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Grieve Not The Spirit
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


The first lesson each believer in Christ should learn is that immediately upon believing he is given everlasting life. Referring to this fact Ephesians 1:13,14 says:

    “In whom ye also trusted, having heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also having believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise.”

Mark well, the believer is not sealed by the Holy Spirit, but “with” the Holy Spirit. The Spirit Himself is the seal. Every sincere believer in Christ, then, should rejoice in an accomplished redemption and rest in the fact that the Holy Spirit will keep him eternally safe.

But while we cannot lose the Holy Spirit we can, and often do, grieve the Holy Spirit, as we read in Eph. 4:30. This is why we are told in Rom. 8:26 that the Spirit “helpeth our infirmities” and makes intercession for us, that we might live lives which please and honor God.

The wonderful fact is, however, that “nothing,” not even an aggrieved Spirit shall “separate us from the love of God” (Rom. 8:38,39). Thus in the same breath with which the Apostle exhorts us not to grieve the Spirit he again reassures us that this same Spirit keeps us eternally safe:

    “And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption” (Eph. 4:30).

Does this encourage careless living? Those who think so have missed the whole point of Paul’s appeal. The Apostle does not warn the believer that if he grieves the Spirit he will be lost. Rather, in grace he exhorts:

    “Do not grieve the very Spirit who in mercy and love has sealed you as forever His own. Do not repay such love with such ingratitude.”

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To Hear Father Speak
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


    “The voice of Thy thunder was in the heaven: the lightnings
    lightened the world: the earth trembled and shook” (Psalm 77:18.).

Fortunately dad was a builder, for with a family of ten, and missionaries and Bible teachers so often entertained as guests, it took a large home to accommodate us all.

Not only did we have a large home; it was also the highest house in the city of Paterson, New Jersey, with its rear, second-floor porch affording a commanding view of the city and its surroundings.

This porch came into its most memorable use during thunderstorms.  Often when such storms gathered dad would say to mother and us children:

    “Let’s go out and hear Father speak.”

Never will we forget those impressive occasions! From our “grandstand” seats we watched many a dramatic electrical storm and were thrilled to “hear Father speak” in the rolling thunder as His clouds poured out their rain on the city below.

By taking us out to see such “shows” — God’s shows — dad accomplished two purposes. He helped to rid us of the excessive fear of electrical storms that unnerve so many people, and he gave us a small glimpse of the infinite greatness of our great God.

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Who's To Blame?
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


This writer was a bit irked, recently, to read the following paragraph in one of our leading Chicago newspapers:

“Professional thieves and joy-ride-happy teen-agers are not to blame for most auto thefts. It’s true that they are the ones who do the stealing — but the careless motorist must bear the blame… When not in use, cars should be locked.”

Just think this through: More than 1,000 cars stolen every day throughout the nation, but those who steal them should not be blamed — the owners should be blamed for not making it impossible for the thief to steal his car!

Man has always been a master at “blame shifting.” Adam said to God, in effect: “It’s not my fault; it’s that woman you gave me.” Eve said: “Don’t blame me. The serpent deceived me,” and ever since, the descendants of the first couple have been adept at shifting the blame.

But now it’s getting so that the courts defend and protect the criminals and even blame the innocent for not making it impossible for the criminal to act! It is a shame that we have to lock our cars against theft — and it is a stigma on our society. Some judges don’t see it that way, but God does. Read Romans 2:2:

    “But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against those who commit such things.”

We may all be grateful, though, that it was the very justice — as well as the love — of God, that caused Him to take on Himself human form and pay for our sins at Calvary. God cannot overlook sin, yet He loves the sinner. This is why He paid for all our sins at Calvary, and this, too, is why we may now be “justified freely by His grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 3:24). “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:31).

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Our National Frustration
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


The administration has been launching a counter-attack against what it calls “the rising mood of national frustration” over the contest with the Soviet Union.  This “mood of national frustration” is reflected daily in the press and over radio and TV. So much of the news, lately, is disheartening; so little encouraging. But this national frustration is not basically the result of Soviet saber-rattling; it is the result of our own moral and spiritual decadence, for the same newspapers that carry so much bad news about communism, are filled with reports of drunkenness, rape, murder, corruption in business and government, and all kinds of immorality, vice and crime. And what is the reason for all this wickedness?  America is getting farther and farther away from the Bible and its message about Christ  and His redeeming work. While proclaiming man’s inherent goodness, men are  demonstrating their inherent badness and their need of salvation.

True Christians are not frustrated by the present circumstances, however. Acknowledging  that they are unworthy in themselves and confessing Christ as the One who “bore our sins in His own body on the tree” (I Pet. 2:24), they rejoice that they stand before God “accepted in the Beloved [One]” (Eph. 1:6). “Therefore, being justified by faith, [they] have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom. 5:1) and claim His help in all they do.  Far from being frustrated, the true believer in Christ exclaims with Paul: “Thanks be unto God, who always causeth us to triumph in Christ” (II Cor. 2:14).

Do men consider him the loser because he is despised and sometimes persecuted by those who do not share his concern about sin and salvation? He replies: “Nay, in all these things we are MORE THAN CONQUERORS, through Him that loved us” (Rom. 8:37). Is he afraid? Not at all. Enjoying a personal relationship with God, he says:“HE HATH SAID: I WILL NEVER LEAVE THEE, NOR FORSAKE THEE, SO THAT WE MAY BOLDLY SAY:… I WILL NOT FEAR WHAT MAN SHALL DO UNTO ME” (Heb. 13:5,6).

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Will Call
by Pastor Paul M. Sadler


Some years ago my grandfather gave me a memorable gift. It was a ticket to see a Pittsburgh Pirates baseball game at Forbes Field. Being an avid baseball fan at the time, this was the gift of a lifetime. My grandfather had paid for the ticket in advance, but left instructions that I was to go to the “Will Call” window at the ballpark to pick it up. Before I could enter the stadium I had to have proof that payment was made, which “Will Call” provided in the form of a ticket. If I failed to arrive on time and pick up my ticket I would miss the opportunity to attend the game.

“Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift” of His Son. God sent His only begotten Son to die for our sins. My friend, He personally had you in mind. You see, to enter into the presence of a holy and righteous God, you must be perfect. Of course, someone is sure to say, “But, nobody’s perfect!” Herein lies the problem, you must be perfect; otherwise you will suffer the eternal consequences of your sins in the lake of fire. The Bible says, “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God,” which is a sad commentary on each of our lives (Rom. 3:23). Thankfully, Christ’s finished work on the Cross is God’s answer to the sin question. He paid the full debt of your sins at Calvary that you might have eternal life.

But what must you do to be saved from your sins and the wrath to come? Your ticket to eternal life, which has already been paid in advance, is waiting for you at God’s “Will Call.” According to the Scriptures: “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." (Romans 10:13)

I am happy to say I arrived at the “Will Call” window on time that day and enjoyed the ballgame. Years later someone shared with me about another gift, one that would be life-changing. It was the gift of God’s dear Son. When I called upon the Lord He saved me by His grace. It was a decision I have never regretted. But what about you, my friend? God’s “Will Call” is open today, but if you die in your sins, you will have missed your opportunity to be saved from the judgment to come. “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved!” (Acts 16:31).

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Liberty Not License
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


The fact that we are given perfect liberty in Christ does not mean that we should spend our lives in gratifying our own fleshly desires. Just the opposite is the case. Believers have been delivered from the bondage of childhood and given the liberty of full-grown sons in Christ (Gal. 3:24; 4:1-7), and this advance from infancy to maturity in itself implies the acquisition of a sense of responsibility.

The doctrine of our liberty in Christ does not support, it rather refutes, the false theory that those who are under grace may do anything they please. Paul was “slanderously reported” in this connection (Rom. 3:8.), but there were carnal believers then, as there are now, who actually did use their liberty as license to gratify their own desires. To turn from liberty to license in this way is fully as serious an error as to turn from liberty to law.

Many a believer, motivated only by his own fleshly desires and not at all by love for Christ or others, has indulged in pleasures of the flesh and of the world, justifying himself on the ground that he is under grace and has liberty in Christ. Taking others down with him in his spiritual declension he complains of any who would help him, that, “They are trying to put me under the law”.

Such are actually guilty of departing from grace, for “the grace of God…hath appeared”:

    “Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world;

    “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;

    “Who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works” (Titus 2:11-14).

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The Christian's Prayer Life
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


Prayer to God manifestly must hold great importance to those who would be truly spiritual. While God’s Word to us is always to have first place in our lives, prayer must certainly have second place; indeed, we must even study God’s Word with prayer for understanding and willingness to obey.

The Scriptures everywhere exhort God’s people to pray, and in the Epistles of Paul we find greater cause, greater reason and greater incentive than ever to pray — to pray “always,” “in everything,” “without ceasing.” The example of our Lord and of His apostles — particularly Paul — is a call to prayer. Every need, every anxiety, every heartache is a call to prayer. Every temptation, every defeat — yes, and every victory is a call to prayer.

Yet, merely praying, or even spending much time in prayer, is not in itself evidence of true spirituality. Many carnal Christians, still “babes in Christ,” and even many unsaved people, spend much time in prayer. But the truly spiritual believer will join the Apostle Paul in saying: “I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also” (I Cor. 14:15). “With the spirit”: earnestly, fervently, pouring out to God my adoration, my supplications and my thanks. And “with the understanding also”: intelligently, with a clear grasp of what the Scriptures, rightly divided, say about God’s will and His provisions for my prayer life in this present dispensation of grace.

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The Sins That Are Past
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


In Chapter 3 of St. Paul’s letter to the Romans he declares that God has set forth Christ as a satisfaction for man’s sin and that redemption is obtained by faith in “His blood,” or His payment for sin at Calvary, entirely apart from works, religious or otherwise (Rom. 3:21-26).

But in this same passage he states that this “remission” concerns the “sins that are past” (Ver. 25). What does he mean by this? Some have taught from this verse that when a sinner turns to God for salvation all his sins are forgiven up to that time and now that he is saved he is henceforth responsible for himself. But this would mean that God saves men by His grace only to turn them over again to their own weak and sinful natures. If this were the case, the converted sinner would be lost again the same day, for what Christian believer is wholly free from sin?

Paul rather looks back here at past ages and declares that we now know and proclaim that men like Abel, Noah and Abraham, and also like Moses, David and Daniel (who lived under the Law) were actually saved by the redemption wrought by Christ, although Christ’s death was still future in their day. In other words, Christ died, not only for the sins which we have committed, but also for the “sins which are past.” The believers of past ages simply believed what God told them then, and God counted them righteous (Gen. 15:6) on the basis of Christ’s coming payment for sin.

We have the same truth set forth in Hebrews 9:15, where we are told that Christ’s death availed also “for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first covenant,” i.e., the Law.

How blessed we are to live at a time when God’s plan of salvation has been fully revealed, and that we can now look to the Lord Jesus Christ and exclaim with Paul:

    “He loved me, and gave Himself for me!” (Gal. 2:20).

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Paul's Two Roman Imprisonments
by Pastor Paul M. Sadler


Scripture Reading:

    “For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love His appearing.”
    – II Timothy 4:6-8

Approximately two years after being delivered into the hands of Roman authorities things had apparently gone well for the apostle, therefore he anticipated his soon release from prison. Thus he writes to the church at Philippi: “For I know that this [their prayer for his release] shall turn to my salvation [deliverance from prison]” (Phil. 1:9).

We believe that Paul did in fact enjoy a short period of freedom which enabled him to continue his apostolic journeys. We know, for example, that according to the Acts record the apostle never visited Crete on any of his previous apostolic journeys. Paul did sail around the island on his way to Rome as a prisoner, but it was not until his release from his first Roman imprisonment that he actually visited Crete. The apostle’s brief stay on the island was long enough to see that the churches there were in a state of chaos (Titus 1:10-16). Consequently, Paul leaves Titus behind, his companion in travel, “to set in order the things that were wanting” (Titus 1:5).

Probably from Crete Paul made his way to Corinth where he writes to Titus to inform him that he planned to winter in Nicopolis (Titus 3:12). It could well be that the apostle was apprehended at Nicopolis and taken again to Rome for preaching Christ. This time however, the sentence would go against him. So without hesitation he writes to Timothy, since it was nearing winter, to bring his cloak and also the Parchments (II Tim. 4:13).

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Doubting Thomas
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


Don’t believe your doubts. Believe God’s Word.

Said our Lord: “Whither I go ye know, and the way ye know” (John 14:4).

Said Thomas: “We know NOT whither Thou goest, and how can we know the way?” (Verse 5).

Who was right? Of course our Lord was right. He knows us better than we know ourselves. But Thomas, believing his doubts rather than his Lord, found himself not merely questioning, but contradicting Christ Himself.

The trouble was that Thomas was thinking on a lower level than was our Lord. Thomas was thinking only in terms of locality and method, while our Lord had persons in mind. All through these pre-crucifixion chapters of John, our Lord appears to be occupied with thoughts about His Father, He had not been talking about going to heaven, but of going to the Father (13;1; 14:12). Nor had He referred to moral conduct or theological dogma when He said, “the way ye know”. Rather He had referred to Himself, who alone could gain for Thomas an entrance to the Father. “No man cometh unto the Father,” He said, “but by Me” (14:6).

So our Lord was right. Thomas did know whither Christ was going: “to the Father.” And he did know Christ, the way. Had Thomas, rather than our Lord, been right, Thomas would have been a lost soul but, only a few hours later, in our Lord’s hallowed prayer to His Father, He was to say: “This is life eternal, that they might know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou has sent” (John 17:3).

We must be careful about criticizing Thomas too severely, for while he was apt to look on the dark side of things he was also ready to give his life for his Lord. Of all the apostles, it was he alone who said, when the Lord proposed to go to Judaea shortly before His crucifixion, “Let us also go, that we may die with Him” (John 11:16).

At our Lord’s resurrection, however, we again find Thomas believing his doubts, in fact, defending them, as he says: “Except I shall… put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into His side, I will not believe” (John 20:25). But when, “after eight days,” he was invited to do just that — as he stood in the very presence of Him who is “the resurrection and the life”, he repented the folly of his unbelief and exclaimed, “My Lord and my God!” (Verse 28.).

Lesson: Don’t believe your doubts. Believe what God says.

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The Supreme Critic
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


About 1900 years ago St. Paul wrote to Timothy, with regard to the sacred Scriptures:

    “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (II Tim.3:16).

This truth has been confirmed by overwhelming evidence, and those who have tried, through the centuries, to overthrow the Bible have been about as successful as a man trying to overthrow the Rock of Gibraltar with a pea shooter.

Furthermore, the Word of God towers above the clergy as well as above the laity. The Bereans were called “noble” because they put the words of even the great Apostle Paul to the test of Scripture, to see if he taught anything contrary to it.

That blessed Book is the Supreme Critic. If we overlook vital doctrine, it is the Book that will “teach” us. If we handle the Word deceitfully, it is the Book that will “reprove” us. If we go astray in our conclusions, it is the Book that will “correct” us. Where moral questions are involved, it is the Book that will “instruct us in righteousness.” Well do we remember when we were first convicted by the Bible as the written Word of God — and we have never ceased to thank God for the blessed results.

This Book condemns men as sinners before a holy God, but presents salvation free and complete through the vicarious death of Christ at Calvary.

    “Christ died for our sins” (I Cor. 15:3).

    “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved” (Acts 16:31).

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The Teachings of Jesus
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


In the controversy over “Pauline truth,” not a few Fundamentalists have joined Modernists in attempting to exalt “the teachings of Jesus” (on earth) above the Word of God through Paul. “Which,” they ask, “should bear the greater weight with us, the words of Jesus, or the words of Paul?”

But do they ask this because they truly desire to obey these “words of Jesus” and to see them obeyed? No, for they flagrantly disregard and disobey them, from the Sermon on the Mount to the Great Commission.

With regard to the Sermon on the Mount, they do not subject themselves to the law of Moses (Matt. 5:17-19); they do not bring gifts to altars of sacrifice (5:23,24); they do not give freely to all who ask of them (5:42; 10:8,9); they do not refrain from laying up treasures on earth (6:19,25,26); they do not sell what they have and give alms (Luke 6:30; 12:33).

And while professing obedience to the so-called “Great Commission” as “the Church’s marching orders,” they do not proclaim faith and baptism for salvation (Mark 16:16); they do not—they cannot—perform miraculous signs (Mark 16:17,18.); they do not give the Jew first place in their ministry (Luke 24:47; Acts 1:8.), and they certainly do not teach others to observe all things that Messiah on earth commanded (Matt. 28:20 cf. 23:1-3).

They set “the teachings of Jesus” (on earth) over against “the teachings of Paul,” not because they are determined to obey Jesus, but because they are determined to minimize that which God has “magnified”—the authority of Paul as “the apostle of the Gentiles” (Rom. 11:13).

They seek to exalt the teachings of the earthly Jesus above those of Paul because they have closed their ears to the oft-repeated and Spirit-inspired claims of Paul that the glorified Lord spoke again from heaven, to and through him, committing to him “the dispensation of the grace of God” and the program for the day in which we live (Acts 20:24; 22:6-10,17-21; 26:12-18; Rom. 11:13; 15:15,16; 16:25,26; I Cor. 3:10; 11:23; 15:3; II Cor. 5:16; Gal. 1:1,11,12; 2:7-9; Eph. 3:1-4,8,9; 6:18-20; Phil. 4:9; Col. 1:23-27; I Thes. 4:15; II Thes. 3:14; I Tim. 2:5-7; II Tim. 2:7-9; Titus 1:2,3, etc.).

They have forgotten the stern rebuke the Galatians received for failing to recognize Paul’s teachings as a message from the risen, exalted Christ (Gal. 1:6-12). They have taken lightly Paul’s words to the Corinthians:

    “…if I come again I will not spare: since ye seek a proof of Christ speaking in me…” (II Cor. 13:2,3).

They have distorted Paul’s inspired admonition as to his own writings:

    “If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness; he is proud, knowing nothing…from such withdraw thyself” (I Tim. 6:3-5).

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Small Talk
by Pastor John Fredericksen


“This is some weather we’ve been having.”  While there is nothing wrong with the “small talk” about trivial things that occupies much of our interaction, based on the Book of Titus, the Apostle Paul would almost certainly encourage us to cultivate conversations about bigger and more important things.

Paul told Titus to “speak thou the things which become sound doctrine” (2:1).  In other words, Paul wanted this co-worker to consciously talk about meaningful things that would ground the saints in truths for today and encourage them to live for the Lord.  Paul instructed the “aged men” to act like men of real spiritual maturity (2:2).  That meant to purposely serve as examples to follow in godliness.  Paul specifies areas of conduct such as being serious-minded, sound in doctrine, loving, and patient; but the context seems to imply he also wanted their discussions to be weighted with spiritual content.

Paul likewise urges the “aged women” to pay careful attention to sound, godly behaviour that “becometh holiness” (2:3).  But he also tells them to be teachers, or to talk to young women about proper, godly living within their home and marriage.  Paul instructs Titus to speak to the “young men” about the importance of being consistently serious-minded about living for the Lord, so that they serve as an example or “a pattern of good works: [and] in doctrine shewing uncorruptness, gravity, and sincerity” (2:6-7).

Paul continues by telling Titus to constantly remind all saints to be very careful to be “ready to every good work” and to “be careful to maintain good works” (3:1; 3:8.).  It is noteworthy that Paul also tells Titus, “These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority.  Let no man despise thee” (2:15).  Here we see an anticipation that some would prefer “small talk” and not appreciate serious discussions about spiritual matters, but as a servant of Christ, Titus was encouraged to keep on talking about important things, no matter how others responded.

As we think about these instructions to Titus, we should remember to apply them to our own daily walk.  We too need to move beyond just “small talk” with other saints and cultivate discussions that will encourage true, godly living and doctrine.  When we do, our own walk can become a walk with more purpose and meaning, and we can have a positive spiritual impact on others that will be a cause of rejoicing in eternity.

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An Old-Fashioned Doctrine
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


How many there are whose hearts would be thrilled if they understood the old-fashioned Bible doctrine of sanctification!

Sanctification is not a negative matter: “Don’t do this” and “Don’t do that.” It is rather the positive truth that God wants us for Himself as a sacred possession, much as a bridegroom considers his bride his very own in a special, sacred way.

Bible sanctification is a twofold truth, affecting both our standing before God and our spiritual state. In one sense every true believer in Christ has already been sanctified, or consecrated to God, by the operation of the Holy Spirit. Thus we read:

    “…God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit…” (II Thes. 2: 13).

    “Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit…” (IPet.1:2).

This has nothing to do with our conduct. God did it. Sanctification begins with Him. Thus Paul could write to even the careless Corinthian believers and say: “Ye are sanctified” (1 Cor. 6:11; cf. Acts 20:32; 26:18.), i.e., “God has set you apart for Himself.” This phase of sanctification is based on the redemptive work of Christ in our behalf, for Heb. 10:10 says: “We are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”

But now God would have us appreciate this fact and conduct ourselves accordingly, consecrating ourselves ever more completely to Him. This is practical, progressive sanctification. “For this is the will of God, even your sanctification” (I Thes. 4:3). Hence Paul’s benediction: “The very God of peace sanctify you wholly” (I Thes. 5:23), and his exhortation to Timothy to be “a vessel unto honor, sanctified, and meet [fit] for the Master’s use” (II Tim. 2:21).

How can believers be more wholly sanctified to God in their practical experience? By studying and meditating on His Word. Our Lord prayed: “Sanctify them through Thy truth: Thy Word is truth” (John 17:17), and Paul declares that “Christ… loved the Church and gave Himself for it, that He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word” (Eph. 5:25,26).

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The Purpose of Prayer
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam


The question is sometimes asked: If God’s will and purpose are unalterable, why pray? The answer is simply: Because the divine purpose, which any answer to prayer must represent, includes the prayer itself. It is enough that He “who worketh all things after the counsel of His own will” (Eph. 1:11) invites and exhorts His people to “come boldly unto the throne of grace” to “let [their] requests be made known unto God” (Heb. 4:16; Phil. 4:6).

But prayer is not merely petition, as many suppose. It is one aspect of active communion with God (meditation on the Word being the other) and includes adoration, thanksgiving and confession, as well as supplication. Hyde, in God’s Education of Alan, Pp. 154,155, says: “Prayer is the communion of two wills, in which the finite comes into connection with the Infinite, and, like the trolley, appropriates its purpose and power.”

We have an example of this in the record of our Lord’s prayer in the garden, for, while He is not to be classed with finite men, yet He laid aside His glory, became “a servant” (Phil. 2:7) and “learned obedience” (Heb. 5:8; Phil. 2:8.). In this place of subjection He made definite and earnest requests of His Father, but closed His prayer with the words: “Nevertheless, not My will, but Thine, be done” (Luke 22:42) with the result that He was “strengthened” for the ordeal He had to face (Ver. 43).

Thus prayer is not merely a means of “getting things from God” but a God-appointed means of fellowship with Him, and all acceptable prayer will include the supplication — as sincerely desired as the rest: “Nevertheless, not My will, but Thine, be done.”