James Fraser (1886-1938), missionary to the Lisu people in China, gave this testimony about prayer: "I read a testimony of Dr. Stuart Holden’s, not long ago, in which he said that one of the greatest blessings of his life had been his unanswered prayers. And I can say the same in my measure. Unanswered prayers have taught me to seek the Lord’s will instead of my own. I suppose we have most of us had such experiences. We have prayed and prayed and prayed, and no answer has come. The heavens above us have been as brass. Yea, blessed brass, if it has taught us to sink a little more of this ever-present self of ours into the Cross of Christ. Sometimes our petition has been such a good one, to all appearances, but that does not insure it being of God. Many ‘good desires’ proceed from our uncrucified selves.
"Scripture and experience certainly agree that those who live nearest to God are the most likely to know His will. We are called to be ‘filled with the knowledge of his will’ (Colossians 1:9). The ‘secret of the LORD is with them that fear him; and he will shew them his covenant’. [Psalm 25:14] We need to know more of the fellowship of Christ’s death. We need to feed on the Word of God more than we do. We need more holiness, more prayer. We shall not, then, be in so much danger of mistaking His will."
