k of
faith is our lack of knowledge of God and intercourse with Him. "Have
faith in God," Jesus said when He spoke of removing mountains. It is as
a soul knows God, is occupied with His power, love, and faithfulness,
comes away out of self and the world, and allows the light of God to
shine on it, that unbelief will become impossible. All the mysteries and
difficulties connected with answers to prayer will, however little we
may be able to solve them intellectually, be swallowed up in the adoring
assurance: "This God is our God. He will bless us. He does indeed
answer prayer. And the grace to pray I am asking for He will delight to
give." (Note C.)

4. "What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that _ye have
received_," now as you pray.--_Faith has to accept the answer, as given
by God in heaven, before it is found or felt upon earth._ This point
causes difficulty, and yet it is of the very essence of believing
prayer, its real secret. Try and take it in. Spiritual things can only
be spiritually apprehended or appropriated. The spiritual heavenly
blessing of God's answer to your prayer must be spiritually recognised
and accepted before you feel anything of it. It is faith does this. A
soul that not only seeks an answer, but seeks first the God who gives
the answer, receives the power to know that it has what it has asked of
Him. If it knows that it has asked according to His will and promises,
and that it has come to and found Himself to give it, it does believe
that it has received. "We know that He heareth us."

There is nothing so heart-searching as this faith, "_Believe that ye
have received._" As we strive to believe, and find we cannot, it leads
us to discover what there is that hinders. Blessed is the man who holds
nothing back, and lets nothing hold him back, but, with his eye and
heart on God alone, refuses to rest till he has believed what our Lord
bids him, "that he has received." Here is the place where Jacob becomes
Israel, and the power of prevailing prayer is born out of human weakness
and despair. Here comes in the real need for persevering and
ever-importunate prayer, that will not rest, or go away, or give up,
till it knows it is heard, and believes that it has received.

You pray for "the Spirit of grace and supplication"? As you ask for it
in strong desire, and believe in God who hears prayer, do not be afraid
to press on and believe that your life can indeed be changed, that the
world w