This sermon by George Mueller is a compilation of two different sets of notes, the date and place for both unknown. May his exhortation to remain in the place of prayer be an encouragement to your heart, and may you be encouraged in the place of praying to our prayer-hearing God.
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” (Matthew 7:7-8, NIV)
Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. (Colossians 4:2, NIV)
We are to go to the Lord with all our physical and spiritual needs. We can even bring before Him the needs of friends and family! Once you do, you will find how able and willing He is to help you! Should you, however, not immediately receive answers to your prayers, don’t be discouraged. Wait patiently on God. Believe in Him. If what you’re asking for is for your good, if it’s for His honor and glory, you can be sure that as you ask on the grounds of Jesus Christ’s worthiness, you will receive His blessing. I myself have had to wait patiently on God concerning certain matters for years before receiving answers to my prayers—but at last they came. Even at this very moment, I daily bring before Him a certain request that I have prayed about for these past eleven and a half years, and of which I have only a partial answer. But without doubt, I know I will have His full blessing in the end.
The great takeaway I want you to go home with is to ask only for that which will bring glory to God, and that alone will be for our good. It’s not enough that what we ask for be for God’s glory and honor, but we must also ask for it in the name of Jesus, that is, expect it only on the ground of Jesus’ worth and merit. We must believe that God is able and willing to give us what we ask of Him. We should continue in the place of prayer until we receive the blessing, but we must not fix a time or date to those circumstances under which God must comply. We must exercise patience in our praying. Finally, we should be watching for an answer, anticipating it eagerly. If we pray this way, not only will we have answers—thousands of answers to our prayers—but our souls will be greatly refreshed and encouraged in these answers to prayer.
If receiving the answer to your requests is not truly for your good or for the honor of God, then you may find yourself praying for a long time, without any answer to your desires. The glory of God must always be the foremost aim of His children in everything they desire from Him. We should also not lose sight, in the midst of our requests, of that which is for our spiritual benefit, as it is closely linked to the honor of God. Now, suppose we are believers in the Lord Jesus, bringing our requests to God, depending alone on Christ for the answer. And suppose that, so far as we are able to honestly and rightly judge, receiving our requests would be for our ultimate spiritual growth and honor for God. We need to do one thing more: continue in the place of prayer until the blessing is given.
It is not enough to begin praying, or even to pray rightly. It is not enough to pray only for a season. We must patiently and faithfully keep praying until the answer comes! Furthermore, we must believe not only that God hears us, but that He wants to answer us. Too often we fail, either by giving up before the blessing comes, or by not really expecting God to grant it.
Our heavenly Father loves all His children with infinite love—that is, He loves everyone, even the most helpless and weakest of His children, with the very same love with which He loves His only begotten Son. On account of this infinite love, He knows how great, how many, how varied, even how numberless would be their trials, their difficulties, their afflictions, their temptations, while passing through this life. So He, in His grace, made abundant provision in giving most precious and encouraging promises concerning prayer. If they would take their trials, difficulties, afflictions, and temptations to Him, their heavenly Father, seeking His strength, His counsel, His guidance, and acting according to the loving counsel and advice given in the Scriptures—casting their cares or anxieties on Him as it says in 1 Peter 5:7—the position of most of the children of God would be very different from what it is.
And to be sure, our precious Lord Jesus Christ loves us with exactly the same love with which the Father loves Him. But do we all believe it?
The former statement that the Father loves His children with precisely the same love with which He loves His only begotten Son, and further, that the Lord Jesus Christ loves us with the very same love—with infinite love—and that with this love, He loves the most helpless and weakest of His children, may possibly sound strange to some of you. Yet this is the statement of the Word as found in John 15:9 and John 17:23. Our precious Lord Jesus Christ, who loves us with such love, passed through difficulties, trials, and temptations, like ours, while He was in this world. He was looked down upon; He was despised; that Blessed One had nowhere to lay His head (see Matthew 8:20). He had been, while in this world, in every respect, tempted as we are, yet without sin (see Hebrews 4:15, ESV). Knowing the position of His disciples in this world, He has given the precious promise that I have read on the subject of prayer, and if we do what it says, we may have Him as the burden-bearer, ever ready to help in times of sorrow, weakness and affliction—in a word, in all the variety of positions and circumstances in which we are found here in the body.
If it had been left to us to make promises about prayer, I do not know that we could have said more than, “Ask and receive.” Yet, while the promise is so full, so deep, so broad, and so precious in every way, we should—as we do with other parts of the Word of God—compare Scripture with Scripture, because in other passages, additions are made, or conditions given, which, if we ignore them, will hinder our getting the full blessing of prayer. We should not overlook what is said in 1 John 5:14-15 (ESV):
And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.
The first thing we should pay attention to is that “if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.” Therefore, if we pray, wanting to have our petitions granted, we need to first see to it that we ask for things according to His mind and will—because our blessing and happiness are intimately connected with the holiness of God. Suppose there was a person living in Bristol who had long carried on business, but those who knew him well considered him an idle person, someone who avoided work. He would, whenever possible, get out of work for leisure. Well, suppose he heard about the promises of prayer, and he said, “I’ll find out if this is true. I’ll ask God to give me £100,000, then I can take it easy, travel, and enjoy myself.” If he prays every day for this large sum of money, will he receive it? Absolutely not! Why? He does not ask for the money to help the poor or contribute to kingdom work. He asks so he can spend in life in idleness, enjoying the pleasures of the world. He is not asking for things according to the will of God, and therefore, however long or earnestly he may pray, he will not get the answer he wants. We can only expect our prayers to be answered when we ask for things that are in line with God’s will.
The second thing to note is that we do not ask on account of our own goodness or merit, but, as the Scripture expresses it, “ Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it” (John 14:13-14, ESV) The statement is given twice in order to show the great importance of this truth. Whenever a saying is given twice in the Word of God, we may be sure a weighty and important subject is coming. What does this statement, given twice by the Lord Jesus Christ, mean? If we desire to go to heaven, how shall we get there? On the ground of our own goodness, merit or worthiness? Because we are not as bad as others? Because we go regularly to a place of worship? Because we give a little to the poor? In this way, absolutely no one will get to heaven. It is quite right to go to a place of worship. It is quite right that out of the abundance God gives, we should give to the poor. It is quite right that we should act according to morality. But in this way, a poor sinner cannot get to heaven. We must see our lost and ruined condition by nature and that we deserve nothing but punishment. The best person in this congregation, in this city, in the United Kingdom, or in the whole world, is a sinner deserving punishment. Not once since the fall of Adam has a single person, by his own goodness, gone to heaven.
Under the Old Covenant, people looked forward to the coming Messiah. Now that the Old Covenant has passed, we look back to the Messiah, who suffered in our place on the cross, bearing the punishment on the cross that we rightly deserved, shedding His blood for us. All our guilt was transferred to Him, that His righteousness might be transferred to us. And now surely if a sinner—even the oldest and the vilest wretch under heaven—puts his trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, he shall be forgiven, shall be cleansed, shall be justified—that is, shall be called righteous; all this through his trust in the Lord Jesus Christ for the salvation of his soul. In this way, the sinner gets to heaven by faith in Jesus for the salvation of his soul.
By faith in the Lord Jesus Christ alone do we stand before God at the last, so is it in approaching God in prayer. If we desire to have our petitions answered, we must come to Him, not in our own name and merit, but as sinners who trust in Jesus, who by faith in His name are united to the blessed risen Lord; who have become, through trusting in Him, members of that body of which He is the Head. Let no one think they are good enough in and of themselves. I deserve nothing but hell. For nearly fifty-five years, I have, by God’s grace, walked in the fear of God, and by His grace have lived such a life that no one can point to me and say I am a hypocrite, or charge me with living in any sin. Yet if I have what I deserve, I could expect nothing but hell. Again, I deserve nothing but hell. The same is true of all of you, the very best and holiest of people that can be found. Therefore, we cannot expect to have our prayers answered on the grounds of our own goodness. But Jesus is worthy, and for His sake we may have our prayers answered.
There is nothing too good, too costly, too great for God to give to Jesus. He is worthy. He is the spotless, holy One who, no matter the circumstance, acted in accordance with God’s will. And if we trust in Him, if we hide in Him, if we put Him first and humble ourselves, if we depend on Him and plead His name, we may expect to have our prayers answered. Some may say, “I have prayed for years for my unconverted children, but they are still not saved. I feel my prayers will never be answered. I am so unworthy.” This is a mistake. God’s promises are for such as these–for the weak, for the helpless, for the ignorant, for the needy. All who ask in Christ’s name are fully justified in expecting their prayers to be answered. But if someone says, “I live in sin, I am set on an evil course,” the prayer cannot be answered, for in Psalm 66:18 (ESV) we read, “If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.” That is, if I live in sin, continuing in that which is hatred to God, I should not expect my prayers to be answered.
A third thing to consider is that we put our faith in the power and willingness of God to answer our prayers. This is deeply important. In Mark 11:24 (ESV), we read, “Whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” I have invariably found, in the almost fifty-five years I have been a believer, that if I only believed I was sure to get, in God’s time, the thing I asked for. I want to impress this on your heart: put your faith in both the power and the willingness of God to answer your prayers. We must believe that God is able and willing. To see that He is able, you have only to look at the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, because to raise Him from the dead, He must have almighty power. As to the love of God, you have only to look to the cross of Christ; see His love in not sparing His Son, in not withholding His only begotten Son from death. With these proofs of the power and love of God, truly, if we believe, we shall receive—we shall obtain.
Let’s review. First, ask for things according to the will of God—and only things that are for our good. Second, expect answers to those requests on the grounds of Christ’s merit and righteousness. Third, put your faith in the power and willingness of your heavenly Father to grant those requests. Finally, continue to wait patiently on God until our requests are granted. Note that nothing in the text is given a timeframe by which the prayer is to be answered.
“Ask, and it will be given to you.” See, it’s a positive promise, but it says nothing as to the time. “Seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” So, we are to keep patiently and quietly waiting on God till the blessing is granted. Someone may say, “Is it necessary for me to bring a matter to God two, three, five, or even twenty times? Isn’t once enough?” We might as well say there is no need to tell Him once, for He knows beforehand what our need is. But He wants us to prove that we have confidence in Him, that we take our place as creatures towards the Creator.
Moreover, we are never to lose sight of the fact that there may be particular reasons why prayer may not at once be answered. One reason may be the need for growth of our faith, for by exercising faith is strengthened. We all know that if our faith were not exercised, it would remain as it was at first. In trials it is strengthened. Another reason may be that we may glorify God through the expression of patience. This is a grace by which God is greatly magnified. Our expression of patience glorifies God. There may be another reason. Our hearts may not yet be prepared for the answer to our prayer.
I will give an example: Suppose that three weeks ago a lad of sixteen years of age had been brought to the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ, and that with his heart full of love to the Lord, he wanted to do something for Him. So he goes to the superintendent of the Sunday School and says, “Would you kindly give me a class to teach?” A class of nine children is given to him. Now this dear lad, whose heart is full of love to the Lord, begins to pray that God would convert these nine children. He prays in private and before them, and also exhorts them to seek the Lord. After going home from his class, he gives himself earnestly to prayer that God would convert these nine children. On Monday, he repeats his request before God, and so day by day during the week and on Sunday again. And then he goes to his class and expects that these nine children will be converted! But he finds, however, that they are not; they are just in the same state as before. He again shares the gospel; he exhorts, beseeches, and weeps before them. During the second week, his prayers are most earnest, but on the following Sunday, he finds that none of the nine children are yet converted. Does it mean that God will not answer these prayers? It cannot be that this dear lad will have to go on praying, and God will not hear it. But the reason is that the heart of this lad is not prepared for the blessing. If these children had been converted in the first week, he would take credit. He would think what he had been able to do, attributing the conversions to his earnest prayers, instead of to the power of the Holy Spirit. He would take a significant measure of credit for himself, though he might not be aware of it. But let him patiently go on, and when his heart is prepared for the blessing, God will give it. Thus it is that the child of God has to wait; but when the heart is prepared for the blessing, be assured the answer will be given. Many of the dear children of God stagger, because prayer is not at once answered. And because for weeks, months, and years prayer remains unanswered, they cease to ask God, and thus lose the blessing which, had they persevered, they would most certainly have obtained.
We should especially take note that all of God’s children who walk in His ways and seek Him in prayer receive, more or less frequently, answers. Let me illustrate this. At the end of the day, all those who follow God ought to thank Him for His mercies, then ask for His protection during the night. In the morning, they find no fire has happened and no wicked hands have attacked them. Here is an answer to prayer! And we have to thank God for it. The more we notice these things, the more we will see how often our prayers are answered. Many who have suffered from sleeplessness have had, in answers to their prayers, solid, refreshing sleep—and in the morning have given thanks to God for it!
On the other hand, we’ve also all had to wait a long time for answers. Many believing parents have had to wait for the salvation of their children! While some receive this blessing very soon, others have had to wait for many years.
I have had immediate answers to prayer, so many that I could number them by tens of thousands. In fact, during the past fifty-five years that I have walked with the Lord Jesus Christ, I have had thirty thousand answers to prayer, either in the same hour or the same day that the requests were made, no exaggeration. Often, before leaving my bedroom in the morning, the Lord would answer my prayers, and throughout the day, I would often receive five or six more answers. Truly, at least thirty thousand times, God has answered prayers that very day. I can honestly say that at least thirty thousand prayers have been answered in the exact hour or the exact day that they were offered.
But perhaps some might think all my prayers have been promptly answered. No, not all of them. Sometimes I have had to wait weeks, months, or years—and sometimes many years. This man speaking to you at this very moment, whom God has delighted to honor by giving thirty thousand answers to prayer in the same hour or day on which they were offered, this exact man has had to wait many years for answers to many of his prayers. During the first six weeks of the year 1866, I heard of the conversion of six persons for whom I had been praying for a long time. For one, I had been praying between two and three years; for another, between three and four years; for the fifth, about fifteen years; and for the sixth, more than twenty years. I asked one thing of God, which I knew was His will, and though I brought it day by day and generally many times a day before Him, in such confidence as to be able to thank Him hundreds of times for the answer before it was received, yet I had to wait almost four years before the blessing was given to me. At another time, I had to wait six years, and at another time, eleven and a half years. In the last case, I brought the matter about twenty thousand times before God, and invariably in the fullest assurance of faith, and yet eleven and a half years passed before the answer was given.
In one instance, my faith has been tried even more than this. In November 1844, I began to pray for the conversion of five individuals. I prayed every day without one single intermission, whether sick or in health, on the land or on the sea, and whatever the pressure of my engagements might be. Eighteen months elapsed before the first of the five was converted. I thanked God and prayed on for the others. Five years elapsed, and then the second one was converted. I thanked God for the second, and prayed on for the other three. Day by day, I continued to pray for them, and six years more passed before the third was converted. I thanked God for the three, then went on praying for the other two. These two remain unconverted. The man to whom God in the riches of His grace has given tens of thousands of answers to prayer, in the exact hour or day on which they were offered, has been praying day by day for nearly thirty-six years for the conversion of these two individuals, and yet they remain unconverted; next November it will be thirty-six years since I began to pray for their salvation. But I hope in God, so I pray on, waiting for the answer.
Note: One of these two people was converted before Mr Müller’s death, while the other did not show genuine signs of faith until after Mr. Müller had died.
Therefore, beloved brothers and sisters, keep waiting on God; keep praying! Only be sure you ask for things that are according to the will of God. The salvation of sinners is His will, for He does not desire the death of the sinner. This is the revelation God has made of Himself, that He does not want “anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9, NIV). Go on, then, and keep praying; expect an answer, look for it, and in the end you will have to praise God for it.
There is one final thing I would like to impress on your hearts, dear brothers and sisters: the topic of unified prayer. In Matthew 18:19 (NIV), Jesus says, “If two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.” If, therefore, there are brothers and sisters in Christ who have unconverted relatives, and if they could come together with two or more persons, and together ask God to save their children, oh, what blessing might not come in this way? They should plead this promise before the Lord, read it out when they meet, and put their finger—so to speak—upon it. If they meet once a week for half an hour, or a few times a month, or as often as they possibly could, to plead this promise before the Lord, after awhile a father would have to say, “My son, who almost broke my heart, has been saved!” and a mother, “I have a letter from my daughter, who fifteen years ago left my home and has been living in sin, telling me she has found the Lord Jesus Christ!”
How their faith would be strengthened through united prayer and shared testimonies! After a while, as their faith grew stronger, they would pray together for their pastor, that God would bless his work more abundantly in the salvation of sinners and in strengthening the Church. As their confidence in God grew, their prayers would extend to the mission field, to the spread of Scripture and Christian literature. They would come to experience more deeply the power and blessing of prayer, and would earnestly wait on God, asking Him once again to send a mighty revival throughout the Church of Christ. If this were generally so, think of what power ministers proclaim the truth of the gospel, what blessings would come on our Sunday Schools, on the distribution of the Scriptures, of open-air preaching, and other kingdom work. May God grant that we give ourselves to prayer with greater earnestness!
I have found it to be a great encouragement to store up these treasured memories of God graciously answering me. I have kept a record to remind me. I advise the keeping of a little journal in which to record answers to prayer. On one side, put down the petition and the date when you began to pray it. Keep the opposite page blank so you can put down the answer, and you will soon find how many answers you get, and thus you will be strengthened—you will especially discover what a lovely, bountiful, and gracious Being God is! Your heart will grow more and more in love with God, and you will say, “My heavenly Father has been so kind! I will trust in Him, I will confide in Him.”
With regard to any who do not yet know Him, let the first prayer be offered tonight, before you leave this place, “Show me I am a sinner!” And when you see that you are a sinner, ask the Lord, “Help me to put my trust in the Lord Jesus Christ!” You will find how ready God is to help. May we all who are the people of God receive a blessing, and our dear friends and fellow sinners be stirred up to seek Him while He is to be found! May God find in us a believing, faithful, praying people! May God grant it for Jesus’ sake.
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George Müller
