Peter’s Shortest Prayer
Peter's Shortest Prayer
(No. 3186)
A SERMON PUBLISHED ON THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 1910.
DELIVERED BY C. H. SPURGEON,
AT THE METROPOLITAN TABERNACLE, NEWINGTON, ON THURSDAY EVENING, OCTOBER
2, 1873.
"Lord, save me." Matthew 14:30.
I am going to talk about the characteristics of this prayer in the hope
that there may be many who have never yet prayed aright, who may make
this their own prayer, tonight, so that from many a person here present
this cry may silently go up, "Lord, save me."
Where did Peter pray this prayer? It was not in a place set apart for
public worship, or in his usual place for private prayer. He prayed
this prayer just as he was sinking in the water! He was in great peril,
so he cried out, "Lord, save me." It is well to assemble with God's
people for prayer if you can, but if you cannot go up to His house, it
matters little, for prayer can ascend to Him from anywhere in the
world! It is well to have a special spot where you pray at home–
probably most of us have a certain chair by which we kneel to pray and
we feel that we can talk to God most freely there. At the same time, we
must never allow ourselves to become the slaves even of such a good
habit as that–we must always remember that if we really want to find
the Lord by prayer–
"Wherever we seek Him, He is found, And everyplace is hallowed ground."
We may pray to God when engaged in any occupation if it is a lawful
one. And if it is not, we have no business to be in it! If there is
anything we do over which we cannot pray, we ought never dare to do it
again. And if there is any occupation concerning which we have to say,
"We could not pray while engaged in it," it is clear that the
occupation is a wrong one.
The habit of daily prayer must be maintained. It is well to have
regular hours of devotion and to resort to the same place for prayer,
as far as possible. Still, the spiritof prayer is better than the
habitof prayer. It is better to be able to pray at all times than to
make it a rule to pray at certain times and seasons. A Christian is
more fully grown in Divine Grace when he prays about everything than he
would be if he only prayed under certain conditions and circumstances.
I always feel that there is something wrong if I go without prayer for
even half an hour in the day. I cannot understand how a Christian can
go from morning to evening without prayer. I cannot comprehend how he
lives and how he fights the battle of life without asking the guardian
care of God while the arrows of temptation are flying so thickly around
him! I cannot imagine how he can decide what to do in times of
perplexity, how he can see his own imperfections or the faults of
others without feeling constrained to say, all day long, "O Lord, guide
me, O Lord, forgive me! O Lord, bless my friend!" I cannot think how he
can be continually receiving mercies from the Lord without saying, "God
be thanked for this new token of His Grace! Blessed be the name of the
Lord for what He is doing for me in His abounding mercy! O Lord, still
remember me with the favor that You show unto Your people!" Do not be
content, dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, unless you can pray
everywhere and at all times–and so obey the Apostolic injunction,
"Pray without ceasing."
I have already reminded you, dear Friends, that Peter prayed his prayer
when he was in circumstances of imminent danger. Beginning to sink, he
cried, saying, "Lord, save me!" "But," asks someone, "ought he not to
have prayed before?" Of course he ought–but if he had not done so, it
was not too late! Do not say concerning any trouble, "Now I am so
deeply in it, I cannot go to God about it." Why not? "Is anything too
hard for the Lord?" It would have been well if the disciples had prayed
before the first rough breath of the tempest began to toss their little
boat, yet it was not too late to pray when the vessel seemed as if it
must go down. As long as you have a heart to pray, God has an ear to
hear. Look
at Peter–he is "beginning to sink." The water is up to his knees, it
is up to his waist, it is up to his neck, but it is not yet too late
for him to cry, "Lord, save me!" And he has no sooner said it, than the
hand of Jesus is stretched out to catch him and to guide him to the
boat. So, Christian, cry to God though the devil tells you it is no use
to cry! Cry to God even if you are beneath the tempter's foot! Say to
Satan, "Rejoice not against me, O my enemy–when I fall, I shall
arise." But do not forget to cry to the Lord! Cry to God for your
children even when they are most ungodly, when their ungodliness almost
breaks your heart. Cry to God on behalf of those whom you are teaching
in the Sunday school, even when you seem to think that their characters
are developing in the worst possible form, still pray for them! Never
mind though the thing you ask for them should appear to be an
impossibility, for God "is able to do exceeding abundantly above all
that we ask or think."
I would also say to any unconverted person who is here, under
conviction of sin–Dear Friend, if you are beginning to sink, yet still
pray. If your sins stare you in the face and threaten to drive you to
despair, yet still draw near to God in prayer. Though it seems as if
Hell had opened its mouth to swallow you up, yet still cry unto God.
"While there's life, there is hope."–
"While the lamp holds out to burn, The vilest sinner may return"–
and the vilest sinner who returns shall find that God is both able and
willing to save him! Never believe that lie of Satan that prayer will
not prevail with God. Only go as the publican did, beating upon your
breast and crying, "God be merciful to me a sinner," and rest assured
that God is waiting to be gracious to you.
I cannot help feeling that Peter's short, simple prayer was uttered in
a most natural tone of voice–"Lord, save me." Let us always pray in
just such a way as the Spirit of God dictates to us and as the deep
sorrow and humiliation of our heart naturally suggest to us. Many men
who pray in public get into the habit of using certain tones in prayer
that are anything but natural. And I am afraid that some even in
private fail to pray naturally. Any language that is not natural is
bad–the best tone is that which a man uses when he is speaking
earnestly, and means what he says–that is the right way to pray. Speak
as if you meant it–do not whine it, or cant it, or intone it–but pour
it out of your soul in the most simple, natural fashion that you can.
Peter was in too great peril to put any fine language into his prayer!
He was too conscious of his danger to consider how he might put his
words together–he just expressed the strong desire of his soul in the
simplest manner possible–"Lord, save me!" And that prayer was heard!
And Peter was saved from drowning, just as a sinner will be saved from
Hell if he can pray after the same fashion.
I. Now, coming to Peter's prayer, itself, and suggesting that it is a
suitable prayer for all who are able to pray at all, my first
observation upon it is that IT WAS A VERY BRIEF PRAYER.
There were only three words in it. "Lord, save me." I believe that the
excellence of prayer often consists in its brevity. You must have
noticed the extreme brevity of most of the prayers that are preserved
in Scripture. One of the longest is the prayer of our Savior recorded
by John which would, I suppose, have occupied about five minutes. And
there is the prayer of Solomon at the dedication of the Temple which
may have taken six minutes. Almost all the other prayers in the Bible
are very short ones and, probably, in our public services, we pray far
longer than all of them put together! This may, perhaps, be excused
when there are many petitions to be presented by one person on behalf
of a large congregation. But at our Prayer Meetings, where there are
many to speak, I am certain that the longer the prayer is, the worse it
is. Of course, there are exceptions to this rule. The Spirit of God
sometimes inspires a man in such a way that if he would keep on praying
all night, we would be glad to join with him in that holy exercise!
But, as a general rule, the Spirit of God does no such thing. There are
some who pray longest when they have the least to say, and only go on
repeating certain pious phrases which become almost meaningless by
monotonous reiteration. Remember, dear Friends, when you are praying,
whether in public or in private, that you have not to teach the Lord a
system of theology–He knows far more about that than you do! You have
no need to explain to the Lord all the experience that a Christian
ought to have, for He knows that far better than you do! And there is
no necessity for you always to go round all the various agencies and
institutions and mission stations. Tell the Lord what is in your heart
in as few words as possible–and so leave time and opportunity for
others to do the same.
I wonder if anyone here ever says, "I have no time for prayer." Dear
Friend, dare you leave your house in the morning without bowing the
knee before God? Can you venture to close your eyes at night and wear
the image of death, with-
out first commending yourself to the keeping of God during the hours of
unconsciousness in sleep? I do not understand how you can live such a
careless life as that! But, surely, you did not really mean that you
had no time to offer such a prayer as Peter's, "Lord, save me." How
much time does that take? Or this–"God be merciful to me a sinner." If
you realized your true condition in God's sight, you would find time
for prayer somehow or other, for you would feel that you must pray! It
never occurred to Peter, as he was beginning to sink, that he had no
time for prayer. He felt that he must pray–his sense of danger forced
him to cry to Christ, "Lord, save me." And if you feel as you should
feel, your sense of need will drive you to prayer and you will never
again say, "I have no time for prayer." It is not a matter of time so
much as a matter of heart–if you have the heart to pray, you will find
the time.
I would urge you to cultivate the habit of praying briefly all day. I
have told you before of the Puritan who, in a debate, was observed to
be taking notes. But when they were afterwards examined, it was found
that there was nothing on the paper except these words, "More light,
Lord! More light, Lord! More light, Lord!" He needed light upon the
subject under discussion and, therefore, he asked the Lord for it! That
is the way to pray. During the day, you can pray, "Give me more Grace,
God. Subdue my temper, Lord. Tell me, O my God, what to do in this
case! Lord, direct me. Lord, save me." Pray thus and you will be
imitating the good example of brevity in prayer which our text sets
before you.
II. Notice next, that brief as Peter's prayer was, IT WAS WONDERFULLY
COMPREHENSIVE AND ADAPTED FOR USE ON MANY DIFFERENT OCCASIONS. "Lord,
save me."
It covered all the needs of Peter at that time, and he might have
continued to use it as long as he lived. When his Master told him that
Satan desired to have him that he might sift him as wheat, he might
well have prayed, "Lord, save me." When he had denied his Master and
had gone out and wept bitterly, it would have been well for him to
pray, "Lord, save me." When he was afterwards journeying to and from
preaching the Gospel, he could still pray, "Lord, save me." And when,
at last, he was led out to be crucified for Christ's sake, he could
hardly find a better prayer than this with which to close his
life–"Lord, save me."
Now, as Peter found this prayer so suitable for him, I commend it to
each one of you. Have you been growing rich lately? Then you will be
tempted to become proud and worldly. So pray, "Lord, save me from the
evils that so often go with riches. You are giving me this wealth, help
me to be a good steward of it and not to make an idol of it." Or are
you getting poor? Is your business proving a failure? Are your little
savings almost gone? Well, there are perils connected with poverty, so
pray, "Lord, save me from becoming envious or discontented. Let me be
willing to be poor rather than do anything wrong in order to get
money." Do you, dear Friend, feel that you are not living as near to
God as you once did? Is the chilling influence of the world having its
effect on you? Then pray, "Lord, save me." Have you fallen into some
sin which you fear may bring disgrace upon your profession? Well then,
before that sin grows greater, cry, "Lord, save me." Have you come to a
place where your feet have well-near slipped? The precipice is just
before you and you feel that if some mightier power than your own does
not interpose, you will fall to your serious hurt, if not to your
destruction. Then at once breathe the prayer, "Lord, save me." I can
commend this prayer to you when you are upon the stormy sea, but it
will be equally suitable to you upon the dry land–"Lord, save me!" I
can commend it as suitable to you when you are near the gates of death,
but it is just as much adapted to you when you are in vigorous
health–"Lord, save me!" And if you can add to the prayer, "And, Lord,
save my children, and my kinsfolk, and my neighbors," it will be even
better! Still, for yourself, personally, it is an admirable prayer to
carry about with you wherever you go. "Lord, save me."
III. Peter's prayer had a third excellence, IT WAS VERY DIRECT.
It would not have done for Peter, just then, to have used the many
titles which rightly belong to Christ, or to have been asking for a
thousand things. But he went straight to the point of his immediate
need and cried, "Lord, save me." When one of our dear friends, who has
lately gone to Heaven, was very ill, one of his sons prayed with him.
He began in a very proper way, "Almighty Father, Maker of Heaven and
earth, our Creator"–but his sick father stopped him and said, "My dear
boy, I am a poor sinner and I need God's mercy. Say, 'Lord, save him.'"
He wanted his son to get to the point. And I can sympathize with him!
Often, when some of our dear Brothers and Sisters have been praying
here, and have been beating about the bush, I have wished that they
would come to the point and ask for what they really needed. They have
kept on walking round the house, instead of knocking at the door and
seeking to enter! Peter's prayer shows us how to go directly to the
very heart of the matter. "Lord, save me."
Many persons fail to receive answers to their prayers because they will
not go straight to God and confess the sins that they have committed.
There was a member of a Christian Church who had, on one occasion,
fallen very shamefully through drink. He was very penitent and he asked
his pastor to pray for him–but he would not say what his sin had been.
The pastor prayed, and then told the Brother to pray. The poor man
said, "Lord, you know that I have erred, and done wrong," and so on,
making a sort of general confession, but that brought him no peace of
mind. He felt that he could not go away like that, so he knelt down
again, and said, "Lord, you know that I was drunk. It was a shameful
sin that I committed, but I am truly grieved for it. O Lord, forgive
me, for Jesus' sake!" And before his prayer was finished, he had found
peace because he had plainly confessed his sin to God and had not
sought to hide it any longer. You remember that David could get no
peace until he came to the point and prayed, "Deliver me from
bloodguiltiness, O God, You God of my salvation." Before that, he had
tried to smother his great sin–but there was no rest for his
conscience until he had made a full confession of his guilt! And after
that he could say, "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken
and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise." Let our prayers,
whether for ourselves or others, and especially our confessions of sin,
go straight to the point–and not go beating about the bush. If any of
you have been using forms of prayer which have not obtained for you any
answers to your supplications, put them all aside, and just go and tell
the Lord plainly what you need. Your prayer will then probably be
something like this, "O God, I am a lost sinner! I have been careless
about Divine things. I have listened to the Gospel, but I have not
obeyed it. Lord, forgive me, save me, make me Your child and let me and
my household, too, be Yours forever." That is the way to pray so that
God will hear and answer you.
IV. Another characteristic of Peter's prayer was that IT WAS A VERY
SOUND DOCTRINAL PRAYER. "Lord, save, me."
Peter does not appear to have had any idea of saving himself from
drowning. He does not seem to have thought that there was sufficient
natural buoyancy about him to keep him afloat or that he could swim to
the ship. But, "beginning to sink, he cried, 'Lord, save me.'" One of
the hardest tasks in the world is to get a man to give up all
confidence in himself and from his heart, pray, "Lord, save me."
Instead of doing that, he says, "O Lord, I do not feel as I ought. I
need to feel my need more, I need to feel more joy, I need to feel more
holiness." You see, he is putting feelings in place of faith! He is, as
it were, laying down a track along which he wants God to walk instead
of walking in the way which God has marked out for all who desire to be
saved! Another man is seeking to reform himself and so to make himself
fit for Heaven. And he prays in harmony with that idea and, of course,
gets no answer. I like to hear such a prayer as this, "O Lord, I cannot
save myself and I do not ask You to save me in any way that I
prescribe. Lord, save me anyway, only do save me! I am satisfied to be
saved by the precious blood of Jesus. I am satisfied to be saved by the
regenerating work of the Holy Spirit. I know I must be born-again if I
am ever to enter Heaven–quicken me, O you ever-blessed Spirit! I know
I must give up my sins. Lord, I do not want to keep them–save me from
them by Your Grace, I humbly entreat You. I know that only You can do
this work. I cannot lift even a finger to help You in it, so save me,
Lord, for Your great mercy's sake!" This is sound doctrinal Truth of
God–salvation all of Grace, not of man, nor by men–"not of blood, nor
of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God." This is
salvation according to the eternal purpose of God, by the effectual
working of the Holy Spirit, through the substitutionary Sacrifice of
Jesus Christ! When a sinner its willing to accept salvation on God's
terms, then the prayer shall ascend acceptably to the Most High! "Lord,
save me."
V. Notice, also, that PETER'S PRAYER WAS A VERY PERSONAL ONE. "Lord,
save me."
Peter did not think of anybody else just then–when a soul is under
concern about its eternal interests, it had better at first confine its
thoughts to itself and pray, "Lord, save me." Yes, and in the
Christian's life, there will come times when he had better, for a
while, forget all others and simply pray, "Lord, save me." Here we are,
a great congregation gathered together from very various motives and,
perhaps, some here who are not yet personally interested in Christ–
yet we are vaguely hoping that God will bless somebody in this
assembly. But if the Holy Spirit shall begin to work upon some
individual heart and conscience, the convicted one will begin to pray,
"Lord, save me. I hear of many others being brought to Jesus but, Lord,
save me. My dear sister has been converted and has made a profession of
her faith but, Lord, save me. I had a godly mother, who has gone Home
to Glory–and my dear father is walking in Your fear–let not their son
be a castaway. Lord, save me!"
I entreat everyone here to pray this personal prayer, and I beg you who
do love the Lord to join me in pleading with Him that it may be so. I
see some little girls over there. Will not each one of you, my dear
children, pray this prayer? I pray the Holy Spirit to move you to cry,
"Lord, save little Annie" or, "Lord, save little Mary." And may you
boys be equally moved to pray, "Lord, save Tom" or, "Lord, save Harry."
Pray for yourself in just that simple way and who knows what blessing
may come to you? Then you mothers will surely not let your children
pray for themselves while you remain prayerless–will not each one of
you pray, "Lord, save me"? And you working men, whom I am so glad to
see at a week-night service, do not go away without presenting your own
personal petitions! The Apostle Peter had to pray for himself. The most
eminent servants of God had to pray for themselves and you must pray
for yourselves. If all the saints of God were to pray for you with one
united voice as long as you live–you would not be saved unless you,
also, cried to God for yourself! Religion is a personal matter. There
is no such thing as religion by proxy! You must repent for yourselves
and pray for yourselves–and believe for yourselves if you would be
saved! May God grant that you may do so!
VI. I want you to notice, next, that PETER'S PRAYER WAS A VERY URGENT
ONE. "Lord, save me."
He did not say, "Lord, save me tomorrow." Or, "Lord, save me in an
hour's time." He was "beginning to sink." The hungry waves had opened
their mouths to swallow him and he would soon be gone! He had only time
to cry, "Lord, save me," but he no doubt meant, "Lord, save me now, for
I am in danger of being drowned. Lord, save me now, for if You should
delay, I shall sink to the bottom of the sea." "And immediately Jesus
stretched forth His hand and caught him," and so saved him. There are
many people who would like Jesus to save them, but when? Ah, that is
the point which they have not settled yet. A young man says, "I should
like Christ to save me when I grow older, when I have seen a little
more of life." You mean when you have seen a great deal more of death,
for that is all you will see in the world–there is no real life except
that which is in Christ Jesus! Many a man in middle life has said, "I
mean to be a Christian before I die, but not just yet." He has been too
busy to seek the Lord, but death has come to him without any warning
and, busy or not, he has had to die quite unprepared.
There is hope for a sinner when he prays, "Lord, my case is urgent,
save me now! Sin, like a viper, has fastened itself upon me, Lord, save
me now from its deadly venom! I am guilty and already condemned because
I have not believed in Jesus. Lord, save me now, save me from
condemnation, save me from the damning sin of unbelief! Lord, I know I
am now upon the brink of death and I am in danger of Hell as well as of
death as long as I am unforgiven. Therefore, be pleased to let the
wheels of Your chariot of Mercy hurry and save me even now O Lord!" I
have known some who have been so deeply under the influence of the Holy
Spirit, that they have knelt down by their bedsides and said, "We will
never give sleep to our eyes, or slumber to our eyelids, till we have
found the Savior." And before long they have found Him. They have said,
"We will wrestle in prayer until our burden of sin is gone." And when
they have reached that determination, it has not been long before they
have obtained the blessing they desire. When nothing else succeeds,
importunity will surely prevail! When you will not take a denial from
God, He will not give you a denial! But as long as you are content to
be unsaved, you will be unsaved. When you cry with all the urgency of
which you are capable, "I must have Jesus or die! I am hungering,
thirsting, pining, panting after Him as the hart pants after the
water-brooks," it shall not be long before you clasp that priceless
treasure to your heart and say, "Jesus is my Savior! I have believed in
Him."
VII. Now, lastly, I must remind you that PETER'S PRAYER WAS AN
EFFECTUAL ONE. "Lord, save me," and Jesus did save him.
There may be comfort to some here present in the thought that although
this was the prayer of a man in trouble, and a man in whom there was a
mixture of unbelief and faith, yet it succeeded. Imperfections and
infirmities shall not prevent prayer from speeding if it is but sincere
and earnest. Jesus said to Peter, "O you of little faith, why did you
doubt?" Which shows that he doubted although there was some faith in
him, for he believed that Christ could save him from a watery grave.
Many of us, also, are strange mixtures, even as Peter was. Repentance
and hardness of heart can each occupy a part of our being–and faith
may be in our heart, together with a measure of unbelief–even as it
was with the man who said to Jesus, "Lord, I believe–help You my
unbelief."
Do any of you feel that you need to pray, and yet cannot pray? You
would believe in Jesus, but there is another law in your members which
keeps you back. You would pray an effectual prayer, like that of
Elijah, never staggering at the promise through unbelief but, somehow
or other–you cannot tell why–you cannot attain to that prayer. Yet
you will not give up praying. You feel that you cannot do that. You
still linger at the Mercy Seat even when you cannot prevail with God in
prayer. Ah, dear Soul, it is a mercy that God does not judge your
prayer by what it is in itself–He judges it from another point of view
altogether! Jesus takes it, mends it, adds to it the merit of His own
precious blood and then, when He presents it to His Father, it is so
changed that you would scarcely recognize it as your petition! You
would say, "I can hardly believe that is my prayer, Christ has so
greatly altered and improved it." It has happened to you as it
sometimes happens to poor people who are in trouble–as it didhappen to
one whom I knew some time ago. A good woman wanted me to send in a
petition to a certain government office concerning her husband, who was
dead, and for whose sake she wanted to get some help. She drew up the
petition and brought it to me. About one word in ten was spelt
correctly and the whole composition was unfit to send. She wanted me to
add my name to it and post it for her. I did so, but I first re-wrote
the whole petition, keeping the subject matter as she put it, but
altering the form and wording of it. That is what our good Lord and
Master does for us–only in an infinitely higher sense–He re-writes
our petition, sets His own signature to it–and when His Father sees
that, He grants the request at once! One drop of Christ's blood upon a
prayer must make it prosper!
Go home, therefore, you who are troubled with doubts and fears, you who
are vexed by Satan, you who are saddened by the recollection of your
own past sins–notwithstanding all this–go to God, and say, "Father, I
have sinned against Heaven, and before You," and ask for His
forgiveness, and His forgiveness you shall receive! Keep on praying in
such a fashion as this, "Lord, save me for Jesus' sake! Jesus, You are
the Savior of sinners. Save me, I beseech You. You are mighty to save.
Lord, save me! You are in Heaven pleading for transgressors. Lord,
plead for me!" Do not wait till you get home, but pray just where you
are sitting, "Lord save me." May God give Grace to everyone here to
pray that prayer from the heart, for Jesus Christ's sake! Amen.
EXPOSITION BY C. H. SPURGEON: MATTHEW 6:5-34.
Verse 5. And when you pray, you shall not be as the hypocrites are: for
they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the
streets, that they may be seen of men. We ought to pray in the
synagogue and we may pray at the corners of the streets–but it is
wrong to do it to "be seen of men," that is, to be looking for some
present reward in the praises that fall from human lips.
5-7. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But you, when you
pray, enter into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to
your Father who is in the secret place and your Father who sees in
secret shall reward you openly. But when you pray, use not vain
repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard
for their much speaking. They seem to attribute a sort of power to a
certain form of words, as if it were a charm–and they repeat it over
and over again. Not only do the poor Muslims and heathens "use vain
repetitions," but the members of the Roman Catholic and other churches
that I might name do the same thing–words to which they attach but
very slight meaning, and into which they put little or no heart–are
repeated by them again and again, as if there could be some virtue in
the words themselves! Let it not be so with you, Beloved. Pray as long
as you like in secret, but do not pray long with the idea that God will
hear you simply because you are a long while at your devotions.
8. Be not you, therefore, like them: for your Father knows what things
you have need of before you ask Him. He does not need to be informed,
nor even to be persuaded! Mere words are of no value in His ears. If
you must use many words, ask men to lend you their ears, for they may
have little else to do with them. God cares not for words only, it is
the thought, the desire of the heartto which He always has regard.
9. After this manner therefore pray you. Here is a model prayer for you
to copy as far as it is suited to your case–
9-13. Our Father in Heaven, [See Sermon #312, Volume 4–THE FATHERHOOD
OF GOD.] Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done in
earth, as it is in Heaven. [See
Sermon #1778, Volume 30–A HEAVENLY PATTERN FOR OUR EARTHLY LIFE.]
Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we
forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation,
[See Sermon #1402, Volume 24–"LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION".] but
deliver us from evil: for Yours is the kingdom and the power, and the
glory, forever Amen. And then, as if there was one part of the prayer
that would be sure to arrest the attention of His hearers, namely, that
concerning forgiving our debtors, the Savior makes the following
remarks–
14, 15. For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father
will also forgive you: but if you forgive not men their trespasses,
neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. Therefore, in order
to succeed in prayer, we must have a heart purged from a spirit of
revenge and from all unkindness! We must, ourselves, be loving and
forgiving, or we cannot expect that God will hear our supplications
when we come to crave His forgiveness.
16. Moreover when you fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad
countenance: for they disfigure their faces that they may appear unto
men to fast.They seemed to say to everyone who looked at them, "We have
been so engrossed with our devotions that we have not found time even
to wash our faces." But the Savior says to His followers, "Do not
imitate those hypocrites! Do not make public your private religious
exercises–perform them unto God–not unto men. As for those
hypocrites"–
16. Verily I say unto you, They have theirreward. And a poor reward it
is.
17, 18. But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face;
that you appear not unto men to fast, but unto your Father, which is in
secret: and your Father, which sees in secret, shall reward you openly.
May God give us that modest, unselfish spirit which lives unto Him and
does not want to walk in the sham light of men's esteem! What matters
it, after all, what men think of us? The hypocrite proudly boasts if he
wins a little praise from his fellows–but what is it except so much
wind? If all men should speak well of us, all that we would gain would
be this, "Woe unto you when all men shall speak well of you, for so did
their fathers to the false prophets."
19, 20. Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and
rust corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: but lay up for
yourselves treasures in Heaven, where neither moth nor rust corrupt,
and where thieves do not break through nor steal.Christ here first
teaches us how to pray, and then teaches us how to really live. He
turns our thoughts from the objective in life which allures and injures
so many, but which is, after all, an objective unworthy of our search.
And He bids us seek something higher and better–"Lay up for yourselves
treasures in Heaven."
21. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.It is
sure to be so–your heart will follow your treasure. Send it away,
therefore, up to the everlasting hills! Lay up treasure in that blessed
land before you go there yourself!
22, 23. The lamp of the body is the eye: if, therefore, your eye is
good, your whole body shall be full of light. But if your eye is evil,
your whole body shall be full of darkness. If, therefore, the light
that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness! [See Sermon
#335, Volume 6–A SINGLE EYE AND SIMPLE FAITH.] If your eye is brooked
up with gold dust, or if you are living for self and this world, your
whole life will be a dark life–and the whole of your being will dwell
in darkness. "But," says someone, "may I not live for this world and
the next, too?" Listen–
24. No man can serve two masters.He may serve two individuals, who have
conflicting interests but they cannot both be his masters.
24. For either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he
will hold to the one, and despise the other. You cannot serve God and
mammon.Either the one or the other will be master! They are so opposed
to each other, they will never agree to a divided service. "You cannot
serve God and mammon." It is the Lord Jesus Christ who says this, so do
not attempt to do what He declares is impossible!
25. Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life It should
be, "Take no distracting thought for your
life"–
25. What you shall eat, or what you shall drink; nor yet for your body,
what you shall put on. Is not the life more than food, and the body
than raiment?You are obliged to leave your life with God. Why not leave
with Him all care about your food and your raiment?
26. Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they
reap, or gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are
you not much better than they?Do you believe that after all your
earnest labor and your industry, God will permit you to starve, when
these creatures, that labor not, are fed?
27-29. Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? And
why do you worry about your raiment? Consider the lilies of the field,
how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: and yet I say unto
you, That even Solomon in all his glory was never arrayed like one of
these. Christ asks them whether, by worrying, they can add a single
cubit to their lives, for I take his question to mean, whether they
could, by any means, make the standard of existence any
longer than it was. They could not do so–they could shorten it, and
very often worrying has brought men to their graves. Then Christ bade
them note how the lilies grow, so that even Solomon could not excel
them for beauty!
30-33. Therefore, if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today
is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall He not much more clothe
you, O you of little faith? Therefore, worry not, saying, What shall we
eat? Or, What shall we drink? Or, How shall we be clothed? (For after
all these things do the Gentiles seek) for our heavenly Father knows
that you have need of all these things. But seek you first the Kingdom
of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall
be added unto you.