LIBERTY UNIVERSITY

QUIET THOUGHTS ON PRAYER BY S. D. GORDON

- A READING REFLECTION

A PAPER SUBMITTED TO DR. KENNEDY ADARKWA

IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR

THE COURSE EVAN 670

LIBERTY BAPTIST THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY

BY

ELKE SPELIOPOULOS

DOWNINGTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2012

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1

ABOUT THE AUTHOR.................................................................................................................1

SUMMARY.....................................................................................................................................2

EVALUATION AND CRITIQUE..................................................................................................3

PERSONAL APPLICATION.........................................................................................................7

CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................7

BIBLIOGRAPHY............................................................................................................................9

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1

INTRODUCTION

Developing a theology and methodology of prayer seems like a daunting task. In his book

“Quiet Talks on Prayer”, first published in 1906, S. D. Gordon does not appear to set out to do

this, but rather to help his readers get a firm grasp on concepts surrounding prayer. Yet, in turn,

he does deliver just such a book. By focusing on what the Bible has to say about prayer and by

looking at Jesus as the primary example of a praying person, Gordon provides his audience with

a solid framework of prayer in God’s economy. He also helps his reader to develop a

methodology to make his prayer life richer and more attuned to God’s will.

S. D. Gordon said once, “The greatest thing anyone can do for God and man is pray. It is

not the only thing, but it is the chief thing. The great people of earth are the people who pray. I

do not mean those who talk about prayer; nor those who say they believe in prayer; nor yet those

who can explain about prayer; but I mean those people who take time to pray.”1 This book on

prayer, which Gordon left to other believers, gives the backing to become the people of God who

take time to pray, who know what exactly happens when they pray, and who are expectant in

their prayer because it is aligned with the will of God.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

S. D. Gordon was a well-loved speaker and prolific author. He was born in Philadelphia

on August 12, 1859 and died in June 1936. His education never progressed beyond a public

school education, and while he was never ordained as a minister, he sought to learn from

Scripture and followed God obediently. He became the assistant secretary of the Philadelphia

Young Men's Christian Association, which led to his becoming state secretary of the Young

Men’s Christian Association in Ohio. He delighted himself in sharing God’s truth with the

people, both those with and without an education. Unlike some of his contemporaries, he

1 Galaxie Software, “10, 000 Sermon Illustrations (Biblical Studies Press, 2002; 2002),” in Prayer.

2

displayed a gentle spirit and his speaking style was quiet and devotional in nature. Gordon spent

four years visiting the mission fields of Asia. He also visited Europe during this time. Peter

Wade’s website on S. D. Gordon quotes E. W. Kenyon: “S. D. Gordon is a sporadic outburst of

divine grace. He is unusual, as are all of God's rare tools... he is perfectly balanced in the Word

and in the Spirit. He represents that rare but vanishing class of spiritually minded men of the last

generation.”0

SUMMARY

Gordon divides his book into four parts, each broken down in three to five chapters. In

the first part, “The Meaning and Mission of Prayer”, he sets the baseline for his readers by

developing an understanding of prayer as the greatest outlet of power (chapter one), prayer as the

deciding factor in a spirit conflict (chapter two), its place in the battle for earth (chapter three),

and the role prayer plays on influencing God (chapter four).

Part two looks at “Hindrances to Prayer”. Gordon expounds reasons for failure in prayer

(chapter five), delays in prayers (chapter six), and Satan’s role in hindering prayer (chapter

seven). Part three gives more concrete structure to the reader on how to pray, in particular by

looking at the relationship itself and how to build it (chapter eight), the method of prayer

(chapter nine), developing a listening skill in prayer (chapter ten), being attuned to God’s will

(chapter eleven), and praying for the conversion of loved ones (chapter twelve).

The final part evaluates Jesus’ prayers as depicted in the gospels. Chapters thirteen

through sixteen showcase fifteen examples of Jesus in conversation with His Father. Chapter

seventeen develops a summary outline of seven key aspects of Christ’s prayer from these

examples. Gordon shows how Christ had a set time of prayer, a set place for prayer, displayed a

constant spirit of prayer, used the great crises of His life as drivers for intense prayer, prayed for

0 Peter Wade, S. D. Gordon - Biography, http://www.peterwade.com/articles/gordsd/biogsdg.shtml (accessed February 4, 2012).

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others by name, prayed with others, and experienced the greatest blessings of his life during

these prayers.

EVALUATION AND CRITIQUE

With most of his readers today coming from a diet of books written by late 20th and 21st

century writers, Gordon’s language requires a bit of getting used to for the average reader. His

book has a slow start: nothing truly grabs the reader’s attention, and Gordon’s writing style is not

one to make the reader glued to his words. There is not even an easy definition of prayer offered

in the opening chapter. Were it not for the promise of a book that has been read by so many and

which they have found valuable to their prayer lives, one might be tempted to put it back on the

shelf.

This initial impression changes as the reader proceeds deeper into the first few chapters

of the book. In the second chapter, Gordon enters a world that may seem frightening to some

readers: that of spirits. By explaining that both man and Satan are spirit beings, man as an

embodied one and Satan as an “unembodied”0 one, Gordon level-sets the stage. He explains that

“prayer is a spirit force”0 and that “spirit beings are not limited by material obstructions”0. This

alone grabs the reader whose attention is typically drawn, even if not willingly, to daily offers of

horoscopes, palm readings and other “other-worldly” experiences. The battle is real, but it is not

the pseudo-battle offered by the hucksters offering said services, but rather is the one that

ultimately counts: the battle between a good Creator God and a proud and fallen Satan and his

hordes. From Scripture the believer knows that the battle is already won, so it is not the

Zoroastrian understanding of an eternal battle between good and evil, yet the ramifications of

this battle play into the believer’s prayer life – something he or she may not have totally realized

0 S. D. Gordon, Quiet Talks on Prayer (Shippensburg, PA: Destiny Image, 2003), 22.

0 Ibid., 23.

0 Ibid.

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until reading Gordon’s lines. Gordon strengthens this in chapter three where he describes earth as

the “battlefield in prayer”0.

Gordon’s point on whether or not God changes His mind when His people pray is an

important one. He writes, “Prayer is not persuading God. It does not influence God’s purpose. It

is not winning Him over to our side; never that.”0 Here, in chapter three, Gordon finally offers a

definition of prayer: “Prayer is the word commonly used for all intercourse with God.”0 Very

helpful in this chapter is his breakdown of the three elements of prayers: communion, petition,

and intercession. Equally important is his recognition that “all true rounded prayer will ever have

all three elements in it.”0 In this chapter, Gordon also does an excellent job of providing a brief

theology of God’s kingship and the battle for it. He beautifully describes the journey from God’s

creation work in the earth and its fullness as well as His rightful ownership of it to the sharing of

dominion with man, man’s fall through disobedience, the transfer of dominion to Satan, God’s

plan to redeem His dominion, and the final combat waged when Christ first hung on the cross

and died, but then was victoriously raised from the dead, overcoming Satan’s power and

stronghold. At the same time, Gordon warns that Satan continues to operate as if he was still in

charge and that man is an accomplice in his scheme by granting Satan control.0

Gordon gives an excellent explanation on the question whether prayer influences God

when he writes, “Prayer does not influence God. Prayer surely does influence God. It does not

influence His purposes. It does influence His action. Everything that ever has been prayed for, of

course, I mean every right thing, God has already purposed to do.”0 This is the first time the

0 Ibid., 27.

0 Ibid.

0 Ibid., 28.

0 Ibid., 30.

0 Ibid., 33-34.

0 Ibid., 40.

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reader truly understands the alignment of his or her prayers with the will of God. This becomes

an increasingly important theme in the book. The reader ultimately is led to the realization that

any prayer offered outside of the will of God will not reap the desired outcome.

Prayers can be hindered, and as Gordon points out, sin hinders prayer. He firmly states

“You see sin is slapping God in the face.”0 This may be a potent wake-up call for many believers

who may have adopted a “justification, but not necessarily sanctification” approach to their faith.

He also ably reminds readers that prayer is unsuccessful if it not spoken, i.e. if God has not heard

about it0. Finally, an unforgiving spirit is a sure-fire way to hinder communication to God.0

Gordon’s chapter on the interference of Satan in our prayers uses examples from

Scripture that attempt to support his point, yet one could cite passages such as the one in the first

two chapters of Job that would put Satan’s role in a different light, that of the accuser who is not

allowed to act unless given permission by the Lord. Undoubtedly, based on the testimony of

Scripture, such as in the passage cited from Daniel, there are battles in the spiritual realm, yet

placing Satan in a triangular relationship in prayer appears somewhat contrived when Gordon

writes,

First is this: prayer concerns three, not two but three. God to whom we pray, the man on the contested earth who prays, and the evil one against whom we pray. And the purpose of the prayer is not to persuade or influence God, but to join forces with Him against the enemy. Not towards God, but with God against satan – that is the main thing to keep in mind in prayer. The real pitch is not Godward but satanward.0

At the same time, Gordon’s feelings of utter loathing for the enemy are clearly depicted

through his de-capitalization of the name Satan. In the Old Testament, Satan is presented in the

definite-articled form hă-śā-ṭān (the Satan vs. Satan) in Job and Zechariah. The mention of ן Qָט Qָּׂש

0 Ibid., 53.

0 Ibid., 54.

0 Ibid., 56.

0 Ibid., 87-88.

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(śā-ṭān) without the article in other places shows that ן Qָט Qָּׂש prefixed by the definite article ה (hă)

appears to be a role or function (the accuser), whereas an article-free mention indicates a proper

name (Satan). Unlike the Old Testament distinction between a proper name (and hence a god,

creature or person behind it) and a function, Gordon seems to acknowledge Satan as both a

person and the enemy, yet he does not even want to give him the dubious honor of a capitalized

proper name. In that act of diminishing Satan by un-capitalizing his name, this author would love

to agree, yet Satan does present a formidable force in the pages of Scripture, something Gordon

also cannot step away from when he then points out the major force Satan plays against the

prayers of the saints. In application, spiritual warfare has become even more prominently

highlighted, and prayers offered will need to take this into consideration. If anything may serve

as a critique, however, Gordon seems to overemphasize the power of Satan in these pages

(despite the small “s”).

Very valuable to the reader should be Gordon’s section on his six suggestions of how to

pray.0 By suggesting finding a time and a place for prayer to incorporating the Word of God,

Gordon sets the parameters for a fruitful prayer life. He adds that the Spirit is willing and capable

to help the believer pray. Finally, if prayers are not offered in the name of Jesus and in faith, they

are fruitless endeavors.

PERSONAL APPLICATION

Gordon presents two very important elements of prayer in great richness. The first is

being aligned with the will of God. The second, almost to a point of being frightening, is the

focus on the spiritual battle all around the believer. Being aligned with the will of God has taken

on a new meaning to this author. Gordon’s emphasis on being in the Word of God on a regular

0 Ibid., 109-15.

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and lengthy basis seems to be the right prescription for the believer to make sure he or she

develops a keen sense of what exactly the will of God is as depicted in the pages of the Bible.

On the second point, while this author holds firmly to a biblical view that acknowledges

the reality of spiritual warfare, Gordon’s book drove this point home impressively. It is easy in

this day and age – and this part of the world – to forget about spiritual warfare. God tends to take

on a “genie in the bottle” quality from time to time, i.e. He is there primarily to grant His people

their wishes. Not so, says Gordon. The believer’s prayer needs to acknowledge the reality of the

spiritual battle going on around him or her. This author will incorporate an awareness of this on a

daily basis – not to be afraid, but in a manner that recognizes God has already and decisively

won the battle.

CONCLUSION

While S. D. Gordon’s book is over 100 years old, his words are valuable to the believer

as he expounds what prayer is, how it needs to align with the will of God while recognizing

spiritual warfare as a reality, and how followers of Christ can learn from His example.

Understanding that Christ followed a model of prayer and incorporating this model or

methodology into one’s prayer life will allow much blessing to flow as the believer aligns him-

or herself with the expressed will of God.

Gordon does not simply express an opinion, but supports his recommendations for a

prayer methodology through the use of Scripture. Herein the reader finds the core point Gordon

appears to make: when a believer is aware of and obedient to the will of God, prayer will flow

unhindered and will work with God and against Satan to wage the battle for the hearts and minds

of men. Quiet Talks on Prayer capably leads the believer to understanding how these elements fit

together and snap neatly into a sound prayer theology and methodology.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Gordon, S. D. Quiet Talks on Prayer. Shippensburg, PA: Destiny Image, 2003.

Software, Galaxie. “10, 000 Sermon Illustrations (Biblical Studies Press, 2002; 2002).” In Prayer.

Wade, Peter. S. D. Gordon - Biography. http://www.peterwade.com/articles/gordsd/biogsdg.shtml (accessed February 4, 2012).