Principles of Prevailing Prayer

Guy C. Bevington was an itinerant preacher in the southern United States and Ohio. The following encouraging words are from his book Remarkable Incidents and Modern Miracles Through Prayer and Faith:

"Unanswered prayers avail nothing. 'Tis the prayers that get through that will count for us and for those for whom they are offered. So, mothers, don't be careless or indifferent in your praying. God wants real, earnest, effectual, prevailing prayers.

"Many prayers are heard and answered, as we often hear Him say to the recording angel: 'Get your file and record that prayer, it has a good sound, clear ring to it; so we will have to put it on file ready for adjustment.'

"God does the giving, and we do the taking; so what we do not take we do not get. God cannot give us what we will not take.

"God has His choice things for the few
Who dare to stand the test;
God has His second choice for those
Who will not have His best."

"In which crowd are you?

"Faith drops out where our doubts step in,
And faith stops just where doubts begin."

"Faith, mighty faith, the promise sees,
And looks to that alone;
Laughs at impossibilities,
And cries, 'It shall be done!' "

"Yes, it shall be done! Amen!

"If you are now ailing, now suffering, look up; count the healing done, and it shall be done. Hallelujah! 'According to your faith;' not according to how long you have had the trouble, or how it has baffled all efforts; no, but 'according to your faith.' So look up, count it done now.

"If healing depended on our 'shalls' or 'is', it would be quite different; but listen, 'tis a 'shall,' uttered by our omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent God. Hallelujah! We have a right to trust Him to the limit, and count it done.

"God wants men and women with iron in their blood, and fire in their bones, and a pick and a shovel and a subsoil plow to turn something up. Amen and Amen!

"We sometimes get to the place where we can't pray the prayer of faith; as we may be too weak or suffering too intensely, which lessens our faculties, and renders us incapacitated for prayer. [This is when we need to hear from God and pray for one another.]"