Are you ready for a “mic drop?”
An “obvious” is “the prevalency of prayer behind the door” (as Thomas Brooks would say). Brooks’ use of word pictures helps us “get it.” Then he adds stories that act like windows to see the truth in action. Be encouraged by his exhortation on the prevalency of prayer from behind the door.
Private prayer, like Saul’s sword and Jonathan’s bow, when duly qualified as to the person and act, never returns empty; it hits the mark, it carries the day with God; it pierceth the walls of heaven, though, like those of Gaza, made of brass and iron, Isa. 45:2. Oh, who can express the powerful oratory of private prayer!
Mr Dod reports, that when many good people had often sought the Lord in the behalf of a woman that was possessed with the devil, and yet could not prevail, at last they appointed a day for fasting and prayer; at which time there came a poor woman to the chamber door where the exercise was begun and craved entrance, but she being poor they would not admit her in; upon that the poor woman kneeled down behind the door and sought God by prayer. But she had not prayed long before the evil spirit raged, roared, and cried out in the possessed woman, ‘Take away the old woman behind the door, for I must be gone; take away the old woman behind the door, for I must be gone.’ And so by the old woman’s prayers behind the door he was cast out. Oh the prevalency of prayer behind the door! And thus you see by all these great instances the great prevalency of private prayer.
In Brooks’ writing he gives a thorough scriptural support of his point. Example after example can be found in his writings. I’m pulling the reigns back from making this too lengthy, but I think his picture is clear. Oh how great is the prevalency of private prayer!
Does this encouragement from Thomas Brooks motive you to stop and seek private time with God to pray? I remember the quote from D.L. Moody talking about when he gets to heaven:
“Next to the wonder of seeing my Savior will be, I think, that I made so little use of the power of prayer.”
Mic drop!
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Brooks, T. (1866). The Complete Works of Thomas Brooks. (A. B. Grosart, Ed.) (Vol. 2, pp. 182–183). Edinburgh; London; Dublin: James Nichol; James Nisbet and Co.; G. Herbert.
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