Tuesday’s with Robert: The Truth of Prayer and Our Unfitting Response

How often do you pray?  Today that answer is typically, “not enough”.  It seems that McCheyne also felt that his prayer life was lacking.  After a three week period of sickness, where Robert was laid up in bed, he penned these words about prayer:

“…how reluctant we are [in prayer].  I cannot doubt that boldness if offered me to enter into the holiest of all; I cannot doubt my right and title to enter continually by the new and bloody way; I cannot doubt that when I do enter in, I stand not only forgiven, but accepted in the Beloved; I cannot doubt that when I do enter in, the Spirit is wiling and ready to descend like a dove, “enabling me to pray in the Holy Ghost”; and that Jesus is ready to rise up as my intercessor with the Father, praying for me though not for the world; and that the prayer-hearing God is ready to bend his ear to requests which He delights to hear and answer; I cannot doubt that thus to dwell in God is the true blessedness of my nature; and yet, strange unaccountable creature!  I am too often unwilling to enter in.  I go about and about the sanctuary, and I sometimes press in through the [torn curtain], and see the blessedness of dwelling there to be far better than that of tents of wickedness; yet it is certain that I do not dwell within.” 

This is an amazing reminder of what has been opened for us in prayer as well as a great encouragement to dwell in that blessed state of prayer.