The Christian in Complete Armour - Gurnall - LXVI - Direction Eleventh continued

Required readingThe Christian in Complete Armour by William Gurnall (Available from Amazon or free here) - Continue Direction Eleventh by reading the First Way of Hindrance of the Third Design of Branch Third of the First General Part.

My summary

This week we continue Direction Eleventh on prayer from: 'Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints." (Eph. 6:18) 

We began the Third Branch of Satan's designs against prayer last week and today we see that Satan's Third Design is to hinder the success of our prayers.

The First Way of Hindrance, which is all we have time for today, is Satan endeavours to hinder the welcome of the saint's prayers with God.

Gurnall teaches us that Satan uses five miscarriages to hinder the audience of prayers at the throne of grace:

1. When the thing prayed for is not according to the will of God;

2. When the end the saint aims at is not levelled right;

3. When with his prayer he joins not a diligent use of the means;

4. When some secret grudge is lodged in his heart against his brother;

5. When there is a want of faith.

What grabbed me

I liked the encouragement to unite prayer with other means if we wish our prayers to be effective: 'The Christian's prayer may miscarry when, with his prayer, he joins not a diligent use of the means. We must not think to lie upon God, as some lazy people do on their rich kindred; to be always begging of him, but not putting forth our hand to work in the use of means. God hath appointed prayer as a help to our diligence, not as a cloak for our sloth. Idle beggars are welcome neither to God's door nor man's. What! wilt thou lift up thy hands to God in prayer, and then put them in thy pocket? Doth not God forbid our charity to him that worketh not? ...O how oft may God rouse us up from our knees, and say, 'Why lie ye here with your lazy prayers? You have sinned in not taking my counsel and obeying my orders. I bade you watch as well as pray; why do you not one as well as the other? My command obliges you to flee from the snare that Satan lays for you, as well as pray against it: therefore it is you cannot stand before your lusts.' Moses durst not go to God with a prayer in behalf of sinning Israel till he had shown his zeal for God against their sin, and then he goes and speeds; see Ex. 32:25, compared with ver. 31. Dost thou think to walk loosely all day, yielding thyself, and betraying the glory of the God, into the hands of thy lust, and then mend all with a prayer at night? Alas! thy cowardice and sloth will get to heaven before thy prayer, and put thee to shame when thou comest on such an errand.'

Prayer does not excuse laziness!

Next week's reading

Continue Direction Eleventh by reading the Second Way of Hindrance of the Third Design of Branch Third of the First General Part.

Now it's your turn
Please post your own notes and thoughts in the comments section below.