The Elect of God and Prayer
Andrew D. Urshan
There has been so much debate and contention in the church for many centuries over the question of “Election,” so we do not wish to enter in that old theological discussion, and revive it, but we do wish to speak of the most important principle of Election, and our earnest prayer is that this message will bring the divine conviction and blessing to the reader’s heart.
What we wish to take up is, “Who are the Elect of God?” Their standing before the Almighty and their divine great accomplishments.
The best way of knowing a person or a thing is to watch their outcome or fruit, as our master taught us when He said, “ye shall know them by their fruits;” for “Every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.” Here is God’s way for us to find out the true elect.
God’s selected people are called, “The trees of righteousness and the plantation of God.” A righteous tree (person) will bear the fruit of righteousness, a life that magnifies the name of the Lord of the vineyard, therefore to claim our sure election we must compare ourselves not with one another but God’s elect as described in the Word of God.
Apostle Paul speaking of the elect he says to the Colossian believers, “Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, and longsuffering.” Here is the grand picture of the elect who are first full of flowing mercy; second, tenderhearted or kind, which means gentle toward all; third, humble not only outwardly, but down deep in heart; forth, meek or willing to receive reproach without murmuring; fifth, longsuffering, or suffering patiently. Reader, have you got these divine traits down deep in your soul, are you letting the same to fill your human nature and to flow over your whole being as a good garment that will wholly cover you when it is put on.
We have still another characteristic picture of the elect spoken by the Lord Himself to which we wish to call your brotherly attention. Jesus said, “The elect which cry day and night unto Him.” What do the elect do? Backbite? Murmur? Seek pleasure? Run to and fro to make money? Endeavoring to fulfill the lust of the flesh? Getting jealous at their brethren, worrying over the cares of this life, getting indifferent and careless? No indeed, but what do they do? Jesus said, “They cry day and night or they pray earnestly and fervently unto God, what for, for themselves, no, for others, they are the watchman on the walls of Zion brokenhearted because Zion is ruined, her daughters have been taken into captivity, and her sons being killed on every side, yea, the elect cry unto God day and night, that all flesh may not be destroyed, and that the days of judgment may be shortened. Do you see the color of the elect? They are a band of people that love not only Zion, but even all flesh, they are in one word the living intercessors.
It is one thing to discuss the doctrine of election, but It is another thing to make our calling and election sure weighing ourselves in the balances of the truth. Are you one of the elect, dear reader?
Can you produce
“Bowels of mercy,
Kindness,
Humbleness,
Meekness,
And a heart full of prayer?”
While the theologians are giving themselves to discussion of the doctrine of predestination and foreknowledge of God, let us give ourselves to Prayer. Let us pray for each other and pray for the whole world, let us pray so hard and so earnestly that God may call it, “CRY.”
We read that for the sake of the elect God will shorten the days of universal sorrow, sickness, death and tribulation. Mind you, “for their sake,” the elect must have a great standing before God’s throne, they must have the favor that Moses, Samuel, Daniel and Elijah had, whose prayers changed conditions not only on the earth, but even in the Heavens. The elect alone can experimently say, “Prayer changes things.”
God truly loves a liberal and unselfish -heart which prays and prays. No wonder God gives such power and grace to the elect that all the false prophets and false Christ’s combined, cannot deceive them, though they are severely tempted. Yes, it is for the elect’s sake God is going to send His multitude of angels with great sound of the trumpet and they shall gather together His Elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
“Grace and peace he multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, according as His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that has called us to glory and virtue: whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped, the corruption that is in the world through lust, and beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. Wherefore the rather brethren make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall.” II Peter 1:2.
The above article, “The Elect of God and Prayer” was written by Andrew D. Urshan. The article was excerpted from the book The Supreme Need of the Hour.
The material is copyrighted and should not be reprinted under any other name or author. However, this material may be freely used for personal study or research purposes.
This article may not be written by an Apostolic author, but it contains many excellent principles and concepts that can be adapted to most churches. As the old saying goes, “Eat the meat. Throw away the bones.”
