Lesson 99: A Life of Prayer, part 3
The chief thing we need for a life of unceasing prayer, is to know that Jesus teaches us to pray. We have begun to understand a little of what His teaching is. Not the communication of new thoughts or views; not the discovery of failure or error; not the stirring up of desire and faith, of however much importance all this be - but the taking us up into the fellowship of His own prayer-life before the Father—this it is by which Jesus really teaches. It was the sight of the praying Jesus that made the disciples long and ask to be taught to pray. It is the faith of the ever-praying Jesus, whose alone is the power to pray, that teaches us truly to pray. We know why: He who prays is our Head and our Life. All He has is ours and is given to us when we give ourselves all to Him. By His blood He leads us into the immediate presence of God. The inner sanctuary is our home; we dwell there. And He who lives so near God, and knows that He has been brought near to bless those who are far, cannot but pray. Christ makes us partakers with Himself of His prayer-power and prayer-life. We understand then that our true aim must not be to work much and have prayer enough to keep the work right, but to pray much and then to work enough for the power and blessing obtained in prayer to find its way through us to men. It is Christ who ever lives to pray, who saves and reigns. He communicates His prayer-life to us: He maintains it in us if we trust Him. He is assurance for our praying without ceasing. Yes, Christ teaches to pray by showing how He does it, by doing it in us, by leading us to do it, both in Him and like Him. Christ is all, the life and the strength too for a never-ceasing prayer-life.
It is the sight of this, the sight of the ever-praying Christ as our life, that enables us to pray without ceasing. Because His priesthood is the power of an endless life; that resurrection-life that never fades and never fails; and because His life is our life, praying without ceasing can become to us nothing less than the life-joy of heaven. So the Apostle says: “Rejoice evermore; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks.” Borne up between the never-ceasing joy and the never-ceasing praise, never-ceasing prayer is the manifestation of the power of the eternal life, where Jesus always prays. The union between the Vine and the branch is in very deed - a prayer-union. The highest conformity to Christ, the most blessed participation in the glory of His heavenly life, is that we take part in His work of intercession: He and we live ever to pray. In the experience of our union with Him, praying without ceasing becomes a possibility, a reality, and the holiest and most blessed part of our holy and blessed fellowship with God. We have our dwelling within the veil, in the presence of the Father. What the Father says, we do; what the Son says, the Father does. Praying without ceasing is the earthly manifestation of heaven come down to us, the foretaste of the life where they rest not day or night in the song of worship and adoration.
Prayer: Holy Spirit, with deep reverence I thank You for Your work in me. It is through You that I am lifted up into a share in the communion between the Son and the Father, and enter so into the fellowship of the life and love of the Holy Trinity. Spirit of God, perfect Your work in me; bring me into perfect union with Christ my Intercessor. Let Your unceasing indwelling make my life one of unceasing intercession. And let my life become one that is unceasingly to the glory of the Father and to the blessing of those around me.