(3) Intercession is also a great force because it brings into action the power of God ; just as the tribune's veto obtained its force from the fact that it was not spoken by him on his own responsibility. It was strong because armed with the strength of law ; it was strong, not with the strength of even a Tiberius Gracchus, but with the power of a sacrosanct authority ; so our prayers are strong because they have the promise and the power of Christ behind them. Intercession makes God, God's purposes, God's plans, the centre of our thought. This is of the very essence of aU prayer; this it is that lifts it above a mere calculated selfishness into an act of faith.
^ Great as is, the admitted mystery of prayer, there can be little doubt that much of its secret lies wrapped in the co-opera- tion of the Divine and human will. In prayer man is " a labourer together with " his God. "We have had enough in our day of the shallow evangel of labour, man's gospel preached to man: we have been told till we are weary of hearing it, that " he who works prays " ; but let us lift up our hearts high enough to meet a fuller, deeper, richer truth ; let us learn that " he who prays works," works even with his God, is humble enough, is bold enough to help Him who upholds all things with the word of His power.^
^ Dora Gre«nwell, Es$ayt, 144.
20 THE PRAYER OF A RIGHTEOUS MAN
Oh, pray for me !
My faith is feeble, and my light is dim,
God will uphold us if we look to Him ;
He knows our weakness, yea, our Father cares —
Yet, friend, I need thy prayers.
Wilt pray for me ?
Life is so difficult, and 'neath its load We bend and falter on the weary road. Our Saviour, say'st thou, every sorrow shares ? Yet, friend, I need thy prayers.
Oh, pray for me!
And if thou dost, I think that I shall know And feel such blessedness as long ago, When one I lov'd and lost his child did bear Upon the wings of prayer.
Oh, pray for me !
Thy lamp has been so bright, and burn'd so long, That thou canst help another soul along By intercession; yea, our Father hears! Sends answer to thy prayers.^
II.
The Pkayek of a Eighteous Man.
1. It is the righteous man that understands the force of prayer. The force of prayer has been understood by the really spiritual writers of every school and of all time. They knew that prayer is one of the secrets of life ; that he who lives prays, and he who prays lives ; that he who prays works, and he who works prays ; and so large a part of the spiritual life is comprised in the one word prayer that we find them describing the soul's advance by the character of the prayer which springs from it.
^ Madame Guyon, in her precious A B C of the spiritual life, introduces her book with the title, A Short and Easy Method of Prayer ; St. Theresa describes the degrees of the soul's progress as degrees of prayer, styling them Prayer of Quiet, Prayer of Union, and so on ; St. John of the Cross names his mystical way as " the Ascent of Mount Carmel," the meaning of wliich is
^ Una, In Life's Garden, 80.
JAMES V. i6 21
evidently similar to the other. And so, no doubt one might give other instances, confining ourselves, of course, to the experimental Christians only, and letting the divines and theologians alone. May we not say that our dear Lord Himself was careful enough both in example and in teaching to lead His scholars along this way, making them aware that a great part of the soul's education was education in prayer ? ^
2. What is meant by a righteous man ? It means simply a~> man of right character. Here on earth the influence of one who asks a favour for others depends entirely on his character, and the relationship he bears to him with whom he is intercedino-. It is what he is that gives weight to what he asks. It is not otherwise with God. Our power in prayer depends upon our life. Where our life is right we shall know how to pray so as to please God, and prayer will secure the answer. The texts quoted above all point in this direction. " If ye abide in me" our Lord says, " ye shall ask, and it shall be done unto you." We receive whatsoever we ask, St. John says, because we obey and please God. All lack of power to pray aright and perseveringly, all lack of power in prayer with God, points to some lack in the Christian life. It is as we learn to live the life that pleases God that God will give what we ask.
^ We speak of Abraham aa intercessor. What gave him such boldness ? He knew that God had chosen and called him away from his home and people to walk before Him, that all nations might be blessed in Him. He knew that he had obeyed, and forsaken all for God. Implicit obedience, to the very sacrifice of his son, was the law of his life. He did what God asked : he dared trust God to do what he asked. We speak of Moses as intercessor. He too had forsaken all for God, "accounting the reproach of Christ greater riches than all the treasures of Egypt." He lived at God's disposal : he " was faithful in all his house, as a servant." How often it is written of him, " According to all that the Lord commanded Moses, so did he." No wonder that he was very bold: his heart was right with God: he knew God would hear him. No less true is this of Elijah, the man who stood up to plead for the Lord God of Israel. The man who is ready to risk all for God can count upon God to do all for him.^