The safeguards of prayer.
"The Lord fulfil all thy petitions." An amazingly bold wish! Especially if you read it in the light of Psalms 20:4, "Grant thee thy heart's desire!" It might be the worst wish we could express—even for a good man—that God would grant him all he desires. It is written of the rebellious, ungrateful Israelites, "He gave them their own desire." But it was their ruin (Psalms 78:29). We may be conscious of desires springing up in our own heart, even dwelling deep there, which, though we do not know them to be wrong, we ourselves would scarcely venture to put into our prayers. Nevertheless, this bold wish is not larger than our Saviour's promise to prayer (Matthew 21:22; John 14:13, John 14:14). The text, therefore, suggests—
I. GOD'S INFINITE POWER TO ANSWER PRAYER. Nature, with its innumerable forms, mighty forces, all-comprehending laws, undisclosed secrets, is his. He designed, created, controls it. All hearts and lives are in his hand. All holy creatures do his will. With God all things are possible (Romans 8:28). To some minds, amazing difficulty and doubt beset this glorious fact, that God hears and answers prayer. The special stumbling-block, the objection most frequently urged, is that God works by law—governs all nature by unchanging law. Of course he does. So does man work by law; and, instead of governing, is governed by, the laws of nature. What then? This does not hinder men from answering prayer—granting, every minute, the requests of children, friends, customers, clients. Can anything, seriously considered, be more absurd than to suppose that God cannot do what he has enabled us to do?—that he has so made his universe that he cannot manage it; though, so far as our needs require, we can? Or is it anything less than childish narrowness of thought to suppose that, because we do not understand how the thing asked for can be done—the healing of a disease, e.g; or averting a danger, or giving a prosperous wind to a ship, or converting a sinner—therefore God does not know how to effect it? If there is one lesson the discoveries of modern science should teach, it is that our ignorance is not the measure of possibility, It is no business of ours to scheme how God can grant our prayers; only to see to it, as far as we can, that they are such as he can wisely, justly, and for our true welfare, grant. Infinite power, guided by infinite wisdom and love, suffices. This brings us to speak of—
II. THE LIMITS AND SAFEGUARDS OF PRAYER. "All thy petitions" would be too bold and rash a wish, were there no tacit limitation, no fence of safety in the background. We cannot possibly be certain what is best for ourselves, even in the near future; still less how the granting of our petition would affect others. Much more ignorant are we of far-off results. Many a Christian locks back on the unwise prayers he offered, with shuddering thankfulness that his request was denied. Yet, at the time, it seemed so reasonable. In this ignorance we should not dare to pray—the hazard would be too great—if we knew that God would give what we asked, whether it were wise or foolish, right or wrong. "With God all things are possible;" but it is certain he will do nothing but what is wise and good. He will not grant his child's request to his ruin, or to the breaking off of his own gracious purpose (Psalms 138:8). It is ours to ask, his to judge. Therefore we may ask boldly, never forgetting," Not as I will, hut as thou wilt."
III. THE PLEA AND WARRANT OF OUR PRAYERS IS THE ALL-PREVAILING INTERCESSION OF CHRIST. The title "Anointed" (Psalms 20:6)—"Messiah"—though often applied to David and his descendants, suggests a higher application (as in Psalms 2:7, Psalms 2:8). So the best Jewish as well as Christian interpreters (comp. John 2:1-25:41, 42). His prayers must always be in perfect accord with both the mind and the will of God, his wisdom and his goodness. When he says to the weakest disciple, "I have prayed for thee' (Luke 22:32), that disciple cannot perish. Our weak, unworthy prayers are mighty and acceptable in his Name (John 15:7; John 16:23, John 16:24). The glory of heaven is waiting to fulfil his prayer (John 17:20-24).