If Ye Shall Ask - Chambers, Oswald

If Ye Shall Ask
Oswald Chamber

Copyright © 1937 Oswald Chambers Publications Association
Scripture versions quoted: kjv, rv

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Introduction

Source

if ye shall ask is from lectures given at the bible training college, 1 London (191115); at league of prayer 2 gatherings in Britain; to British common- wealth troops in Egypt 3 during world war i. Where known, date and place appear on the first page of each sermon.

Publication history

 . As articles: many of these chapters appeared first as articles in tongues of fire/spiritual life magazines or in the bible training college (btc) monthly journal.4

 . As a book: the material was first published as if ye shall ask in 1937. Drawing on her store of notes from Britain and Egypt, Mrs. Chambers compiled this collection expressing the heart of oswalds teaching on prayer and his practice of it. She selected the short prayers at the beginnings of chapters 2 through 12 from ocs personal prayer journal and from meetings at the bible training college.

For additional personal prayers of Oswald chambers in this volume, see knocking at gods door (1957).

1. Bible Training College (BTC): residential school near Clapham Common in southwest London, sponsored and operated
by the League of Prayer from 1911 until it closed in July 1915 because of World War I. Oswald Chambers was principal and
main teacher; Biddy Chambers, his wife, was lady superintendent.
2. Pentecostal League of Prayer: founded in London in 1891 by Reader Harris (1847–1909), prominent barrister and friend
and mentor of Oswald Chambers.
3. Zeitoun (zay TOON), Egypt: six miles northeast of Cairo; site of a YMCA camp, the Egypt General Mission compound,
and, from 1916 to 1919, the Imperial School of Instruction, training base for British, Australian, and New Zealand troops dur-
ing World War I.
4. Bible Training Course Monthly Journal: published from 1932 to 1952 by Mrs. Chambers, with help from David Lambert.

Foreword to the First edition

It is with real misgiving as to any ability to worthily express my gratitude to almighty god for bringing me into contact with his servant oswald chambers, that i respond to the request that i should write a fore- word to this book. Mr. Chambers was the close personal friend of my mature manhood, with whom the most intimate confidences were shared. Under god, i owe to his friendship not only the opening out of a fuller apprehension of the redemption of our lord Jesus christ, but also the acquirement of the mental development necessary to enable me, in some measure, to state intelligibly to others the results of the knowledge imparted to myself. Among the many axiomatic statements that fell from his lips, the following was particularly enlightening, always distinguish clearly the difference between gods order and gods permis- sive will. And in this book he shows so concisely and simply that under gods dispensational sovereignty, deliverance from sin now is his expressed will, while sickness and limitation are subject to gods sover- eignty active in pre-dispensational efficacy. Talked out with god himself until that perfect harmony between god and our own hearts is an unshakeable fact, these lines of thought enable us to arrive at a restful expla- nation of most of our difficulties concerning prayer. Oswald chambers prayer-life was one of intercession for others. Seldom did he ask specifically for anything material for himself. His whole personal attitude towards god was that of harmonious relationship, and absolute childlike dependence upon his heavenly father. The precious gems included in this book are more in the nature of ejaculatory response to fresh gleams of light, or fresh insight into personal needs as he enjoyed that close intercourse with his beloved master. While many other messages on prayer have already been included in some of his other books, this is confined mainly to the talks not otherwise in book form. It will be interesting to know that the first talk was one given to the soldiers at zeitoun, and explains the significance of the outline, also showing the kind of message the men got there. I cannot wish better for all who read these god-given messages, than that they have the effect of leading them also into that real fellowship that he himself habitually enjoyed with the lord he loved so much.

John S. Skidmore5
Brimfield, Ludlow, Shropshire
18th September 1937

Contents
I. What’s the Good of Prayer? ……………………………………………………608
II. The Secret of the Sacred Simplicity of Prayer ……………………………610
III. The Secret of the Sacred Struggle for Prayer ……………………………..613
IV. The Curriculum of Intercession……………………………………………….616
V. After God’s Silence—What? …………………………………………………..618
VI. Now This Explains It …………………………………………………………….620
VII. Praying in the Holy Ghost ……………………………………………………..621
VIII. St. Paul’s Intercession for Instantaneous Insistent Sanctification ….623
IX. This Day Is That Day…………………………………………………………….626
X. Intercession …………………………………………………………………………..628
XI. The Key to Service…………………………………………………………………630
XII. The Unrealised Logic of Prayer ……………………………………………….632

5. Major John Skidmore: close friend and associate of Oswald and Biddy Chambers and was involved full-time in the League of Prayer.