to know how to pray as it is to know how to work. We are not told that Jesus ever taught His disciples how to preach, but He taught them how to pray. He wanted them to have power with God; then He knew they would have power with man. In James we read: “If any of you l…
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Take the case of the Syrophenician woman. When she called to the Master, it seemed for a time as if He were deaf to her request. The disciples wanted her to be sent away. Although they were with Christ for three years, and sat at His feet, yet they did not know how full of grace His heart was. Think of Christ sending a…
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I remember hearing of a boy brought up in an English almshouse. He had never learned to read or write, except that he could read the letters of the alphabet. One day a man of God came there, and told the children that if they prayed to God in their trouble, He would send them help. After a time, this boy was apprentice…
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As Samuel Rutherford says, commenting on the case of the Syrophenician woman: “See the sweet use of faith under a sad temptation; faith trafficketh with Christ and heaven in the dark, upon plain trust and credit, without seeing any surety of dawn: Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed. And the reas…
685 wordsSECTION 35PETITION.
The next element in prayer that I notice is PETITION. How often we go to prayer-meetings without really asking for anything! Our prayers go all round the world, without anything definite being asked for. We do not expect anything. Many people would be greatly surprised if God did answer their prayers. I remember hearin…
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Then the highest type of Christian is the one who has got clear beyond asking and seeking, and keeps knocking till the answer comes. If we knock, God has promised to open the door and grant our request. It may be years before the answer comes; He may keep us knocking; but He has promised that the answer will come. I w…
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I remember at one place where we were holding meetings, a wife came to the first meeting and asked me to talk with her husband. “He is not interested,” she said, “but I am in hopes he will become so.” I talked with him, and I think I hardly ever spoke to a man who seemed to be so self-righteous. It looked as though I m…
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Nothing is more pleasing to our Father in heaven than direct, importunate, and persevering prayer. Two Christian ladies, whose husbands were unconverted, feeling their great danger, agreed to spend one hour each day in united prayer for their salvation. This was continued for seven years, when they debated whether they…
453 wordsSECTION 39SUBMISSION.
Another essential element in prayer is SUBMISSION. All true prayer must be offered in full submission to God. After we have made our requests known to Him, our language should be, “Thy will be done.” I would a thousand times rather that God’s will should be done than my own. I cannot see into the future as God can; the…
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Some of the best men the world has ever seen have made great mistakes on this point. Moses could pray for Israel, and could prevail with God; but God did not answer his petition for himself. He asked that God would take him over Jordan, that he might see Lebanon; and after the forty years’ wandering in the wilderness, …
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Dyer says: “Afflictions are blessings to us when we can bless God for afflictions. Suffering has kept many from sinning. God had one Son without sin; but He never had any without sorrow. Fiery trials make golden Christians; sanctified afflictions are spiritual promotions.” Rutherford beautifully writes, in reference t…
819 wordsSECTION 42ANSWERED PRAYERS.
In the fifteenth chapter of John and the seventh verse, we find who have their prayers answered--“If ye abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” Now in the fourth chapter of James, in the third verse, we find some spoken of whose prayers were not answered: “Ye a…
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At a Christian convention a number of years ago, a leading man got up and spoke--his subject being “For Christ’s Sake”--and he threw new light upon that passage. I had never seen it in that way before. When the war broke out the gentleman’s only son had enlisted, and he never saw a company of soldiers but his heart wen…
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In Scotland, a good many years ago, there lived a man with his wife and three children--two girls and a boy. He was in the habit of getting drunk, and thus losing his situation. At last, he said he would take Johnnie, and go off to America, where he would be away from his old associates, and where he could commence lif…
543 wordsSECTION 45A PRAYER-MEETING TESTIMONY.
“I want you to understand, my friends, that what I state is not what I did, but what God did. _God only could have done it!_ I had given it up as a bad job, long before. But it is of God’s great mercy that I am standing here to-night, to tell you that Christ is able to save _to the uttermost_ all that come to God throu…
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“I had been drinking and playing billiards one day, and in the evening I returned to my lodgings. I thought that I would sit there awhile, and then go out again, as usual. Before going out, I began to think, and the thought struck me, ‘How will all this end?’ ‘Oh,’ I thought to myself, ‘what is the use of that? I know …
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“I must not forget to tell you that I went down before God in my misery, my helplessness, and my sin, and owned to Him that it was impossible that I should be saved; that it was impossible for me to keep clear of drink; but from that night to this moment, I have never had the slightest desire for drink. “It was a hard…
404 wordsSECTION 48_A. S._
=NOTICE.=--All former books (before this series), issued in Mr. Moody’s name, have been mere compilations from newspaper reports of his sermons, issued without his consent and notwithstanding his protest.…
30 wordsSECTION 49F. H. REVELL, 148 & 150 MADISON ST., CHICAGO.
_The following Books sent postpaid on receipt of price._ Over 350,000 copies of these works have already been sold, the greater portion within the last three years. =To the Work! To the Work!= By D. L. MOODY. Exhortations to Christians. Tinted covers, 30c.; cloth boards, gilt dies, 60c. Just published. This new wo…
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“The Way to God” is a theme upon which the Evangelist has been wont to dwell. Here in nine chapters he grasps together words of advice regarding that path which it is the happy privilege of the minister to continually make plain.--_Chicago Standard._ They are characterized by his usual simplicity, directness, fervor a…
433 wordsSECTION 51FLEMING H. REVELL,
_Publisher of Evangelical Literature_…
4 wordsSECTION 52148 & 150 MADISON STREET, CHICAGO.
_The Following Books sent Post-paid on Receipt of Price._…
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478 wordsSECTION 55PRE-MILLENNIAL LITERATURE.
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461 wordsSECTION 56HELPS FOR INQUIRERS.
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=Prevailing Prayer: What Hinders It?= By D. L. MOODY. Cloth, uniform with To the Work! Heaven, etc., 60c; paper covers, 30c. An earnest and solemn work, full of helpful hints on the aids and hindrances to prevailing prayer. “This great subject has been the theme of apostles and prophets, and of all good men in all ag…
815 wordsSECTION 58TRANSCRIBER’S NOTES:
Italicized text is surrounded by underscores: _italics_. Emboldened text is surrounded by equals signs: =bold=. Obvious typographical errors have been corrected.…
21 wordsSource & rights
Public domain in the USA; original historical text digitized by Project Gutenberg.
Project Gutenberg source record →
Historical Christian writing; not Scripture.