THE FAMIL ALTAR

May 19.

With a double holy assurance our Lord here gives us the

glorious promise that whatsoever we pray for in His name, our

heavenly Father will grant it. How this blessed promise ought

to incite us to constant and confident prayer! Would we not be

giving the holy and truthful God the lie direct if, in the face

of this sacredly attested promise of His, we would doubt the

efficacy of our prayer when offered in the name of His dear Son?

But what does it mean to pray in the name of Jesus? It means

not to rely on our goodness and worthiness, not even on our fer-

vency when praying, but in simple faith to trust in the all-sufficient

and saving merit of Jesus Christ. By nature we are sinners,

and the just and holy God cannot and will not hear the prayers

of unforgiven sinners. But when we believe in Jesus as our Savior,

we have found forgiveness in Him, and for His sake we have at

all times access to the throne of mercy; for His sake God always

hears our prayers. But when we thus pray in the name of Jesus,

we must also pray according to the will of Jesus, that is, we must

subject our will to His holy will in all things that we ask for.

That includes that we deny ourselves, as He demands, that we

live in no conscious sin, that we take our cross upon ourselves

and follow the example He has left us. Any one living in dis-

obedience to His holy will, in love of the world, in works of the

flesh, cannot pray acceptably to God. He who would call on the

name of the Lord must depart from all iniquity. Finally, to pray

in the name of Jesus means to pray, in firm confidence, never

doubting our being heard. "All things, whatsoever ye shall ask

in prayer, believing, ye shall receive." But who would not joyfully

believe that his prayers are heard when Jesus assures him with

a double, solemn oath that they are heard, as He does in our

glorious text?

When thus my heart in prayer ascendeth

Through Thine own Holy Spirit unto Thee,

Thy heart, O Father, kindly bendeth

Its fervent love and favor unto me,

Rejoicing my petition to fulfil

Which 1 have made according to Thy will.

And what Thy Spirit thus hath taught me

To seek from Thee, must needs be such a prayer

Ah Thou wilt grant, through Him who bought me,

And raised me up to be Thy child and heir;

In Jesus' name I fearless seek Thy face,

And take from Thee, my Father, grace for grace.