GOD GOING BEFORE
Daniel 6:10
Daniel stands out in Christian history like the Rocky Mountains. He stands out a great Christian hero. He did mighty works for the Master. God crowned his life with much fruitfulness.
In answer to this earnest man's praying three times a day with his face toward Jerusalem, God did not answer by delivering this holy prophet from the den of lions. To have done this, God would have had to destroy the free moral agency of his enemies or place them in the casket. This He did not want to do, but God had a great lesson to teach Daniel's enemies. He wanted to show them that He not only had power to save this man from all sin and keep him from actual, willful sin; He not only had power to sanctify his soul, cleanse him from inbred sin, and empower him with the Holy Ghost; had not only power to free him from a man-fearing and a man-pleasing spirit, and make him bold, courageous and fearless; had not only power to make this man a great pray-er, a great wrestler in agonizing prayer; had not only power when this man's enemies placed the bloodhounds of Hell upon his track and meant to hound him down, to give him sweet contentment and blessed, quiet soul rest; had not only power to give this man power over his enemies and audience with the Triune God, and cause him, in the midst of the sorest afflictions and the hardest tests of his life to stand out quietly, serenely, and to have his anchor hold fast; but, God also had power to precede this man to the den of lions, lock their mouths, quench their thirst for human blood, and put a quietness over them, until when Daniel was lowered into the lions' den they walked about his limbs as kittens would play about the ankle-joints while you are building the fires of a winter morning.
God showed the world, and Daniel's greatest enemies, that a sanctified man can be as safe in the lions' den as in his room with his windows open and his face toward Jerusalem, in the sweet, blessed, enjoyable hour of prayer. Why? Because God meant to take care of Daniel in the lions' den. Daniel was as much God's in the lions' den as in his own home. God had as much power to work miracles in the lions' den as He had in Daniel's own home. God has all power.
No doubt Daniel had a blessed, sweet night's rest. He may have prayed, meditated and rejoiced most all the night. He may have commanded one of the shaggy beasts to stretch himself upon the floor of the lions' den, and pillowing his head upon the same, slept soundly all night. No doubt Daniel had one of the sweetest nights of all his life. Next morning he was refreshed in body, mind and spirit. God covers us up in the hollow of His hand, and keeps us, preserves us, yea, fortresses us, in the riven side of His own Son. The angels of the Lord were encamped thick about Daniel that night. Be it understood and never forgotten, that when you are going through deep waters, long tunnels, sad afflictions, sore trials and darkness, and clouds are pressing down upon you hard, it is then that God is near. The Fourth Man was seen with the Hebrew children after they had gotten into the fiery furnace, and they only lost one thing in that fiery trial, and that was the strings the enemies had tied about their ankles and wrists. Fire purifies, burns up the dross, and makes us twenty-four carats pure gold.
Daniel 6:10
Daniel stands out in Christian history like the Rocky Mountains. He stands out a great Christian hero. He did mighty works for the Master. God crowned his life with much fruitfulness.
In answer to this earnest man's praying three times a day with his face toward Jerusalem, God did not answer by delivering this holy prophet from the den of lions. To have done this, God would have had to destroy the free moral agency of his enemies or place them in the casket. This He did not want to do, but God had a great lesson to teach Daniel's enemies. He wanted to show them that He not only had power to save this man from all sin and keep him from actual, willful sin; He not only had power to sanctify his soul, cleanse him from inbred sin, and empower him with the Holy Ghost; had not only power to free him from a man-fearing and a man-pleasing spirit, and make him bold, courageous and fearless; had not only power to make this man a great pray-er, a great wrestler in agonizing prayer; had not only power when this man's enemies placed the bloodhounds of Hell upon his track and meant to hound him down, to give him sweet contentment and blessed, quiet soul rest; had not only power to give this man power over his enemies and audience with the Triune God, and cause him, in the midst of the sorest afflictions and the hardest tests of his life to stand out quietly, serenely, and to have his anchor hold fast; but, God also had power to precede this man to the den of lions, lock their mouths, quench their thirst for human blood, and put a quietness over them, until when Daniel was lowered into the lions' den they walked about his limbs as kittens would play about the ankle-joints while you are building the fires of a winter morning.
God showed the world, and Daniel's greatest enemies, that a sanctified man can be as safe in the lions' den as in his room with his windows open and his face toward Jerusalem, in the sweet, blessed, enjoyable hour of prayer. Why? Because God meant to take care of Daniel in the lions' den. Daniel was as much God's in the lions' den as in his own home. God had as much power to work miracles in the lions' den as He had in Daniel's own home. God has all power.
No doubt Daniel had a blessed, sweet night's rest. He may have prayed, meditated and rejoiced most all the night. He may have commanded one of the shaggy beasts to stretch himself upon the floor of the lions' den, and pillowing his head upon the same, slept soundly all night. No doubt Daniel had one of the sweetest nights of all his life. Next morning he was refreshed in body, mind and spirit. God covers us up in the hollow of His hand, and keeps us, preserves us, yea, fortresses us, in the riven side of His own Son. The angels of the Lord were encamped thick about Daniel that night. Be it understood and never forgotten, that when you are going through deep waters, long tunnels, sad afflictions, sore trials and darkness, and clouds are pressing down upon you hard, it is then that God is near. The Fourth Man was seen with the Hebrew children after they had gotten into the fiery furnace, and they only lost one thing in that fiery trial, and that was the strings the enemies had tied about their ankles and wrists. Fire purifies, burns up the dross, and makes us twenty-four carats pure gold.
This man Daniel had standing grace. He stood still. He stood quietly before God. He did not murmur. The waves ran high. The clouds were like midnight. The awful gales were blowing. The guns of the enemy were cracking. The bloodhounds of Hell were baying upon his track. Yet he was quiet. Why? Because he had the victory. Victory over the world. Victory over his enemies. Victory over environments. He had gotten this victory through protracted seasons of prayer. He prayed under the enemies' fire as he had been praying aforetime. He never put on one extra; he never did one thing that he had not been doing aforetime.
When loved ones get sick, badly sick, the doctors tell us that death is near, we get desperately in earnest; we fly to God; we fast; we pray; we wrestle in prayer; we stay up all night; we make vows and promises, "Yea, Lord, Thou shalt have a tenth. We will be honest, truthful with Thee. Spare the baby, the wife, or the husband, and we will go through with Thee at any cost"; but too often, and too soon, after the afflicted one has got-ten well, some way, somehow, carelessness creeps in, and we are not as much in earnest six weeks afterwards as we were during the hours of severest pain.
Daniel prayed just as much when there were not sore afflictions and tests as he did when these things swept down upon his soul. He saw the hellish decree; he knew the devil had concocted this plan to defeat God's purposes: hence, he went to earnest prayer, and threw open his windows, and prayed with his face toward Jerusalem, as he had aforetime. Reader, will you mark the "aforetime"? Will you turn and read the sixth chapter of Daniel, and the tenth verse, carefully, upon your knees? Look at this man of God, and remember, what God did for Daniel He will do for you, if you live as Daniel lived; if you do what Daniel did; if you will follow God as this man followed Him. Daniel only stood the tests because of the fact that he had prayed clear through. His constant prayer life made him a conqueror, master of this devilish conspiracy, and Daniel was not only delivered, but God got glory through this man's soul travail.
Too many of us know too little about prayer, and sorry are we to confess that many do not want to be taught by the Holy Ghost how to pray. There is too much labor; too much self-denial. We do not like the idea of tearing ourselves away from our friends and staying with our face between our knees by the hour. The body does not enjoy this exercise. We know so little about prayer because we pray so little This old world, that is, the people in the world, would be 50 per cent. better if every Christian in Christendom had the real, vital spirit of prayer. We have the light. We talk about how God answered the prayers of the faithful patriarchs and prophets of by-gone days, but does not God need pray-ers today as much as He did in by-gone times? If He answered their prayers, and did such a tremendous work in the salvation of man and the defeating of the enemy, can He not do the same today, if we live upon our knees?
When loved ones get sick, badly sick, the doctors tell us that death is near, we get desperately in earnest; we fly to God; we fast; we pray; we wrestle in prayer; we stay up all night; we make vows and promises, "Yea, Lord, Thou shalt have a tenth. We will be honest, truthful with Thee. Spare the baby, the wife, or the husband, and we will go through with Thee at any cost"; but too often, and too soon, after the afflicted one has got-ten well, some way, somehow, carelessness creeps in, and we are not as much in earnest six weeks afterwards as we were during the hours of severest pain.
Daniel prayed just as much when there were not sore afflictions and tests as he did when these things swept down upon his soul. He saw the hellish decree; he knew the devil had concocted this plan to defeat God's purposes: hence, he went to earnest prayer, and threw open his windows, and prayed with his face toward Jerusalem, as he had aforetime. Reader, will you mark the "aforetime"? Will you turn and read the sixth chapter of Daniel, and the tenth verse, carefully, upon your knees? Look at this man of God, and remember, what God did for Daniel He will do for you, if you live as Daniel lived; if you do what Daniel did; if you will follow God as this man followed Him. Daniel only stood the tests because of the fact that he had prayed clear through. His constant prayer life made him a conqueror, master of this devilish conspiracy, and Daniel was not only delivered, but God got glory through this man's soul travail.
Too many of us know too little about prayer, and sorry are we to confess that many do not want to be taught by the Holy Ghost how to pray. There is too much labor; too much self-denial. We do not like the idea of tearing ourselves away from our friends and staying with our face between our knees by the hour. The body does not enjoy this exercise. We know so little about prayer because we pray so little This old world, that is, the people in the world, would be 50 per cent. better if every Christian in Christendom had the real, vital spirit of prayer. We have the light. We talk about how God answered the prayers of the faithful patriarchs and prophets of by-gone days, but does not God need pray-ers today as much as He did in by-gone times? If He answered their prayers, and did such a tremendous work in the salvation of man and the defeating of the enemy, can He not do the same today, if we live upon our knees?
What is defeating God today, and robbing Jesus Christ of His glory? Prayerless lives. Oftentimes when preachers begin to get old, and have a barrel of sermons, they do not wrestle in prayer as they did when they were young and depended more upon God, seemingly. We mean this: old preachers should pray as much as young preachers; evangelists should pray as much in one meeting as in another, There is no such a thing as a burnt district. If we will pray clear through, God will work as long as there is one unsaved soul in a community. When Paul and Silas prayed clear through, the old jail took the Quaker shakes, and shook the shutters and doors from their hinges and the stocks and chains from Paul's and Silas' ankles and wrists, and they were liberated, and a great revival broke out, and a church was organized, with the Philippian jailer as first pastor. And if we will pray and wrestle as did Paul and Silas, things will quake and shake in our community. It was said that when the disciples prayed in a certain place, it was shaken. Oh, how the world, the flesh and the devil hate prayer, oppose prayer, and we are so negligent that we wait until almost bedtime, when the body is tired, nerve force running low, and the brain fagged -- then we go on our. knees and not a few times, go to sleep, and some of the family may have to wake us up.
The churches today are not the soul-saving stations they should be; they are more of a nursery, more of a hospital. Why? Because of prayerless lives. So many go to church on Sabbath morning, not from their knees, but from a Sunday newspaper. They have no spirit of prayer. They are not in a receptive attitude to be blessed or to bless. They cannot get interested. They never help the preacher. They go from the church as they came -- empty. But when men and Women get under the burden of prayer, get into the spirit of prayer, get the real heart agony, soul travail, then the six-foot-long icicle in the pulpit will melt, the frost in the choir will melt, the snow in the pew will melt, altars will be crowded, bazaars will be a thing of the past, the kitchen department will be turned into a prayer room, and souls will be leaping into the kingdom of God.
Not long since, we were conducting a revival in a city church. The thing broke loose in the early part of the meeting. Bankers, lawyers, doctors and merchants ran to the altar with streaming eyes and wringing hands; they repented, confessed, and were beautifully saved, We said to the pastor, "What is the matter? There is a tremendous power upon this meeting." He took us across the city into the home of an afflicted woman. She had a big tumor in her stomach; was almost helpless. She grasped our hand and said, "Brother Harney, we've been praying two hours every day ever since the pastor announced you were to hold our revival, and I knew full well before the meeting began that God would give this good pastor and church and people a great sin-killing, soul-saving revival." She said, "I had prayed clear through. I had the witness that it was coming."
Another meeting was hard. The tide was against us. For nine days and nights we preached on Hell; one could almost see the blue flames and smell the sulfur. A sanctified man and his wife came to us and said, "Does your preaching have this effect everywhere you go? We can't shout a bit. We don't feel like it. In fact, we think you should change your line of preaching." But we were led by the Holy Ghost to keep at it; that is, keep preaching on Hell and sin. We urged the saints to pray. For nine days and nights there was not a break, but on Sunday the spirit of prayer swept in upon three or four saints, and they went down in real, vital soul travail; they prayed clear through.
On Monday morning we arose and took our text. We had preached about five minutes, when a very large, portly lady on our right, arose and said, "Brother Harney, I am in the way of this revival. Sister Smith and myself do not speak. We had a falling out two years ago and I feel that I am in the way of this revival, in the way of my family, in the way of my neighbors; I want to get out of the way. I purpose to get out of the way. I will meet Sister Smith half way, and we will bury the hatchet, handle and all." She started toward Sister Smith, and was knocked down by the power of God. A merchant arose and said, "I feel that I am in the way of this meeting. Mr. Brown, the merchant who runs the large department store, and myself are not on good terms; we speak, but there is a coolness, there is not the best feeling between us. I will meet Mr. Brown half way." With tears running down their faces they started toward each other, but both were knocked down by the power of God. We counted eleven prostrations that morning, and twenty-three were shouting at one time all over the church, and seventeen were saved in one service. Why? Because a few saints had banded themselves together to fast and pray until the fire fell. Like Mordecai and Esther, they had prayed three days and nights, and the Holy Ghost came and a great revival broke out and almost two hundred souls were saved. Why? Because these saints denied themselves of sleep and food, and felt that they must pray this meeting through.
God will answer prayer. He has always answered prayer. He may not answer right at the time; He may delay for His glory and our good. or, as the case may be, like it was in Daniel, tenth chapter, where the devil kept the angel of God with an answer to Daniel's prayer from getting to Daniel for twenty-one long days. But you keep praying; never let up; never let go. God will answer, He has always answered, for He is a prayer-hearing and a prayer-answering God. Dare to trust Him anywhere. He will answer prayer. If you want to walk in the beautiful, victorious, shining pathway; if you want all the gates to fly open; if you want every block swept out of your way; if you want lions' mouths locked and fiery furnaces quenched, Red Seas to open up, Jordans to give you a dry pathway through, jails to shake off the doors and liberate you from prison -- pray clear through. If you want a rich experience, a strong faith, and to do exploits for the Master -- pray clear through. If you want to outride every storm of life, to go marching from ever battlefield with victory perched upon your banner -- pray clear through. If you want the will of God concerning some work, some call, some plan about some friend -- pray clear through. If you want the leadings of the Holy Ghost on any matter that pertains to His glory and your good -- pray clear through. If you want an Isaac for a husband, a Rebekah for a wife -- pray clear through. If you would have the Holy Ghost lubricate the wheels and belts of memory, unctionize your spirit for a fruitful service -- pray clear through. If you would be more like Christ and less like the world -- pray clear through. If you would be all like Christ, and none like the world -- tray clear through. If you want to suit God, please the Holy Ghost, and glorify Jesus Christ-pray clear through. If you want His Word to open up to you, and feed your soul, and make you fat in grace -- pray clear through. If you do not want to go to Heaven empty-handed, or be a barren fig-tree -- pray clear through.
You may not get the answer in an hour; you may not get the answer in one day; you may not get the answer in twenty days, but keep at it. Never let up. If you have the burden of prayer, and if the Spirit has led you out along any line in the spirit of prayer, He will answer. Keep at it. Pray clear through. God will never burden your heart for anything, anybody, any work, or any field, unless He will answer. God will not tease you, and have you agonize for something that cannot be
obtained, He has said, "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they SHALL be filled."
The reason why so many people have no burden of prayer is, they have no spiritual life. Where there is natural life there must be an appetite, and where there is spiritual life, necessarily, there must be a desire for prayer, a hunger to get alone with God. A dead man does not want anything to eat. He has no appetite. A sinner, a backslidden man, has no desire for prayer; there are no leadings to the prayer life. But every child of God who is living close to God, hungers for the prayer life. He enjoys praying. He lingers upon his knees long and often. The more we pray. the more we want to pray. The more we pray, the more we feel like praying. The more we pray, the longer we will pray, and the less we tire in prayer. The more we pray, the stronger will be the prayer life, for it is by earnest, protracted prayer that we grow in grace in the prayer life. The more we pray, the greater the appetite for prayer will be. The more we pray, the more we will plan to get to pray. The more we pray, the more we will see strength, courage, and growth in faith coming to us through much prayer.
If we want to win a Sunday-school class to God; if we want to win some neighbor to Jesus Christ; if we want access to carry a message of salvation, let us go from our knees. God will open the door when you get qualified. How sweet, how delightful, how restful, to linger in His presence by the hour in prayer. Oftentimes when we have been gone in revival work for six weeks, and reach our home, that sweet wife who has stood by the stuff and taken care of the babies while we have been gone those long weeks, is so glad to see us coming, and we are so glad to look into her gray eyes, that not a few times we sit and talk, talk, talk, until late, yea, deep into the night. We enjoy talking to our wife, for she is the mother of our sweet babies. We enjoy talking to our wife, for God gave her to us. Ah! you tell me when you get married to Jesus Christ that you cannot enjoy hours at His feet. Something is radically wrong when the wife does not enjoy the husband's company. There is something in the way. So it is with a Christian when he does not enjoy much prayer, protracted seasons of prayer, something must be radically wrong. Something is in the way. He must have been flirting with old Splitfoot.
If you want the burning witness in your heart, the fire to burn in your soul, the Blood to cleanse you -- pray clear through. Let us pray as never before for a great revival to rush in upon this generation. Let us earnestly pray Jesus Christ to send a withering, blistering conviction upon sinners, and salvation to earnest penitents. Let us live on our knees. God will answer.
The reason why so many people have no burden of prayer is, they have no spiritual life. Where there is natural life there must be an appetite, and where there is spiritual life, necessarily, there must be a desire for prayer, a hunger to get alone with God. A dead man does not want anything to eat. He has no appetite. A sinner, a backslidden man, has no desire for prayer; there are no leadings to the prayer life. But every child of God who is living close to God, hungers for the prayer life. He enjoys praying. He lingers upon his knees long and often. The more we pray. the more we want to pray. The more we pray, the more we feel like praying. The more we pray, the longer we will pray, and the less we tire in prayer. The more we pray, the stronger will be the prayer life, for it is by earnest, protracted prayer that we grow in grace in the prayer life. The more we pray, the greater the appetite for prayer will be. The more we pray, the more we will plan to get to pray. The more we pray, the more we will see strength, courage, and growth in faith coming to us through much prayer.
If we want to win a Sunday-school class to God; if we want to win some neighbor to Jesus Christ; if we want access to carry a message of salvation, let us go from our knees. God will open the door when you get qualified. How sweet, how delightful, how restful, to linger in His presence by the hour in prayer. Oftentimes when we have been gone in revival work for six weeks, and reach our home, that sweet wife who has stood by the stuff and taken care of the babies while we have been gone those long weeks, is so glad to see us coming, and we are so glad to look into her gray eyes, that not a few times we sit and talk, talk, talk, until late, yea, deep into the night. We enjoy talking to our wife, for she is the mother of our sweet babies. We enjoy talking to our wife, for God gave her to us. Ah! you tell me when you get married to Jesus Christ that you cannot enjoy hours at His feet. Something is radically wrong when the wife does not enjoy the husband's company. There is something in the way. So it is with a Christian when he does not enjoy much prayer, protracted seasons of prayer, something must be radically wrong. Something is in the way. He must have been flirting with old Splitfoot.
If you want the burning witness in your heart, the fire to burn in your soul, the Blood to cleanse you -- pray clear through. Let us pray as never before for a great revival to rush in upon this generation. Let us earnestly pray Jesus Christ to send a withering, blistering conviction upon sinners, and salvation to earnest penitents. Let us live on our knees. God will answer.
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