4.22.2016 Finney on PREVAILING PRAYER

taken from chapter 6 of Power from on High by charles finney

35  PREVAILING PRAYER IS THAT WHICH GETS AN ANSWER. saying prayers is not offering prevailing prayer. the effectiveness of prayer does not depend so much on quantity as on quolity. i do not know how better to approach this subject than by relating a fact of my own experience before i was converted....
i do not remember ever having attended a prayer meeting until after i began the study of law. then, for the first time, i lived in a neighborhood where there was weekly pryer meeting. i had neither known, heard nor seen much of religion; hence, i had no definite opinions about it. partly from curiosity and partly from an uneasiness of mind on the subject, which i could not well define, i began to attend that prayer meeting. about the same time, i bought the first bible that i ever owned and i began to read it. i listened to the prayers that i heard offered in those prayer meetings with all the attention that i could give to prayers so cold and formal. in every prayer, they prayed for the gift and outpouring of the Holy spirit. both in their prayers and in their remarks, which were occasionally interspersed, they acknowledged that they did not prevail with God. this was most evident and almost made me a skeptic.
seeing me so frequently in their prayer meeting, the leader, on one occasion, asked me if i wanted them to pray for me. 'no, I replied. 'I suppose that I need to be prayed for, but your prayers are not answered. you confess it yourselves'.  i then expressed my astonishment at this fact, in view of what the Bible said about the effectiveness
36  of prayer. indeed, for some time my mind was much perplexed and in doubt in view of Christ's teaching on the subject of prayer and the obvious facts before me from week to week in this prayer meeting. was Christ a divine teacher? did He actually teach what the Gospels attributed to Him? did He mean what He said? did prayer really avail to obtain blessings from God? if so, what was i to make of what i witnessed from week to week and month to month in that prayer meeting? were they real Christians? was what I heard real prayer in the Bible sense? was it such prayer as Christ had promised to answer? here i found the solution.
i became convinced that they were under a delusion, that they did not prevail because they had no right to prevail. they did not comply with the conditions on which god had promised to hear prayer. their prayers were just the kind God had promised not to answer. it was evident they were overlooking the fact that they were in danger of praying themselves into skepticism in regard to the value of prayer.
in reading my Bible, I noticed many revealed conditions of having our prayers answered. i will explain these conditions..
FAITH IN GOD AS THE ONE WHO ANSWERS PRAYER is one condition. this, it is plain, INVOLVES THE EXPECTATION OF RECEIVING WHAT WE ASK. 

ANOTHER DECLARED CONDITION IS ASKING ACCORDING TO THE REVEALED WILL OF GOD. this plainly implies asking not only for such things as God is willing to grant, but also asking in such a state of mind as God can accept...
it is plain that SINCERITY  is a condition of prevailing with God. take for an example, form the Lord's Prayer, the phrase 'Your kingdom come (matt. 6.10). sincerity IN OFFERING THIS PETITION IMPLIES THE WHOLE HEART AND LIFE DEVOTION OF THE PETITIONER TO THE BUILDING UP OF THIS KINGDOM.  it implies the sincere and thorough consecration of all that we have and all that we are to this end. to utter this petition in any other state of mind involves hypocrisy and is an abomination.
37  so is the case in the next petition, 'Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven' (v10). God has not promised to hear this petition unless it is sincerely offered. but SINCERITY IMPLIES A STATE OF MIND THAT ACCEPTS THE WHOLE REVEALED WILL OF GOD, SO FAR AS WE UNDERSTAND  IT, AS IT IS ACCEPTED IN HEAVEN.  IT IMPLIES A LOVING, CONFIDING, UNIVERSAL OBEDIENCE TO THE WHOLE KNOWN WILL OF GOD, whether that will is revealed in His Word, by His Spirit, or in His providence. it implies that we hold ourselves and all that we have and are, as absolutely and wholeheartedly at god's disposal as do the inhabitants of heaven. if we fall short of this and withhold anything whatsoever from God, we 'regard iniquity in (our heart(s)' (ps. 66.18) and God will not hear us.
 SINCERITY IN OFFERING THIS PETITION IMPLIES A STATE OF ENTIRE AND UNIVERSAL CONSECRATION TO GOD. ANYTHING SHORT OF THIS IS WITHHOLDING FROM GOD THAT WHICH IS HIS DUE. IT IS TURNING AWAY OUR EARS FROM HEARING THE LAW. but what do the Scriptures say? 'one who turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination' (prov. 28.9). do professed christians understand this?

WHAT IS TRUE OF OFFERING THESE TWO PETITIONS IS TRUE OF ALL PRAYER. DO CHRISTIANS TAKE THIS TO HEART? DO THEY CONSIDER THAT ALL PROFESSED PRAYER IS AN ABOMINATION IF IT IS NOT OFFERED IN A STATE OF ENTIRE CONSECRATION OF ALL THAT WE HAVE AND ARE TO GOD? if we do not offer ourselves and all that we have as we pray, if we are not in a state of mind that sincerely accepts and,  so far as we know, perfectly conforms to the whole will of God, our prayer is an abomination. how greatly profane is the use very frequently made of the Lord's Prayer, both in public and in private.  to hear men and women chatter through the Lord's Prayer, 'Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven (matt. 6.10), while their lives are anything but conformed to the known will of God, is shocking and revolting. to hear men pray 'Your kingdom come' while it is most evident that they are making little or no sacrifice or effort to promote this kingdom, forces the conviction of barefaced hypocrisy. such is not prevailing prayer.

UNSELFISHNESS  is a condition of prevailing prayer. 'you ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your plrasures' (james 4.3).

38  another condition of prevailing prayer is A CONSCIENCE VOID OF OFFENSE TOWARD GOD AND MAN.
for if our heart (conscience) condemns us, God is greater than our heart and knows all things. beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God. and whhatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight. I john 3.20-22
here tow things are made plain: first, that to prevail with God we must keep a conscience void of offense and second, we must keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.
A PURE HEART  is also a condition of prevailing prayer.  'if i regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me  ps. 66.18.
ALL DUE CONFESSION AND RESTITUTION TO GOD AND MAN is another condition of prevailing prayer. 'he who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy. prov. 28.13
CLEAN HANDS is another condition. 'i will wash my hands in innocence; so i will go about your altar, O Lord'. psalm 26.6 i desire therefore that the men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting. I tim. 2.8
the SETTLING OF DISPUTES AND ANIMOSITIES AMONG BELIEVERS  is a condition. therefore if you bring your gift to the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go your way. first be reconciled to your brother and then come and offer your gift. matt. 5.23-4
HUMILITY is another condition of prevailing prayer. 'God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble james 4.6.
REMOVING (note: HEART IDOLS...the text says,) the stumbling blocks is another condition.
'son of man, these men have set up their idols in their hearts and put before them that which causes them to stumble into iniquity. should i let Myself be inquired of at all by them?; ezekiel 14.3

39  A FORGIVING SPIRIT is a condition. 'and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. matt. 6.12. 'but if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses' (v. 15).
the exercise of A TRUTHFUL SPIRIT is a condition. 'behold, you desire truth in the inward parts. ps. 51.6. if the heart is not in a truthful state, if it is not entirely sincere and unselfish, we regard iniquity in our hearts; therefore the Lord will not hear us.
PRAYING IN THE NAME OF CHRIST is a condition of prevailing prayer (john 14.13-4)
THE INSPIRATION OF THE SPIRIT is another condition. all truly prevailing prayer is inspired by the Holy Spirit.
for we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. now He who searches the hearts knows what the mid of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God. rom. 8.26-7

this is the true spirit of prayer. this is being led by the Spirit in prayer. it is the only really prevailing prayer. do professed christians really understand this?  do they believe that unless they live and walk in the Spirit, unless they are taught how to pray by the intercession of the Spirit in them, they cannot prevail with God?
FERVENCY is a condition. a prayer, to be prevailing, must be fervent. confess your trespasses to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. the effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much (james 5.16).
PERSEVERANCE OR PERSISTENCE IN PRAYER is often a condition of prevailing with God. see the cases of jacob, daniel, elijah, the syrophenician woman, the parable of the unjust judge and the teaching of the bible generally.
TRAVAIL OF SOUL is often a condition of prevailing prayer. as soon as Zion was in labor, she gave birth to her children (isa. 66.8)  paul said, 'my little children, for whom i labor in birth again until Christ is formed in you (gal. 4.19).this implies that he had travailed in birth for them
40  before they were converted. indeed, travail of soul in prayer is the only real revival prayer. if anyone does not know what this is, he does not understand the sprit of prayer. he is not in a revival stae. he does not understand the passage already quoted - romans 8.26-7. until he understands this agonizing prayer, he does not know the real secret of revival power.
another condition of prevailing prayer is THE CONSISTENT USE OF MEANS (RESOURCES SUCH AS MONEY, ENERGY, TIME) TO OBTAIN THE OBJECT PRAYED FOR .  means should be used if they are within our reach and are known by us to be necessary to obtain the end. to pray for a revival of religion, but outside of the meeting they were as silent as death on the subject and did not open their mouths to those around them. they continued this inconsistency until a prominent sinner in the community administered to them in my presence a terrible rebuke. he expressed just what i deeply felt. he rose and with the utmost solemnity and tearfulness said. 'christian people, what can you mean? you continue to pray in these meetings for a revival of religion. you often exhort each other here to wake up and use means to promote a revival. you assure each other and assure us who are unrepentant, that we are on the way to hell and i believe it. you also insist that if you would wake up and use the appropriate means, there would be a revival and we would be converted. you tell us of our great danger and that our souls are worth more than all worlds and yet you keep busy in your comparatively trifling activities and use no such means. we have no revival and our souls are not saved.'
here he broke down and fell, sobbing, back into his seat. this rebuke fell heavily upon that prayer meeting, as i will ever remember. it did them good; for it was not long before the members of that prayer meeting broke down and we had a revival. i was present in the first meeting in which the revival spirit was evident. oh, how changed was the tone of their prayers, confessions and supplications i remarked,
41  in returning home, to a friend, 'what a change has come over these christians. this must be the beginning of a revival'.
yes, a wonderful change comes over all the meetings whenever the christian people are revived. then their confessions mean something. they mean reformation and restitution. they mean work.  the mean the use of means. they mean the opening of their pockets, their hearts and their hands and the devotion of all their powers to the promotion of the work.
another condition of prevailing PRAYER is THAT it IS SPECIFIC.  it is offered for a definite object. we cannot prevail for everything at once. in all the cases recorded in the bible in which prayer was answered, it is noteworthy that the petitioner PRAYED FOR A DEFINITE OBJECT.

another condition of prevailing prayer is that WE MEAN WHAT WE SAY IN PRAYER, that we make no false pretenses - in short, that WE ARE ENTIRELY CHILDLIKE AND SINCERE,SPEAKING OUT OF THE HEART, SAYING NOTHING MORE OR LESS THAN WE MEAN, FEEL AND BELIEVE.
another condition is BEING WATCHFUL in your prayers (I peter 4.7) as well as PRAYING IN THE HOLY SPIRIT (jude 20). by this i mean guarding against everything that can quench or grieve the Spirit of God in our hearts. also, i mean watching for the answer in a state of mind that will diligently use all necessary means, at any expense and add entreaty to entreaty.

when the fallow ground is thoroughly broken up in the hearts of christians, when they have confessed ansd made restitution -if the work is thorough and honest - they will naturally and inevitably fulfill the conditions and will prevail in prayer. but it cannot be too distinctly understood that no others will. what we commonly hear in prayer and conference meetings is not prevailing prayer. it is often astonishing and lamentable to witness the delusions that prevail on the subject. who has witnessed real revivals of religion and has not been struck with the change that comes over the whole spirit and manner of the prayers of really revived  christians?

i do not think i ever could have been converted if i had not discovered the solution to the question, why is it that so much that is called prayer is not answered?

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