Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus — Hans R. Waldvogel

Finding Fellowship With Jesus Through Prayer

I began to live a life of prayer. I was a kid, but God had awakened my soul. And I didn't pray because, oh, I wanted certain things from God, but I wanted to be with God. I wanted to be near God. I was homesick for Jesus.

I was longing for fellowship with Jesus. The world didn't satisfy me. The world tried to tear me to pieces. They really did. I had to work among men that were just as wicked. Oh, what a rotten bunch. What horrible sin and stupidity and wickedness and godlessness you find in the shop where I worked.

And they tried to tear me apart. But I found a fountain. I found a well of living water waiting to satisfy my thirst. And I didn't get it in my church. That's the strange thing. In my church things were awfully dry and awfully dead.

I didn't get it there. But I tell you where I got it. I got it from Jesus. I really got it from Jesus Christ. And to this day I'm at the fountain. To this day I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't care to either to live any other way but to live at the fountain.

Prayer as a Loving Relationship With God

And that's why I recommend a life of prayer. Not the kind of prayer a lot of people do. They think that they want to pray to get power or they pray because it's customary or anything like that. But real prayer is a lovership.

It's a Holy Ghost love affair. God who loved us. Oh, how he loves us. Oh, how grieved he is when we don't respond to his love. This heavenly Father who so loves us. How much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Ghost?

Give good things to them that ask him. If tonight we're not filled with God and all the fullness of God, it's our own fault. It ain't his fault. God has done everything possible to meet the needs of his people.

In fact, to meet the needs of all of humanity. And I tell you, that's where the fault lies. That's where the trouble comes in. People don't pray. We had someone quote a while ago from the armor of God.

Strength in the Lord and the Calling of Young People

You remember what that scripture says? Be therefore strong in the Lord and in the power of his might. When I look at these young men that can blow their horns and these young ladies, they could be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might.

In fact, the Bible says so. I have written unto you young men because you're strong. Because the word of God abideth in you and ye have overcome the wicked one. How little comparatively we see of that kind of youth.

Young people. There's always a prayer, Oh God, bless our poor young people. Well, they're not poor. They really have a marvelous opportunity. I used to go to a Jewish mission and the Jews would come in, the young Jews with their hats, their derbies.

And we didn't dare give them song books because they'd tear them to shreds. And they couldn't talk English very well. And when we sang, Oh, what a change! One next to me sang, Oh, what a chance! Oh, what a chance!

I often think of that. What a chance! The fountain is flowing so richly. What a chance! And God is waiting, He says, to be gracious. He is waiting for His own to come to Him so that He may bestow power upon them, so that He may strengthen them with might by His Spirit in the inner man.

And it doesn't happen because we don't want it to happen. Bad enough. If we did, we would go to God. We would come to God. We would abide at the fountain. We would take time to pray. Forty years ago, or a little less than that, when people got saved, I know a number of young people that got saved and they took to heart the word I gave them.

Spending an Hour Alone With God

I taught them in those days to spend at least one hour a day alone with God. And after a while you could pick out those that did. You can pick them out today. They've got something. They've got substance in their souls.

They've got holiness there. They've got something that God put there. That's what God wants to do. You are sons of the living God and God wants His sons to be strong. He says, I will pour out My Spirit.

Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy. They shall be filled with the Holy Ghost. And it doesn't happen when we don't want it to happen. But when you want it to happen, when you really desire it...

Why, listen, God is waiting to do it for you. God speaks of it a number of times. We talk about waiting upon the Lord, but He talks about waiting on us. And that's why we have a week of prayer. There may be a better way of seeking the Lord, but I haven't found it.

I haven't discovered it in my travels around the world and in my visiting other churches. I haven't found any way that beats it. I haven't. But I've discovered in this work that those who have really accepted the call of God to come to the fountain and who have really come, they have grown in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Waiting Upon the Lord and Growing in Grace

Like nobody else. You can't imitate it. There is no substitute for waiting upon the Lord, for giving Him time. No substitute. God takes time to bring forth a harvest in the field. First seed sowing and then watering the ground and then the growth of the harvest.

And God takes time. But here's a harvest that God sees. The word that proceeded out of my mouth shall accomplish that whereunto I sent it. What does He mean? By exceeding great and precious promises. God shows you what He intends to do for you and in you and by you and what His plan is from eternity for you and for me.

And so He says now, come to the fountain and drink your fill. And they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. And it's such a simple way. And that's why I for one have fought for these weeks of prayer.

It's been a real fight. It's been an uphill fight because the great bulk of people never find out the wonder of it because they don't do it. You'll never find out the glory of the love of God until you open your heart to Him and let Him set your heart ablaze with His love.

And it doesn't happen if you don't live a life of prayer, if you don't give God time. Beloved, I tell you what happens. The devil takes the time and he'll poison your system. He will and he's doing it.

Seeking the Face of the Lord

He is poisoning the systems of God's people, poisoning with the poison of hell. I could point out some of the scenes. The minute they open their mouth, the poison of asthma spits out. They can't help it.

It's in their bones. Like a cancer, like consumption. It's there. But oh, what happens to people that love God, want to be with God. Seek the face of the Lord. When thou said, seek in my face, my heart said unto thee, thy face, Lord, will I seek?

It's a heart matter. One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after, that I may abide in the house of the Lord all the days of my life to behold the beauty of the Lord. Why, it lifts you into eternity.

It brings you out of this commonplace experience of the natural life and makes you come into a spiritual realm. And you say, oh God, God, I didn't know there was anything like this. You can't know. The natural man cannot receive the things of the Spirit of God.

They're foolishness to him. You cannot grasp it. You're not, I don't care how many brain cells you've got up here. It doesn't go through your brains. It goes through your heart. But God says, all flesh is grasped.

Receiving Strength From God Rather Than Flesh

Even the youth shall faint and be weary. That's why so many people backslide. And strong men shall utterly fall. That's all there is in the strength of man and flesh. But look, God has strength for his children.

Be strong in the Lord. Oh, that's a strength that must come from God. And he gives power to the faint, to you. And to them that have no might, he increases strength. And I know it doesn't consist of just kneeling down for an hour or two, or for a day or two, and to spend time in church.

It isn't that. But it's accepting that promise of God by faith and coming with boldness onto the throne of grace. God is there. God's waiting for me. God is answering prayer. God is doing what he's promised to do.

Thank God. And as I wait before my God, and where is he? Where can I find him? Why, Lord, thou hast searched me and known me. Thou knowest my down-sitting and mine uprising. Thou understandest my thought afar off.

Don't be afraid that he doesn't hear your prayer. He has understood your thoughts afar off. Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. And we don't get into that realm because we don't give God a chance.

Drawing Near to God and Being Transformed

And that's why I say prayer, real prayer, is a holy love affair. I want to be with Jesus. And as I want to be with Jesus, as I draw nigh to him, something happens. He draws nigh to me. After all, he's seeking me.

I'm not seeking him. Like he is seeking me. Oh, how Jesus Christ is seeking everyone in this meeting. That's why we're here tonight. And what is he seeking? Seeking to give himself to his people. Seeking to transform us into his own image.

We have it all in this wonderful book. And these things don't become real, and they don't grip us until we begin to do the thing, until we begin to really give God a chance. And that's why I advise our young people, take at least one hour out of the day to really deal with God.

The reason I recommend it is because I did it. And I didn't know how to pray. Nobody showed me how. But there was something that God had done for me. And if God's done it for you, follow that leading.

Nourishing a Life of Prayer Against Spiritual Opposition

Oh, nourish it. Nourish it. Nourish it. You'll be tempted. You'll find out that when you begin to seek God, the devil and the world and the flesh, they'll conspire against you to drag you out of that place.

And 99 out of 100 Christians follow that drag of the flesh. I know what I'm talking about. But there are those that won't. Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

Oh, how Satan hates. Satan trembles when he sees the weakest saint upon his knees. He's not afraid of our preaching and our propaganda. And he's not afraid of our boastfulness. But when he sees a saint really getting to the fountain and really getting to God, he knows that God will meet that saint.

God will. God himself. Get along with God. Thank God. And you'll find out you've got to fight. You've got to put on the whole armor of God. And then he says this word, we wrestle not with flesh and blood.

Otherwise, we'd be strong, bigger than us. We make a fist and we go at it and so on. But that's not the kind of a fight. There's the fight with laziness, with flesh, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, the pride of lying.

The Cost of Distraction and Losing First Love

Oh, God, I was in a place in Michigan one time, talked pretty strong about people losing their first love. And the preacher had just bought a car, a new car. Now he had all kinds of leadings to go out.

He had to go and visit the sick and this and that. He really wanted to drive that car, you know. And he got so convicted, he said, I'm almost sorry about that car. Well, I wish he had sold it again. Because it was his backsliding.

I rode with him one night, and he had an accident. He smashed into another car. He was kind of a nervous fellow. And here an argument started and after a while, after it was all over, he said, what's the matter with you?

You were so calm. I said, well, I had nothing to do with that. Oh, beloved, we wrestle not with flesh and blood to be strengthened with might by the Holy Ghost in the inner man. It takes time. People spend all kinds of time.

They'll spend time, they have no time for prayer, but they'll have time to go on a vacation. Well, they have to. They have time to go to the hospital, to get a massage and go into a mud bath and so on.

They have time for all kinds. The beauty parlor, get that tub over your feet. Sit there for an hour to have your hair set. They have time for everything. But time for Jesus. Listen, time for Jesus. Don't you know he's waiting?

Secret Prayer and the Father Who Rewards

Day by day, Jesus says, if you pray, don't pray like the Pharisees and scribes to be seen of men. Your father's in secret, he's waiting for you, waiting to reward you openly, waiting to be your reward, waiting to reveal himself to you, waiting to change you within, to fill you with the Holy Ghost.

And the way is so simple. Somebody gave me a rosary and I wanted to give it away and I thought, well, I better not. Somebody will fool with it. I don't want anybody to fool with it. So I threw it away where you can't get it again.

But it might be good to have a rosary. Might be good to force yourself to get that bead and to say a real prayer. Oh, God, my God, I know that I could know you infinitely better if it weren't so lazy.

Then take the next bead and say, Jesus, I know I could know you infinitely better if I weren't so lazy. Take the third bead. Say, Jesus, I know that I'm lazy. Now, Lord, if I only get up an hour ahead of time in the morning, I could, oh my God, what riches I would have.

Then take the next bead till you come to the place where the cross is hung. I mean it. I mean it. We had a preacher that advised us young fellas, if you get tired and sleepy while you're at prayer, put a pail of cold water there.

Stick your head in it once in a while. I mean it. The devil will keep you from your crown. And God is waiting to strengthen you with might. God is waiting. God is there. God is everywhere. God looks into your heart.

Seeking God Rather Than Merely Seeking Relief

God is ready to bestow himself. And that's the thing we seek when we pray. Not to get rid of a toothache or an ingrown toenail, but to find God, to meet God. God's waiting to meet me because he loves me with an everlasting love.

And oh, how it grieves the heart of my father if he doesn't find me in the prayer closet where I seek him, where I love him, where I wait upon him, where that lovership grows upon me. My sister Rose used to invite people and say, now, oh, come to prayer.

I said, don't tell them that. Tell them to stay home. We're far better off if two or three come together that really want God than two or three hundred that are just lazy. I tell you, that's what's going to make a revival.

Prayer, Fasting, and Revival

Two or three meeting in the name of Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ being in the midst. And thank God in this last year we've had marvelous answers to prayer, really. God has really regarded the prayer of his people and we prayed only a little bit.

But shall we start this year with a real effort to meet God. That's where fasting comes in. You know, some people eat themselves out of the crown of glory. You've got the apostle Paul says, I so run, not as uncertainly, so if I die, not as one that beateth the air, I keep under my body.

And if he, the apostle, felt it necessary to do that. You know where this laziness comes from? From the devil. Their demon powers, sometimes you find them in meeting. They float around. They make people yawn and get tired.

And they do. And you can put on the whole armor of God and resist the devil. And thank God. And I know what I'm talking about. The spirit of God will be the driving force within you. And he'll pray, he'll make intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

Determining to Seek and Find God

I don't know who understands what I'm talking about, but somebody does. Oh, for a real getting down, way down at the feet of Jesus and make him know that we mean business and make him know that we're really determined to find him not only to seek him, but to find him, everyone that seeks us.