Imagini ale paginilor
PDF
ePub

us not.

that turneth aside to tarry for a night? Why shouldest thou be as a man astonied, as a mighty man that cannot save? Yet thou, O LORD, art in the midst of us, and we are called by thy name; leave 20. We acknowledge, O LORD, our wickedness, and the iniquity of our fathers; for we have sinned against thee. Do not abhor for thy name's sake, do not disgrace the throne of thy glory : remember, break not thy covenant with us.

us,

T LAM. 5: 19. Thou, O LORD, remainest forever; thy throne from generation to generation. Wherefore dost thou forget us forever, and forsake us so long time? Turn thou us unto thee, O LORD, and we shall be turned; renew our days as of old.

1 KINGS. 17: 20. And he cried unto the LORD, and said, O LORD my God, hast thou also brought evil upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by slaying her son? And he stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried unto the LORD, and said, O LORD my God, I pray thee, let this child's soul come into him again. And the LORD heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived.

2 CHRON. 14: 11. And Asa cried unto the LORD his God, and said, LORD, it is nothing with thee to help, whether with many, or with them that have no power: help us, O LORD our God; for we rest on thee, and in thy name we go against this multitude. O LORD, thou art our God; let not man prevail against thee. So the LORD Smote the Ethiopians before Asa, and before Judah; and the Ethiopians fled.

NEH. 1: 8. Remember, I beseech thee, the word that thou commandedst thy servant Moses, saying, If ye transgress, I will scatter you abroad among the nations: but if ye turn unto me, and keep my commandments, and do them; though there were of you cast out unto the uttermost part of the heaven, yet will I gather them from thence, and will bring them unto the place that I have chosen to set my name there. Now these are thy servants and thy people, whom thou hast redeemed

by thy great power, and by thy strong hand. O LORD, I beseech thee, let now thine ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant, and to the prayer of thy servants, who desire to fear thy name: and prosper, I pray thee, thy servant this day, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.

TPs. 69: 5. Let not those that wait on thee, O LORD God of hosts, be ashamed for my sake; let not those that seek thee be confounded for my sake, O God of Israel.

EZEK. 36: 21. I had pity, for mine holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the heathen, whither they went.... I do not this for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for my holy name's sake, which was profaned among the heathen whither ye went. And I will sanctify my great name which was profaned among the heathen. Not for your sakes do I this, saith the LORD God, be it known unto you; be ashamed and confounded for your own ways, O house of Israel.

- 32.

DAN. 9: 18. We do not present our supplications before thee for our righteousness, but for thy great mercies.

Ps. 106:7. Our fathers understood not thy wonders in Egypt...nevertheless, he saved them, for his name's sake, that he might make his mighty power known.

II. An Argument from the Covenant

and Promises of God.

NEH. 1: 8. Remember, I beseech thee, the word that thou commandedst thy servant Moses, saying, If-ye transgress, I will scatter you abroad among the nations; but if ye turn unto me, and keep my commandments, and do them, though there were of you cast out unto the uttermost part of heaven, yet will I gather them from thence, and will bring them unto the place that I have chosen to set my name there.

Ps. 105: 8. Let the heart of them rejoice that seek the LORD.... Remember his marvellous works that he hath done... he is the LORD our God, his judgments are in all the earth. He hath remembered his covenant forever; the word that he

commanded, to a thousand generations.

III. An Argument from former Mercies and Deliverances.

NEH. 9: 7. Thou art the LORD, the God who didst choose Abraham ...and madest a covenant with him to give him the land of the Canaanites... and hast performed thy words, for thou art righteous: and didst see the affliction of our fathers in Egypt, and heardest their cry by the Red sea...and didst divide the sea before them... thou gavest them bread from heaven for their hunger.

But our fathers dealt proudly, and hardened their necks, and hearkened not to thy commandments ... yet thou, in thy manifold mercies, forsookest them not in the wilderness.

...

Thou gavest thy good spirit to instruct them... so the children went in and possessed the land.

26. Nevertheless, they were disobedient, and rebelled against thee, and cast thy law behind their backs, and slew thy prophets, which testified against them... and wrought great provocations; therefore thou deliveredst them into the hand of their enemies, and vexed them; and in the time of trouble when they cried unto thee, thou heardest them from heaven. But after they had rest, they did evil again before thee. -31. For thy great mercies' sake thou didst not utterly consume them.

106: 4. Remember me, O Lord, with the favor that thou bearest unto thy people. O visit me with thy salvation.

22: 2. O my God, I cry in the day time, but thou hearest not; and in the night season, and am not silent. 4. Our fathers trusted in thee; they trusted, and thou didst deliver them; they cried unto thee, and were delivered; they trusted in thee, and were not confounded.

ACTS 4: 24. Lord, thou art God, which hast made heaven and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is: who, by the mouth of thy servant David hast said, Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?-29. And now, Lord, behold their threatenings, and grant unto thy servants, that, with all boldness, they may speak thy word. - 31. And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together.

VI. Confession.

Ps. 82: 5. I acknowledge my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgression unto the LORD, and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin.

ISA. 64: 5. Behold, thou art wroth, for we have sinned: in those is continuance, and we shall be saved. But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

Now, therefore, our God,... let not all the trouble that has come EZRA 9: 5. And at the evening upon us seem little before thee, sacrifice I arose up from my heavisince the time of the kings of Assy-ness, and having rent my garment ria unto this day. Howbeit, thou art just in all that is brought upon us: for thou hast done right; but we have done wickedly.

Ps. 85: 1. LORD, thou hast been favorable unto thy land: thou hast brought back the captivity of Jacob. Thou hast taken away all thy wrath ... thou hast turned thyself from the fierceness of thine anger.

Turn us, O God of our salvation, and cause thine anger towards us to cease. Wilt thou be angry with us forever? Wilt thou draw out thine anger to all generations? Wilt thou not revive us again, that thy people may rejoice in thee?

and my mantle, I fell upon my knees, and spread out my hands unto the LORD my God, and said, O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to thee, my God: for our iniquities are increased over our head, and our trespass is grown up unto the heavens. Since the days of our fathers have we been in a great trespass unto this day; and for our iniquities have we, our kings, and our priests, been delivered into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity and to a spoil, and to confusion of face, as it is this day. 13. And after all that is come upon us for our evil deeds,

[ocr errors]

and for our great trespass, seeing that thou our God hast punished us less than our iniquities deserve, and hast given us such deliverance as this; should we again break thy commandments, and join in affinity with the people of these abominations? wouldest not thou be angry with us till thou hadst consumed us, so that there should be no remnant nor escaping? O LORD God of Israel, thou art righteous: for we remain yet escaped, as it is this day: behold, we are before thee in our trespasses: for we cannot stand before thee because of this.

LAM. 3: 21. This I recal to my mind, therefore have I hope. It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. The LORD is my portion, saith my soul: therefore will I hope in him. The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD.

T NEH. 9: 1. Now in the twentyand-fourth day of this month the children of Israel were assembled with fasting, and with sackclothes, and earth upon them. And the seed of Israel separated themselves from all strangers, and stood and confessed their sins, and the iniquities of their fathers. And they stood up in their place, and read in the book of the law of the LORD their God one fourth part of the day; and another fourth part they confessed, and worshipped the LORD their God. - 26. Nevertheless they were disobedient, and rebelled against thee, and cast thy law behind their backs, and slew thy prophets which testified against them to turn them to thee, and they wrought great provocations. Therefore thou deliveredst them into the hand of their enemies, who vexed them: and in the time of their trouble, when they cried unto thee, thou heardest them from heaven; and according to thy manifold mercies thou gavest them saviors, who saved them out of the hand of their enemies. But after they had rest, they did evil again before thee: therefore leftest thou them in the hand of their enemies, so that they

[ocr errors]

had the dominion over them: yet when they returned, and cried unto thee, thou heardest them from heaven; and many times didst thou deliver them, according to thy mercies; and testifiedst against them, that thou mightest bring them again unto thy law: yet they dealt proudly, and hearkened not unto thy commandments, but sinned against thy judgments, (which if a man do, he shall live in them;) and withdrew the shoulder, and hardened their neck, and would not hear. Yet many years didst thou forbear them, and testifiedst against them by thy spirit in thy prophets: yet would they not give ear: therefore gavest thou them into the hand of the people of the lands. Nevertheless for thy great mercies' sake thou didst not utterly consume them, nor forsake them; for thou art a gracious and merciful God. Now therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the terrible God, who keepest covenant and mercy, let not all the trouble seem little before thee, that hath come upon us, on our kings, on our princes, and on our priests, and on our prophets, and on our fathers, and on all thy people, since the time of the kings of Assyria unto this day. Howbeit thou art just in all that is brought upon us; for thou hast done right, but we have done wickedly: neither have our kings, our princes, our priests, nor our fathers, kept thy law, nor hearkened unto thy commandments and thy testimonies, wherewith thou didst testify against them.

VII. Importunity in Prayer.

GEN. 32: 24. And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of_the day. And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him. And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. And he said unto him, What is thy name? and he said, Jacob. And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.

1 SAM. 1: 12. And it came to pass, as she continued praying before the LORD, that Eli marked her mouth. Now Hannah, she spake in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard; therefore Eli thought she had been drunken. And Eli said unto her, How long wilt thou be drunken? put away thy wine from thee. And Hannah answered and said, No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit; I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but have poured out my soul before the LORD. Count not thine handmaid for a daughter of Belial: for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief have I spoken hitherto. Then Eli answered and said, Go in peace; and the God of Israel grant thee thy petition that thou hast asked of him. And she said, Let thine handmaid find grace in thy sight. So the woman went her way, and did eat, and her countenance was no more sad.-26. And she said, O my lord, as thy soul liveth, my lord, I am the woman that stood by thee here, praying unto the LORD. For this child I prayed; and the LORD hath given me my petition which I asked of him: therefore also I have lent him to the LORD; as long as he liveth he shall be lent to the LORD. And he worshipped the LORD there.

T LUKE 11: 5. And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves; for a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him? And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee. I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth. And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh, receiveth; and he that seeketh, findeth; and to him that knocketh, it shall be opened. If a son shall ask bread of any of you, that is a father, will he give him a stone?

|

or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? Or, if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?

a

18: 1. And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint; saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man. And there was widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. And he would not for a while but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man; yet, because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me. And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith. And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?

ACTS 1: 14. These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.

VIII. Encouragement to Pray.

2 CHRON. 15: 2. Hear ye me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin; the LORD is with you, while ye be with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you. Now for a long season Israel hath been without the true God, and without a teaching priest, and without law. But when they in their trouble did turn unto the LORD God of Israel, and sought him, he was found of them.

NEH. 2: 1. Now I had not been beforetime sad in his presence. Wherefore the king said unto me, Why is thy countenance sad, seeing thou art not sick? this is nothing else but sorrow of heart. Then I was very sore afraid, and said unto the king, Let the king live forever:

why should not my countenance be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers' sepulchres, lieth waste, and the gates thereof are consumed with fire? Then the king said unto me, For what dost thou make request? So I prayed to the God of heaven. And I said unto the king, If it please the king, and if thy servant have found favor in thy sight, that thou wouldest send me unto Judah, unto the city of my father's sepulchres, that I may build it.-8. And the king granted me, according to the good hand of my God upon me.

ISA. 65: 24. Before they call I will answer; while they are yet speaking I will hear.

JER. 33: 3. Call upon me, and I will answer thee.

JOEL 2: 32. Whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD, shall be delivered.

up

JOB 42 8. Therefore take unto you now seven bullocks and seven rams, and go to my servant Job, and offer for yourselves a burnt-offering; and my servant Job shall pray for you: for him will I accept: lest I deal with you after your folly, in that ye have not spoken of me the thing which is right, like my servant Job. So Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite went, and did according as the LORD commanded them: the LORD also accepted Job.

And the LORD turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends.

T Ps. 31: 10. I am the LORD thy God, that brought thee out of the Jand of Egypt. Open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it.

102: 18. Thou shalt arise and have mercy upon Zion; for the time to favor her, even the set time is come: for thy servants take pleasure in her stones, and favor the dust thereof.

126: 6. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.

PROV. 10: 24. The desire of the righteous shall be granted.

ISA. 45: 19. I said not unto the seed of Jacob, Seek ye my face in vain.

EZEK. 36: 24. I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries... and I

will sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean. — 26. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you. 37. I will yet for this be inquired of by the house of Israel to do it for them.

MAT. 7: 7. Ask, and it shall be given you, seek, and ye shall find: knock, and it shall be opened unto you; for every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth, and to him that knocketh, it shall be opened. Or what man is there of you, who, if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone; or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye, then being evil, know how to give good things to your children, how much more shall your father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him.

18: 19. Again; I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth, as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

JOHN 14: 13. Whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing I will do it.

16: 23. And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name; ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.

Acts 2: 21. Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord, shall be saved.

;

¶ 12:5. Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him. And when Herod would have brought him forth, the same night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains and the keepers before the door kept the prison. And behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison: and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly! And his chains fell off from his hands. And the angel said unto him, Gird thyself, and bind on thy sandals: and so he did. And he saith unto him, Cast

« ÎnapoiContinuă »