Additional Thoughts on Prayer - Richard Sibbes

For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Matthew 7:8

In the things we ask for in prayer, God knows the proper time so the answers are good for us. God gives us his cheque, but he will pay at his pleasure. The time is concealed in hidden to us, though not uncertain to God. Abraham bound Isaac and his hand was lifted up to kill, but deliverance came at the right moment. There are several reasons why the Lord delays to help and hear us. (1.) That our faith and dependence on him might be better tried. We know from experience that though the way is sore and we must be courageous, the outcome is joyful. Though the way is better, the victory will be great. The woman of Canaan had a good cause, but the Lord put her off that he might display her faith to us forever (Matt. 15:28). (2.) Sometimes it is done to humble us. ‘God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble’ (James 4:6). Until we are nothing in our own eyes, he never comes with comfortable deliverance; or until we come to that pinch in which we cry, ‘Lord, how long?’ as Paul said of himself (Cor. 1:9). The Lord took away his hope of life that he might be humbled and know the only place to find life, help, and comfort in all his extremities. (3.) God puts us off longer to quicken our appetite. We are unwise to think that he intends to put us off forever. God does not want us to give up, but to press him so much the more. This experience once found is very sweet, though it smarts at the beginning. (4.) He delays and puts off our request to enhance the value of the. What comes lightly, goes lightly. We highly prize that which cost us dear. If the things of God did not cost us sighs and tears, we would think them easy to be had. God therefore, to enhance their value, keeps them off that we may know their true price.

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Some Thoughts on Prayer by Richard Sibbes

Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock and it will be opened to you.
 Mathew 7:7

This duty suggests diligence and prayer. Every Christian who seeks to be a true one in deed and not name only must be a man of prayer. Prayer is like an investment in bonds that give a future return for your investment. Prayer is most certain to increase more. There are, however, a great many Christians hold compliments and discouragements and prayer: ‘I have prayed for so long and I am worse; I had better leave off, seeing I am not better for it.’ But there are conditions and limitations that God has revealed to us in his Word that must be considered. The first condition on our part is that we are in the state of faith and repentance. The promises are for those in Christ. Secondly, we must pray according to God’s nature and will. Some things are ill for us, and if God does not hear us in them, Christ will not forfeit his word, but we must forfeit our prayers. You must also have the right motive in prayer (James 4:3). The order of our desires is also important. There will be no speedy answer for temporal things if we are not first seeking the kingdom of God. If your desires are crossed, it is not because he put you off without hearing, but he desires to teach you a better way. He desires to teach you what is most important. We may further note that our prayers should be offered in faith, humility and fervency. Delays teach us to watch and pray with perseverance, waiting in hope until God hears us (Psa. 40:1-2). Waiting causes us to focus upon him. If we are earnest, we will not go away until we speak with him. Faith remains at the door until he comes. All of us fail in this; we do not wait until we obtain. Let us not blame the Saviour whose promise is firm without change. If we would learn to wait, we would hear more from him.

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