On Answers to Prayer

When we offer up our petitions to our Heavenly Father, we may expect to be heard if we ask in faith. As the Lord says, Mark 11:24, "what things soever ye desire when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them." This plain declaration of our Lord, may be received as sufficient testimony to establish this fact, that God will hear and answer prayer. But not forgeting [forgetting] that we are to offer up our prayers in faith as he says, "believe that ye receive them and ye shall have them." And as he also says, Matthew 21:32, "and all things whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing ye shall receive." Observe, he says. "whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer believing." And so the promise is not without believing. And the apostle James says of him who wavers when asking; "Let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord." If he that doubts or wavers is not to receive, surely he that disbelieves, and denies, may not expect to receive. And so it is, when men disbelieve and deny the possibility of receiving favors from heaven, they do not ask for them in faith nothing wavering. But they reject them; and use their influence to hinder others from receiving them.

If we inquire what favors they are, that we may receive by asking for them in faith nothing wavering; the Lord says in the first verse already quoted. "What things soever ye desire when ye pray." And in the other. "All things whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer believeing [believing]." And we have no right to limit the Lord in his plan of dealing favors to men. Neither

have we any right to deny facts, or make assertions calculated if possible to cause others to waver from an unshaken faith, and thereby hinder their blessings. Whatsoever a man may find to be his privilege with his God, we have no right to dishearten him, or to hinder his faith through our unbelief.

"Why could we not cast him out," said the diciples [disciples] to the Lord, on a certain occasion; and he answered them, "because of your unbelief." See Mathew [Matthew] 17, 19, 20. Now they were not so established in their own opinion, as to deny the faith he taught, and he went on to teach them saying: "For verily I say unto you, if ye have faith as a grain of mustardseed [mustard seed], ye shall say unto this mountain, remove to yonder place, and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you." Observe he says, "and nothing shall be impossible unto you." Here, again he makes the promise unlimited, as also in the two other cases. In the first he says, "What things soever ye desire when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them." And in the other, "And all things whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing ye shall receive." And in this "and nothing shall be impossible unto you." This is the Lord's teaching, and if we reject his teaching, it is to receive the unbelieving notions of men who do away the teachings and promises of the Lord, through their unbelief. But after all that men can say, it is the Lord's promise, and as to the faith, it was the Lord that taught it and if we reject it we reject his teachings. Now let the Lord be true, and let his teachings be for our belief and then we cannot deny the faith because the Lord taught it; and we cannot disbelieve the promise because it is the Lord's own words, for we cannot reject the Lord's teaching or disbelieve his words. And if we cannot deny the faith or disbelieve the promise, we must confess that it is nothing but unbelief that hinders men from enjoying the same priveleges [privileges] now, that the ancient saints enjoyed. For we find that those privileges have not been sought in faith nothing wavering, but rather have been disbelieved, and denied. The promise is too plain to be misunderstood, and if we put it to the test, we shall find that it is of the Lord. If we prove the promise and find that it is of the Lord; for if it is of the Lord it is truth. "And all things whatsoever ye ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive. For this is the promise, and if we prove it and find that we do receive all things whatsoever we ask in prayer, believing, then we find that we have the same privileges, that the ancient saints enjoyed; that we have the glorious privilege, of receiving communications from heaven; and knowing the truth of our holy religion; of knowing God and things of eternity. This doctrine so confidentially received by the ancient saints, and upon which rests all the certainty of the truth of our holy religion is a glorious truth.

C. BIDDLECOME.