Are You One of the Ye's?

by R.A. Torrey

I was a young pastor in my first pastorate. A lady in my congregation faithfully attended church, but she refused to become a member. The mystery deepened when I discovered that she used to belong to the church, but had withdrawn her membership. I decided to find out the problem.


Before long, I had my chance. Since she lived just down the street from me, it seemed quite natural to join her as she walked home from church. When I reached my front gate I turned and stopped. “I hear that you used to belong to our church.”

“Yes,” she replied, “I did.”

“Well,” I said, “why aren’t you a member now?”

She looked me straight in the eye. “Because I don’t believe the Bible.”

I tried not to look shocked. “Why don’t you believe the Bible?”

“Because I have tried its promises and found them untrue.”

“Hmm.” This sounded serious. “Tell me,” I said, “of a promise in the Word of God that you tried and found to be untrue.”

The woman answered right away. “Doesn’t it say somewhere in the Bible that whatsoever things ye desire when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them?”

“It says something that sounds a good deal like that.”

“Well,” she went on, “I prayed for something. I was sure it was God’s will, and I believed God would give it to me. But God didn’t answer my prayer. The promise failed!”

“No, not at all,” I shook my head. “The promise did not fail!”

“How can you say such a thing?” Her eyes flashed. “Doesn’t the Bible say that whatever we desire, we must only pray and believe we will have it—and we shall receive it?”

“It says something that sounds a good deal like that.”

“Just what does it say, then?”

“It says, ‘What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.’  ”* I looked at her closely. “Are you one of the ye’s?”

“What do you mean?”

“Are you one of the people this promise was made to?”

“I don’t understand,” she replied. “Isn’t it made to every professing Christian?”

“Certainly not.” I opened my Bible to 1 John 3:22 and read out loud. “ ‘Whatsoever we ask, we receive of Him, because we keep His commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.’ ” I paused. “That is God’s definition of the we’s and the ye’s whose prayers He promises to answer: those who ‘keep His commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.’ Were you doing what pleased God? Were you living for His glory in everything?”

“No.” She looked down. “I was not.”

“Then did the promise fail?”

The lady slowly shook her head. “I guess it didn’t.”

I’m glad to say that the lady came back to God and became one of the most active and useful members of the church.

Are you one of the ye’s? That is, are you studying the Word of God every day of your life, in order to find God’s will for you? When you find it, are you following it? If so, you are on praying ground. If not, don’t blame God when your prayers aren’t answered. Instead, become one of the ye’s!

*Mark 11:24.