News outlets are all over the story that belief in God is on the wane in America. There is no shortage of testimonials on social media of people who have walked away from God and given up on faith. Surely, unanswered prayer has something to do with it. People who pray for things, and apparently, nothing happens. Andrew Murray (1828-1917) wrote extensively about the need to persevere in prayer. This South African pastor and teacher compiled 31 lessons on prayer from the life of Christ in his 1895 book, With Christ in the School of Prayer. He begins with elemental lessons and progresses through the book to more difficult issues related to prayer. Lesson 16 is titled “The Power of Persevering Prayer” and centers on the parable of the persistent widow. Luke records at the outset that Jesus tells this parable so his disciples will always pray and never give up” (Luke 18.1). We give up on prayer much too easily. If the answer is not forthcoming, Murray cautions his readers not to interpret delay in prayer as outright refusal. God may have a “secret reason” for withholding the answer. Farmers know the value of waiting for crops to ripen before harvest. God knows when a soul is ripened enough to receive the answer. Murray appeals to his readers, “Christian! Let us learn to give God time. God needs time with us.” Time to change us and refine our motives. Don’t confuse delay with denial. God gives us patience and confidence to persevere in prayer. Murray assures his readers at the end, “God will not delay one moment longer than is absolutely necessary.” A portion of Murray’s prayer that accompanies this lesson leads us into prayer:
Andrew Murray
O Lord, lead me to accept Thy promise, that we receive what we believe, that we have the petitions we ask, and that the answer will in due time be seen. We understand the seasons in nature and know to wait with patience for the fruit we long for—O fill us with the assurance that not one moment longer than is needed will Thou delay, and that faith will hasten the answer…Above all, O my blessed Teacher! Author and perfecter of faith, let by Thy grace my whole life be one of faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me—in whom my prayer gains acceptance, in whom I have the assurance of the answer, in whom the answer will be mine. Lord Jesus! In this faith I will pray always and not faint. Amen.
Andrew Murray With Christ in the School of Prayer
Rev. Dr. Peter James served 42 years as the senior of Vienna Presbyterian Church in Vienna, VA — 21 years in the 20th century and 21 years in the 21st century. He retired in 2021 and now serves as Pastor-in-Residence at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.
Even as a pastor, prayer came slowly to Pete. Read Pete’s story.