Prayer and Promises

The promise 

To be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, the one created according to God’s likeness in righteousness and purity of the truth. 

— Ephesians 4:23,24, CSB 

The testimony 

Heaven begins in the soul, and as heavenly-mindedness increases, Christ is more and more appreciated, and finally becomes the Chiefest among ten thousand, the One altogether lovely. 

Christ is the great center of attraction, and the child of God hid in Christ, meets with God, and is lost in the divine being. Prayer is the life of the soul; it is feeding on Christ; it is turning our faces fully toward the Sun of Righteousness. As we turn our faces toward Him, He turns his face toward us. He longs to give us divine grace; and as we draw nigh to God with full assurance of faith, our spiritual conceptions are quickened. We do not then walk in blindness, bemoaning our spiritual barrenness; for by diligent, prayerful searching of the word of God, we apply his rich promises unto our souls. Angels draw close to our side, and the enemy with his manifold devices is driven back. 

Prayer is the strength of the soul, and yet this exercise has been sadly neglected. By simple, earnest, contrite prayer, heavenly mindedness is greatly increased. No other means of grace can be substituted and healthiness of the soul be preserved. Prayer brings the soul into immediate contact with the wellspring of life, and strengthens the spiritual sinew and muscle of our religious experience; for we live by faith, seeing Him who is invisible. Neglect the exercise of prayer, or engage in prayer spasmodically, now and then, as it is deemed convenient, and you lose your connection with God. 

It is because of a neglect of prayer and of searching the Bible that the multitudes accept men-made theories... God never designed that the soul should be nourished with the traditions and speculations of human invention. The imagination must plume for a higher flight than human ability can originate; for the mind must ascend to the Source of all wisdom. 

It is the grace of God alone which can vitalize and refresh the soul... The soul is to be nourished by the pure, unadulterated word of God.  

— Signs of the Times,  July 31, 1893 

The Response 

Dear Lord, I turn my face towards You. I long for Your divine grace and seek to be renewed in the spirit of my mind. May Your Holy Spirit quicken my understanding as I search Your word and apply Your rich promises to my soul. I am weak and need Your strength. I put away all my self-seeking. Fill me with Your grace, show me Your heavenly ways. Thank You for Your grace that vitalizes and refreshes my soul!