The Hidden Life Of Prayer

Book: 
The Hidden Life Of Prayer
Reviewer: 
Joseph J. Adrian

When God saves someone, when the light of 'The Gospel' breaks through in a person's soul, the desire to pray (to commune with the Living God) is awakened. M'Intyre gives us something of what has happened—"moved by a divinely implanted instinct, our natures cry out for God, for the Living God." When Saul was converted on the road to Damascus, those who initially had doubts about his conversion, their doubts were assuaged by this—'Behold he prayeth.' Mr. M'Intyre, quoting Richard Baxter, gives the reason for the change of attitude for those who beheld the former persecutor of God's people-"Prayer is the breath of the new creature." The author has read what many servants of our Lord have written on prayer, a number of them I am familiar with, many that I am not acquainted with. Here are a couple of very helpful quotes from the chapter 'The Hidden Riches Of The Secret Place.' First from Berridge (I think he's quoting Henry Berridge)—"All decays begin in the closet; no heart thrives without much secret converse with God, and nothing will make amends for the want of it." Then from the Puritan, who I always find extremely helpful,John Flavel—"You must strive, to excel in this, for as much as no grace within or service without can thrive without it." Do you long to make strides spiritually, to have increased usefulness in serving your Lord?, then Flavel's counsel should be heeded—Strive To Excel In Prayer! Every believer experiences times in prayer when the sense of God's presence (or the realization of His presence) is altogether absent. Should we be discouraged at these times? Should we cease praying altogether until there is a re-emergence, if you will, of the sense of God's presence? I think M'Intyre has great counsel for believers in times such as this—"But we ought not therefore to grow languid in prayer. So far from intermitting the exercise at such times, we ought to redouble our energy." If we are willing to wrestle with God (as Jacob did), great blessing can be ours if we are determined to persist, even though our senses (if we relied on them) would have us retreat on such occasions. D.M. M'Intyre's book on prayer is pregnant with wise counsel on one of the greatest responsibilities and also one of the greatest privilige's that God's people can be engaged in—in this brief time that we have in this life—to experience communion with our God in this manner.