It is a significant fact that all the outstanding characters in

Scripture have been men and women who knew how to pray, and a careful study

of their prayers will show that these are based upon the Word of God and the

promises contained therein.

We think of Elijah.  James, in his epistle, brings forward Elijah as an

example of effectual praying (5:17).  He prayed earnestly that it might not

rain, and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six

months.  He prayed again and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought

forth her fruit (verses 17 and 18).  Now this was remarkable indeed, and on

the surface it looked as though the prophet had some extraordinary power to

accomplish this miracle.  But it should be remembered that this prayer was

based upon the Word of God:

'And it shall come to pass, if ye shall hearken diligently unto My

commandments which I command you this day ... that I will give you the

rain of your land in his due season ... Take heed to yourselves, that

your heart be not deceived, and ye turn aside, and serve other gods,

and worship them; and then the Lord's wrath be kindled against you, and

He shut up the heaven, that there be no rain, and that the land yield

not her fruit' (Deut. 11:13 -17).

Elijah, in a time of Israel's apostasy, was simply asking the Lord to

carry out His Word, His written threats as well as His promises, in order to

bring back the sinful nation to repentance.

Or let us take the case of David.  After thanking God for all His

gracious revelation of His purposes concerning himself he says, 'Therefore

now, Lord, let the thing that Thou hast spoken concerning Thy servant and

concerning his house be established for ever, and do as Thou hast said' (1

Chron. 17:23).  God loves to be reminded of the promises of His Word, which

are ours in Christ.

If our praying is to be effective, it must be likewise based upon the

unchanging Word, but to this we must add the injunction of 2 Timothy 2:15.

If we base our prayer upon Scripture or promises relating to a calling other

than that to which we belong, can we expect God to hear and answer?  Most

assuredly not in the affirmative, unless those promises are true for all time

and all the callings of the redeemed.  Right division is eminently practical

in this respect as in every way.  We must get to know our Divine calling

before we can begin to pray properly.  Many children of God are asking Him

for all kinds of things pertaining to Scriptures that do not apply to them or

which belong to another time period, and they are disappointed and frustrated

because they have a silent heaven.  Let us search our prayer life and make

sure we are not perpetuating the same error.

The prophet Habakkuk not only prayed, but stood upon his watchtower to

see what the Lord would say in reply (Hab. 2:1).  The Lord Jesus not only

exhorted His disciples to pray, but to watch as well as pray (Mark 13:35 -37;

Luke 21:36).  In the last reference the word translated 'watch' is agrupneo,

which literally means to be sleepless or to keep wide awake.  Can it be that

we sometimes pray to the Lord and then, as it were, go to sleep and forget?

Did not many of the Pentecostal Church do this very thing?  They were