Chapter 30—Presumptuous Prayer

BIBLE GEM

“Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up cry nor prayer for them, neither make intercession to Me: for I will not hear thee.”—Jeremiah 7:16CWG 73.1

QUESTION

What is presumption? How may I guard against presumption when I pray?CWG 73.2

ANSWER

Presumption defined: “Presumption is Satan's counterfeit of faith. Faith claims God's promises, and brings forth fruit in obedience. Presumption also claims the promises, but uses them as Satan did, to excuse transgression. Faith would have led our first parents to trust the love of God, and to obey His commands. Presumption led them to transgress His law, believing that His great love would save them from the consequence of their sin.”—The Desire of Ages, 126CWG 73.3

“That so-called faith in Christ which professes to release men from the obligation of obedience to God, is not faith, but presumption.”—Steps to Christ, 61CWG 73.4

“It is presumption to indulge in suppositions and theories regarding matters that God has not made known to us in His Word. We need not enter into speculation regarding our future state.”—Selected Messages 1:173CWG 73.5

A common temptation: “Presumption is a common temptation, and as Satan assails men with this, he obtains the victory nine times out of ten. Those who profess to be followers of Christ, and claim by their faith to be enlisted in the warfare against all evil in their nature, frequently plunge without thought into temptations from which it would require a miracle to bring them forth unsullied.... The promises of God are not for us rashly to claim while we rush on recklessly into danger.... This is the most flagrant presumption.”—Testimonies For The Church 4:44, 45CWG 73.6

Satan tempted Christ on presumption: “He then urged Christ to give him one more proof of His entire dependence upon God one more evidence of His faith that He was the Son of God, by casting Himself from the temple....CWG 74.1

The Redeemer of the world.... would not, at Satan's suggestion, tempt God by presumptuously experimenting on His providence.”—Selected Messages 1:282CWG 74.2

“He refused to presume upon the mercy of His Father by placing Himself in peril that would make it necessary for His heavenly Father to display His power to save Him from danger.”—Selected Messages 1:283CWG 74.3

Presumption in prayer: “To claim that prayer will always be answered in the very way and for the particular thing that we desire, is presumption.”—Steps to Christ, 96CWG 74.4

Balaam's presumption: “He did not seek to do the will of God, but chose his own course, and then endeavored to secure the sanction of the Lord.CWG 74.5

“There are thousands at the present day who are pursuing a similar course. They would have no difficulty in understanding their duty if it were in harmony with their inclinations.... But because these evidences are contrary to their desires and inclinations, they frequently set them aside and presume to go to God to learn their duty.”—Patriarchs and Prophets, 440, 441CWG 74.6

SUMMARY AND PRAYER THOUGHT

When we are unwilling to confess and forsake known sin in our lives, then prayer becomes a presumption.CWG 74.7

The Lord told Jeremiah to stop praying for the Israelites. Almost the whole nation had forgotten God's ten commandments, and they did all the degrading and abominable sins of the heathen nations around them. They boasted that they were the children of Abraham, the chosen nation, yet for those sins God wiped out the previous inhabitants of Palestine.CWG 74.8

Sin blinded their eyes. Their prayers became presumption. They thought that God was too good to execute justice and judgment for their unrepented sins. What a sad history. God allowed national tragedy that at least some may come to their senses and repent.CWG 74.9

There is a parallel here in our days. TV and sin have misled and blinded us. We have no idea how far we have drifted from God, yet we say we are commandment keeping SDA's.CWG 74.10

Wonderful Jesus, most of us don't realize that we are unprepared because sin has blinded our eyes and soon the “New World Order” also called “One World Government” will force every nation and then every person to receive the mark of the beast.CWG 75.1

Prayer of presumption while we revel in sin will not be good enough to prepare us to say no.CWG 75.2