Devoted to the Propagation and Defense of New Testament Christianity
VOLUME 14
October 18, 1962
NUMBER 24, PAGE 8,13b

Denying The Power Of Prayer

Robert C. Welch

Materialism manifests itself in many forms. Some have tried to define the soul as minute particles of matter. Others have reasoned that there are no such eternal places as heaven and hell because they cannot now be located as material places. All that they can accept are the things of this life and such matter as can be physically observed. Another modification is that of the premillennialist. He thinks of, speaks of, and trusts in a material reign of Christ and his people upon the earth more than he does of the reward of eternal life to the faithful.

All of these materialistic theories tend to affect the faith and life of the child of God; not that he accepts the theory as a whole, but that some of the side effects are inadvertently accepted. The social gospel practices which have been borrowed from the sects by our brethren are some of the side effects of materialism which the brethren have inadvertently appropriated to themselves. The vast expenditures on elaborate pretentious buildings are the result of the pride and trust in the material things. The institutional and church-combine mania which has swept the brotherhood the past few years has at its roots the same materialistic concept.

Effectual prayer has been stripped of its power by this same basic materialism. Perhaps Unitarians were the first to openly declare their skepticism of the effect of prayer on anyone except the person doing the praying, and that as a mere reflexive effect. It has pervaded the attitude in every denomination; and has made long strides in destroying faith in the efficacy of prayer among the saints of the Lord.

The alien to the kingdom is not told to pray in order to his salvation. Hence it is entirely in order to show from the word of God that salvation is obtained by obedience to the revealed will of God, without the essentiality or the efficacy of an alien's prayer. That is not a denial of the efficacy of prayer; it is merely an emphasis upon the proper subject of prayer.

The Christian, however, is taught to pray, and is told that his requests will be granted, if they are according to God's will. (1 John 5:14) Other conditions of acceptable prayer are given in his will. It must be asked, for instance, while believing. (Matt. 21:22) Certainly, then, the prayers of these materialists, who do not believe in the efficacy of prayer, will be ineffective. This is the kind of thing which the Lord warned against as he said that in the last days men would be "holding a form of godliness, but having denied the power thereof." (2 Tim. 3:5)

Men have denied the power in prayer by suggesting that the Bible shows that those things for which we ask come as a result of something other than prayer. Though they would not agree that their reasoning concerning the effectiveness of prayer would require a miracle, yet that is the conclusion to their fallacious argument. While God was causing miracles to occur some of them came as a result of prayer. But that is not the only method which God has for providing his good gifts. (James 1:17) God still has nature in his hands. (Matt. 5:45) He still has his civil servants for vengeance. (Rom. 13:4) He has his abiding word. (1 Pet. 1:25) He still has his church and every person in it as his servants. (Eph. 3:10-12) God, who could make all these things, can use them to answer the prayer of the faithful saint, as well as to perform a miracle. Materialism seeks to limit the power of God.

Brethren sometimes fall for this materialistic line of propaganda. Occasionally they speak of the uselessness of praying for physical things such as food and clothing; because, they say, we are to work for these things which are natural provisions. When the Lord told his disciples to pray for their daily bread (Matt. 6:11), he meant it. To deny it is as destructive of faith as to deny the miracles or to deny the coming of eternal torment. At the same time, he wills that those who work not, eat not. (2 Thess. 3:10) A man must both work and pray for his daily bread.

A brother may say or write that wisdom does not come as a result of prayer. His reasonng is that God's wisdom shows that there are other conditions essential to his gaining wisdom; for instance, that all the wisdom heaven affords is to be found in the Bible. There is no doubt but that the wisdom of God is taught therein. But that does not destroy the need for and effectiveness of prayer for wisdom. The same reasoning will destroy the effectiveness of prayer for bread since it is provided in nature. Paul prayed that the Colossians might be "filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding." (Col. 1:9) The fallacious reasoning mentioned above would conclude that Paul's prayer was ineffective and uncalled for. Discernment comes also by practice. (Heb. 5:14) The man, therefore, must study, practice and pray in order to grow in wisdom.

"And in all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive." (Matt. 21:22) In another place the Lord specifies wisdom as one of those things for which we are to ask in faith, with the assurance that God provides. (James 1:5, 8) There Is no reason for supposing that the Lord meant by this that wisdom would come as a result of prayer alone. All other conditions are to be met. But he does emphasize the essentiality and efficacy of praying for this blessing.

Our Lord said; "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you." (Matt. 7:7) Let no one think that there is nothing to do except ask or pray. Let no one, on the other hand, become so mundanely materialistic in his thinking as to suppose that prayer has no effect with God with respect to our needs, even though we can perceive that they are appropriated through natural or other materially observable avenues. Let us pray to the unseen God, believing that he will supply our needs when we pray and live according to his will.

— 1102 N. Mound St., Nacogdoches, Texas