“More things are wrought by prayer than
    This world dreams of.”

The Bible is a record of achievements impossible to man.  They are achievements of leaderships, emancipations, governments, getting money for building God’s houses, making strong the weak, waxing valiant in fight, and turning the world upside down.  The trouble with many of our modern saints is that they seek for purity only instead of power, ecstasy instead of excellence, self-satisfaction in a garden of spices instead of a baptism that straightens them out in a garden of agony.  They are seekers of spiritual joys instead of good governments, cities well policed and sewered, with every street safe for the feet of innocence.  The next revelation of new possibilities of grace that will break out of the old Word will be that of power.

How will this divine aid manifest itself?  In the giving of wisdom for our plans and their execution.  God will not help in any foolish plans.  He wants no St. Peter’s built in a village of six hundred people, no temple, except on a Moriah to which a whole nation goes up.  Due proportion is a law of all his creations.  The disciples planned not only to begin at Jerusalem, but to stay there.  Their plans were wrong, and they had to be driven out by persecutions and martyrdoms (Acts viii, 4).  But Africa, Europe, and Asia eagerly received the light which Jerusalem resisted.  Some ministers to-day stay by their fine Jerusalems when the kitchens of the surrounding country wait to welcome them.  The Spirit suffered not Paul to go into Bithynia, but sent him to Macedonia.  Had he then persisted in going to Asia his work would have been in vain.

We may expect wisdom in the choice of the human agents we select.  Half a general’s success lies in his choice of lieutenants.  No class leader should be appointed nor steward nominated till after prayer for divine guidance.  God has more efficient men for his Church than we know of.  He is thinking of Paul when we see only Matthias (Acts i, 26).  When Paul had to depart asunder from Barnabas God sent him Silas, the fellow-singer in the dungeon, and Timothy, who was dearer to him than any other man.

We may expect opposition to be diminished or thwarted.  Let Hezekiah spread every letter of Rab-shakeh before the Lord and pray (2 Kings xix, 14).  The answer will be, “I have heard” (v. 20).  Let the answer to every slander that Gashmu repeateth among the heathen be, “O Lord, strengthen my hands” (Neh. vi, 9); “My God, think thou upon Tobiah and Sanballat according to these their works” (v. 14).  Then all the heathen and enemies will “perceive that this work was wrought of our God” (v. l6).  “When a man’s ways please the Lord, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.”  The purpose of the manifestation of the Son of God was “that he might destroy the works of the devil” (1 John iii, 8).