At this juncture we may well pause to ask ourselves, What is the

purpose behind prayer?  Is it a means of extracting something from God that

He would otherwise be unwilling to give?  Or is it its effect upon us in some

As we survey the evangelical world, we find a multitude of conceptions

existing among believers.  Some talk of 'prayer warfare'.  Are we justified

in regarding prayer as an offensive weapon?  The answer to these and all

other spiritual problems is only found within the range of inspired

Scripture.  Ephesians 6 is the passage generally alluded to in connection

with this idea.  Here we have a description of the 'whole armour (panoply) of

God' which is for the believer with a view to the 'evil day' (Eph. 6:13).  A

careful reading will show that this armour is sixfold, five pieces being for

the defensive, and only one offensive weapon and that is not prayer, but the

Word of God, the Sword of the Spirit.  Prayer does not occur at all in the

symbolism of the armour, but follows on in verse 18.  We do not deny that the

believer who has taken to himself the whole armour of God, will also use to

the utmost the privilege of prayer, but this does not of necessity turn it

into an offensive weapon.  Rather is it more protective than offensive.

Let us consider what prayer does for the believer and we may then

appreciate something more of its supreme importance in our daily lives.  We

may remind ourselves to begin with, that there is no such thing as unanswered

prayer.  If we have waited upon the Lord for a certain thing, and in His

wisdom it is not granted, the answer is 'No', and 'No' is as much an answer

from Him as 'Yes'.  Paul himself learnt this lesson.  Three times he

earnestly prayed and asked the Lord to remove his 'thorn in the flesh' (2

Cor. 12:8).  The Divine answer was 'No' but the glorious experience of the

added grace and strength imparted to him more than compensated for the

negative answer to his prayer.  Wise are we if we can take the Lord's

refusals without being offended, and have a complete trust in His matchless

wisdom and love for each one of us, a love that will not allow Him to grant

us things that would be to our harm.

To appreciate this properly, we should put ourselves back into Old

Testament times.  Do we realize that, prior to the all -sufficient Offering

on Calvary, no believer ever enjoyed access into God's presence?  Jehovah

surrounded Himself with barriers of sacrifice and priesthood to impress upon

His people the fact that sin separates Himself eternally from fallen man and

until the One Offering for sin had been made and sin put away righteously,

there could be no possibility of access in the fullest sense to Himself.  Let

us consider the following verses:

'The Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all

was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet

standing' (Heb. 9:8).

'Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the

blood of Jesus' (Heb. 10:19).

We may point out, in passing, that the right to enter into the holiest

of all did not confer upon believers of the Acts period the tremendous

privilege of dwelling there for ever.  To enter there by prayer is one thing,

but to be seated there in Christ Jesus, to have one's permanent homeland