Lying tongues were busy against the reputation of David, but he
did not defend himself; he moved the case into a higher court, and
pleaded before the great King Himself. Prayer is the safest method of
replying to words of hatred. The Psalmist prayed in no cold-hearted
manner, he gave himself to the exercise--threw his whole soul and
heart into it--straining every sinew and muscle, as Jacob did when
wrestling with the angel. Thus, and thus only, shall any of us speed
at the throne of grace. As a shadow has no power because there is no
substance in it, even so that supplication, in which a man's proper
self is not thoroughly present in agonizing earnestness and vehement
desire, is utterly ineffectual, for it lacks that which would give it
force. "Fervent prayer," says an old divine, "like a cannon planted
at the gates of heaven, makes them fly open." The common fault with
the most of us is our readiness to yield to distractions. Our
thoughts go roving hither and thither, and we make little progress
towards our desired end. Like quicksilver our mind will not hold
together, but rolls off this way and that. How great an evil this is!
It injures us, and what is worse, it insults our God. What should we
think of a petitioner, if, while having an audience with a prince, he
should be playing with a feather or catching a fly?
Continuance and perseverance are intended in the expression of
our text. David did not cry once, and then relapse into silence; his
holy clamour was continued till it brought down the blessing. Prayer
must not be our chance work, but our daily business, our habit and
vocation. As artists give themselves to their models, and poets to
their classical pursuits, so must we addict ourselves to prayer. We
must be immersed in prayer as in our element, and so pray without
ceasing. Lord, teach us so to pray that we may be more and more
prevalent in supplication.
