ast striven with God and with men, and hast
prevailed." And through all the ages God's children have understood,
what Christ's two parables teach, that God holds Himself back, and seeks
to get away from us, until what is of flesh and self and sloth in us is
overcome, and we so prevail with Him that He can and must bless us. Oh!
why is it that so many of God's children have no desire for this
honour--being princes of God, strivers with God, and prevailing? What
our Lord taught us, "What things soever ye desire, _believe that ye
have received_," is nothing but His putting of Jacob's words, "I will
not let Thee go except thou bless me." This is the importunity He
teaches, and we must learn: to claim and take the blessing.

Think of Moses when Israel had made the golden calf. Moses returned to
the Lord and said, "Oh, this people have sinned a great sin. Yet now, if
Thou wilt forgive their sin--; and if not, blot me, I pray Thee, out of
Thy book which Thou hast written." That was importunity, that would
rather die than not have his people given him. Then, when God had heard
him, and said He would send His angel with the people, Moses came again,
and would not be content until, in answer to his prayer that God Himself
should go with them (xxxiii. 12, 17, 18), He had said, "I will do this
thing also that thou hast spoken." After that, when in answer to his
prayer, "Show me Thy glory," God made His goodness pass before him, he
at once again began pleading, "Let my Lord, I pray Thee, go among us."
And he was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights (Ex. xxxiv.
28). Of these days he says, "I fell down before the Lord, as at the
first, forty days and forty nights, I did neither eat bread, nor drink
water, because of all your sin which ye sinned." As an intercessor Moses
used importunity with God, and prevailed. He proves that the man who
truly lives near to God, and with whom God speaks face to face, becomes
partaker of that same power of intercession which there is in Him who is
at God's right hand and ever lives to pray.

Think of Elijah in his prayer, first for fire, and then for rain. In the
former you have the importunity that claims and receives an immediate
answer. In the latter, bowing himself down to the earth, his face
between his knees, his answer to the servant who had gone to look toward
the sea, and come with the message, "There is nothing," was "Go again
seven times." Here was the importunity of perseverance.