Not always did he do as his mother would have him; but this was a case
in which he could do so, for it would interfere nowise with the will of
his Father. Was the perfect son, for, being perfect, he must be perfect
every way, to be the only son of man who needed do nothing to please
his mother--nothing but what fell in with his plan for the hour? Not so
could he be the root, the living heart of the great response of the
children to the Father of all! not so could the idea of the grand
family ever be made a reality! Alas for the son who would not willingly
for his mother do something which in itself he would rather not do! If
it would have hurt his mother, if it had been in any way turning from
the will of his Father in heaven, he would not have done it: that would
have been to answer her prayer against her. His yielding makes the
story doubly precious to my heart. The Son then could change his
intent, and spoil nothing: so, I say, can the Father; for the Son does
nothing but what he sees the Father do.
Finding it possible to understand, however, that God may answer prayers
to those who pray for themselves, what are we to think concerning
prayer for others? One may well say, It would surely be very selfish to
pray only for ourselves! but the question is of the use, not of the
character of the action: if there be any good in it, let us pray for
all for whom we feel we can pray; but is there to be found in regard to
prayer for others any such satisfaction as in regard to prayer for
ourselves? The ground is changed--if the fitness of answering prayer
lies in the praying of him who prays: the attitude necessary to
reception does not belong to those _for_ whom prayer is made, but to
him _by_ whom it is made.
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