Thots Section COMMUNION WITH GOD: PRAYER
RELATED INDEX TOPICS: Prayer Life, Prayer (Public), Faith & Trust, Trials & Triumphs, Answered Prayer, Miracles, Promises
1. A moment in a morning,
Ere the cares of day begin,
Ere the heart's wide door is open,
For the world to enter in,
Oh, then alone with Jesus,
In the silence of the morn,
In heavenly, sweet communion,
Let your joyful day be born,
In the quietude that blesses,
With a prelude of repose,
Let your soul be soothed & softened,
As the dew revives the rose!
2. The missionaries at a certain Chinese mission were ordered by the British legation to leave Sanyuan because of the dangers from conflicting soldiery. "Carts were ordered, & all was ready to start the next day. Then it came over the missionaries that it would be dishonoring God to go to a place of safety, leaving their flock exposed. So a prayer meeting was held, with the result that carts were sent away & they stayed. They were kept in peace of mind, although a robber band, a thousand strong, was marching on the city & was within 12 miles. Then came a terrific downpour of rain, such as had not been known for years, scattering the robbers & making the roads impassable." It was a small scale representation of the story of Sennacherib's host.
3. A British soldier was one night caught creeping stealthily back to his quarters from the nearby woods. He was taken before his commanding officer & charged with holding communications with the enemy. The man pleaded that he had gone into the woods to pray by himself. That was his only defense.
"Have you been in the habit of spending hours in private prayer?" the officer growled. "Yes, Sir!" "Then down on your knees & pray now!" he roared. "You never needed it so much." Expecting immediate death, the soldier knelt & poured out his soul in prayer, that for eloquence could have been inspired only by the power of the Holy Spirit. "You may go," said the officer simply when he had finished. "I believe your story. If you hadn't been often at drill, you couldn't have done so well at review."
4. The Bible is a book of prayers. Out of 667 recorded prayers, there are 454 recorded answers.
5. A small boy said to his best friend, "It may be unconstitutional, but I always pray before an exam."
6. No one can live in doubt when he has prayed in faith.
7. A real friend warms you by his presence, trusts you with his secrets, & remembers you in his prayers.
8. God honours no drafts where there are no deposits.
9. To grow tall spiritually, a man must first learn to kneel.
10. Dr. Alexis Carrel is a medical doctor who won a Nobel Prize in physiology. He wrote: "Prayer is the most powerful form of energy that one can generate. The influence of prayer on the human mind & body is as demonstrable as that of secreting glands. Its results can be measured in terms of increased buoyancy, greater intellectual vigour, moral stamina & a deeper understanding of human relationships.
"Prayer is indispensable to the fullest development of personality. Only in prayer do we achieve that complete harmonious assembly of mind, body & spirit which gives the frail human need its unshakable strength. When we pray we link ourselves with the inexhaustible motive that spins the Universe."
11. "Stonewall Jackson," says E.M. Bounds in Purpose in Prayer, "was a man of prayer." Said he, "I have so fixed the habit of prayer in my mind that I never raise a glass of water to my lips without asking God's blessing, never seal a letter without putting a word of prayer under the seal, never take a letter from the post without a brief sending of my thoughts Heavenward, never change my classes in the lecture-room without a minute's petition for the cadets who go out & for those who come in."
12. An officer once complained to General Stonewall Jackson that some soldiers were making a noise in their tent. "What are they doing?" asked the General. "They are praying now, but they have been singing," was the reply. "And is that a crime?" the General demanded. "The articles of war orders punishment for an unusual noise," was the reply. "God forbid that praying should be an unusual noise in the camp," replied General Jackson.
13. Sweet hour of prayer,
Sweet hour of prayer,
That calls me from a world of care
And bids me at my Father's Throne
Make all my wants & wishes known.
In seasons of distress & grief,
My soul has often found relief,
And oft escaped the Tempter's snare
By thy return, sweet hour of prayer.
14. When you get the daily bread you've been praying for, don't grumble because it's not cake.
15. Some people talk about Heaven being so far away. It is within speaking distance of those who belong there.
16. A hypocrite prays on his knees on Sunday--& on his neighbours the rest of the week.
17. Throughout the ages no nation has ever had a better friend than the mother who taught her children to pray.
18. Prayers can't be answered unless they are prayed.
19. I got up early one morning
And rushed right into the day;
I had so much to accomplish
I didn't have time to pray.
Troubles just tumbled about me
And heavier came each task.
Why doesn't God help me, I wondered,
He answered, "You didn't ask."
I tried to come into God's presence,
I used all my keys at the lock.
God gently & lovingly chided,
"Why child, you didn't knock."
I wanted to see joy & beauty,
But the day toiled on grey & bleak,
I called on the Lord for the reason--
He said, "You didn't seek."
I woke up early this morning
And paused before entering the day.
I had so much to accomplish
That I had to take time to pray.
20. Last night I took a journey
To a land across the seas;
I did not go by boat or plane,
I travelled on my knees.
I saw so many people there
In deepest depths of sin,
But Jesus told me I should go,
That there were souls to win.
But I said, "Jesus, I cannot go
And work with such as thee."
He answered quickly, "Yes, you can
By travelling on your knees."
He said, "You pray; I'll meet the need,
You call & I will hear;
Be concerned about lost souls,
Of those both far & near."
And so I tried it, knelt in prayer,
Gave up some hours of ease;
I felt the Lord right by my side
While travelling on my knees.
As I prayed on & saw souls saved
And twisted bodies healed,
And saw God's workers' strength renewed
While labouring on the field.
I said, "Yes, Lord, I have a job,
My desire Thy Will to please;
I can go & heed Thy call
By travelling on my knees."--Sandra Goodwin
21. Most of us would be in more trouble than we are if all our prayers had been answered.
22. Most of us pray for more things than we are willing to work for.
23. People who do a lot of kneeling don't do much lying.
24. Sign in a Nebraska high school building: "In the event of an earthquake or tornado, the Supreme Court ruling against prayer in school will be temporarily suspended."
25. Strength in prayer is better than length in prayer.
26. Dr. Torrey in illustrating the definiteness of prayer, tells the following: "Up in a little town in Maine, things were pretty dead some years ago. The churches were not accomplishing anything. There were a few godly men in the churches, & they said, `Here we are, only uneducated lawmen, but something must be done in this town. Let us form a praying band. We will all center our prayers on one man; who shall it be!'"
They picked out one of hardest men in town, a hopeless drunkard, & all centered their prayers on him. In a week he was converted. They centered their prayers on the next hardest man in town, & soon he was converted. Then they took up another & another, until within a year, two or three hundred were brought to Christ, & the fire spread out into the surrounding country. Definite prayer for those in the prison house of sin is the need of the day.
27. Newman Hall stood early one morning on the summit of Snowdown, in Wales, with a hundred & twenty others who had been attracted by the prospect of an unusually grand sunrise. They were not disappointed. As they stood watching the sun tinge the mountain peaks with glory, & sparkle in the lakes, Dr. Hall was invited to preach. He was so overpowered with emotion that he could not preach, but felt moved to pour out his soul in prayer.
As he supplicated, the tears rolled down the faces of the people. A superhuman stillness possessed them. Quietly, with solemn awe, they descended the mountain & scattered. Afterwards visiting this region, Newman Hall was informed that 40 people were converted that morning & had joined the church in the neighbourhood. "But," said he, "I did not say a word to them; I only prayed." "Yes," they replied, "and more wonderful still, they did not know a word you said, for none of them could speak English, only Welsh."
28. Moses prayed, his prayer did save,
A nation from death & from the grave.
Joshua prayed. The sun stood still
His enemies fell in vale & hill.
Hannah prayed, God gave her a son;
A nation back to the Lord he won.
Solomon prayed for wisdom.
Then God made him the wisest of mortal men.
Elijah prayed with great desire,
God gave him rain, & sent the fire.
Jonah prayed, God heard his wail;
He quickly delivered him from the whale.
Three Hebrews prayed, through flames they trod;
They had as a comrade the "Son of God."
Elisha prayed with strong emotion;
He got the mantle & a "double portion."
Daniel prayed. The lion's claws
Were held by the Angel who locked their jaws.
Ten lepers prayed, to the priests were sent;
Glory to God! they were healed as they went.
Peter prayed, & Dorcas arose
To life again, from death's repose.
The thief who prayed--for mercy cried,
He went with Christ to Paradise.
The Church, she prayed, then got a shock;
When Peter answered her prayer with a knock!
Abram stopped praying, cities fell,
With all their sins, into Hell!
The disciples kept praying, the Spirit came,
With "cloven tongue", & revival flame!
Conviction filled the hearts of men;
Three thousand souls were "born again"!
When Christians pray, as they prayed of yore,
With living faith, for souls implore,
In one accord, united stand--
Revival fires shall sweep the land!
And sinners shall converted be,
And all the was God's glory see!
29. The prayers a man lives on his feet are just as important as those he says on his knees.
30. Prayer is a little bit like eating salted peanuts; the more you do it, the more you want to do it.
31. It is good to pray for the repair of mistakes, but praying earlier would likely keep us from making so many.
32. After we bow our heads seeking divine guidance, we often bow our necks in resistance to His divine Will.
33. Do not expect a thousand-dollar answer to a ten-cent prayer.
34. Before a fulltime chaplain was engaged, individual Congressmen took turns opening sessions of Congress with prayers. Finally a permanent chaplain was appointed.
One day he was late in arriving, & when time came for the session to begin, he was not there to pray. An older congressman stepped to the front & prepared to pray.
The Speaker of the House hit the desk with his gavel & asked, "By what right does the gentleman pray?"
The volunteer answered the Speaker, "The right of any sinner, sir."
He was permitted to pray.
35. A lot of little prayers as we go along through life would save a lot of long ones in case of emergencies.
36. Too many of us are like the old deacon who prayed, "Use me, O Lord, in Thy Work--especially in an advisory capacity."
37. Prayer must mean something to us if it is to mean anything to God.
38. A short prayer will reach the throne of grace--if you don't live too far away.
39. Prayer does not need proof, it needs practice.
40. Christian, seek not yet repose;
Cast thy dreams of ease away;
Thou art in the midst of foes:
Watch & pray.--Charlotte Elliott
41. When the great seething mass
of others' need
Overwhelms me,
I will pray.
When the great scalding blow
of others wrath
falls round me,
I will pray.
When the blind indifference
of this world
dismays me,
I will pray.
When selfish greed & lack of faith hold sway,
appall me,
I will pray.
When the loved beauty of
our Father's World
enchants me,
I will pray.
When God's mercy, His pardon
and His grace
challenge me,
I will pray.
Then His good gift to us
His children here--
that we may pray.--Mary C. Rider
42. You cannot stumble if you are on your knees.
43. For two years or more Haydn toiled on his grand oratorio. When friends urged him to bring his task to a close he replied: "I cannot make haste; I am writing for all time." Each day before beginning he knelt & prayed for divine guidance as he wrote.
44. When we were in France we met a couple whom Sara knew before & who got saved then. This couple tried for five years to have a baby but couldn't. We prayed with them that the Lord would give them a baby. We just received a letter a few days ago announcing to us that she is pregnant.--Michael & Sara
45. Prayer by people in the pew will give preachers power in the pulpit.
46. The person who gets down on his knees is better able to stand up to the problems of life when he has to face them.
47. Prevailing prayer brings perpetual power.
48. God visits us, but often we are not at home.
49. Probably everyone of us has at some time or another wondered how our prayers are being answered, but I recall ones about which there is no doubt.
Once in the middle of the night I awoke in the most terrible moment of a very realistic dream. I was driving a car & I had just struck a child. The effect upon me was so real & terrible that I climbed out of bed, got down on my knees & asked my Father in Heaven not to let that thing happen to me. Then it was as though the burden was taken from me, sleep was restored, & not another thought was given to the matter until noon next day.
Now five of us were in a car. I was at the wheel, & we were moving out Worth Street at around 25 miles per hour. Suddenly an urge to immediately stop came upon me with no apparent reason, & this we did quite abruptly.
When the other four passengers picked themselves off the dashboard & the back of the front seat, & all five of us tried to figure out why this abrupt stop was necessary, we were amazed to see a child dressed only in a diaper emerge between parked automobiles & waddle out into the street immediately in front of us. God had intervened because I had prayed!--Orville Mitchell, Sr.
50. The secret of prayer is prayer in secret.
51. Rowland Hill, the famous preacher, was once driven by a storm of rain into a village inn, & compelled to spend the night there. When it grew late, the landlord said: "Sir, I wish you would go to bed. I must see all the lights out: I am so afraid of fire." "So am I," was the reply; but I have been expecting to be called for family prayer." "All very good, sir; but it cannot be done at the inn." "Indeed! Then pray, get me my horse. I cannot go to sleep in a house where there is no family prayer."
The host preferred to dismiss his prejudice than his guest, & said, "I have no objection to have prayer, but I don't know how." "Well, then call in the family servants, & let us see what can be done." The landlord obeyed & in a few minutes the astonished domestics were on their knees, & the landlord called upon to pray. "Sir, I never prayed in my life. I don't know how." "Ask God to teach you," was the gentle reply. The landlord, folding his hands, said, "God teach us how to pray." "That is prayer, my friend." cried Mr. Hill, joyfully, "go on." "I am sure I don't know what to say now, sir." "Yes, you do; God has taught you how to pray; now thank Him for it." "Thank You, God Almighty, for letting us pray to You." "Amen! Amen!" exclaimed Rowland Hill, & then offered prayer himself.
Two years afterward, Mr. Hill found in that same village a chapel & a school, as a result of the first effort of family prayer at the "Black Lion."
52. The Lord totally changed the hearts of the Immigration officials here towards us after desperate prayer! At the beginning of the month they almost wanted to deport Angela & make problems for us all, but now at the end of the month, they love us, & even paid for our visa extension stamps! TYJ!--Anthony & Joy
53. If your prayer isn't of sufficient importance for you to try to pray it, why expect the Lord to answer it?
54. Practical prayer is harder on the soles of your shoes than on the knees of your trousers.
55. I met a poor soul in the depths of despair,
Who climbed to the heights in answer to prayer.
56. Life gets scorched & lumpy when we forget to stir it up with prayer.
57. A faithful pastor, in the dead of the night, was overwhelmed with a burden of prayer for a missionary in Africa. He arose & gave himself to earnest intercession for the safety of his friend. At that very time this was happening in the heart of Africa: The missionary, accompanied by a native, had started out to hunt. As they journeyed they ran upon two lions & a lioness. The missionary fired, killing one of the lions & wounding the other. The lioness seemingly fled. In fact she had only hidden in the jungle. The missionary now advanced & fired again upon the wounded lion. The rifle had scarcely cracked when the great brute lioness leaped upon him from her ambush. With one blow she struck him to the ground. In an instant her teeth were sunk in his arm, & her claws tore fiercely at his shoulder. He cried out to native to shoot, but the latter could not, as the missionary was between him & the lioness. In his panic, however, the native fired his rifle in the air. At once the lioness looked up. She dropped the missionary from her jaws. He rolled over into the bottom of a shallow ditch. And then instead of leaping upon him & finishing her work, the lioness turned & trotted into the jungle. The bleeding missionary was helped into camp.
There, after six weeks, he recovered completely from an experience which it is given to but few men to pass through. God had indeed "stopped the mouths of lions" for him. The tidings of his wonderful escape went back home to his faithful pastor. And he who had PRAYED now SAW. He saw the miraculous deliverance which had come to pass. Because he prayed, & prayed in faith, he saw the glory of God in wondrous answer. And so may you--if you pray likewise.
58. John got his motorbike stolen in front of the post office. We had united prayer & shortly after we prayed we saw someone driving by with it. We prayed again, & the thief stopped next to us & parked it, so we got it back. This happened far away from the Post office & 30 minutes later. A complete miracle! This bike is the main key for us to raise our fee to India!--Jean
59. We had our car stolen, but after asking the Lord to protect & everything it, it was found 10 days later in good order with all contents still intact, including guitar & case!--John & Ruth
60. A lad who had not been reared in a Christian home, knew nothing about prayer, & cared less, had been on a torpedoed ship, when all on board were thrust out into the water to swim for their lives. Twelve of the boys kept together. Suddenly, horrified, they saw a lake of burning oil coming toward them. It was impossible to escape. What could they do? Just then a Lutheran, the only Christian in the group, began to pray aloud. It was the heart cry of one in dire need to the God of mercy whom he knew: "O God, save us! O God, save us! O God, save us!" And with that, every one of the eleven, who had never known or thought about our God of Love, followed aloud with, "Please, God! Please, God!" Immediately the flaming oil parted, leaving a clear, wide path directly in front of them. And what do you think our gracious Lord had placed in this path? A raft! The lad who told the story ended with, "And no one can persuade these boys that God does not hear prayer."
61. A young, delicate, sweet-faced woman, a Salvation Army officer, was appointed to the charge of an Indian village, where the dominance of a certain caste made any sort of missionary effort almost hopelessly difficult. On the face of it no good had been accomplished. But the pale-faced captain set herself to pray. Every morning before the people were astir she crept through the slumbering village to the jungle beyond, with no other companion than her Bible, & on the same spot morning after morning she prostrated herself on her face before God--the God of India, she said in her petitions--to intercede for the souls which sat in darkness around her. And her prayers were answered, though not as she had asked or expected. She died & never saw the fulfilment.
One day, a long time afterward, a tall, powerful, handsome Hindu, with luminous eyes & regal bearing, called at the little mud hut which served as the officers' quarters & told to that faithful captain's successor the story, unknown as it was supposed, of the dead woman's prayers. He had followed her to the jungle, & peering through the heavy undergrowth, had seen her throw herself upon her face & cry to the God of India--his country--& shed overflowing tears for the people of his village--her people, she called them. "Then," he said, "I believed that the God of that woman was a real God, & I made up my mind to worship Him.' This was the beginning of a great wave of soul-saving in the village.
62. One day as I was eating, a violent storm fell in our area & a violent wind shook the house. I was afraid & said real loud, "Lord, stop the storm!" Ten seconds later the wind completely stopped! I immediately thanked the Lord!--Albert
63. Waiting for an answer to prayer is often part of the answer.
64. To spend an hour worrying on our knees is not prayer. Indeed, there are times when it is our duty, having committed a problem to God in prayer, to stop praying & to trust & to do the necessary work to arrive at a solution.
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65. An influential lawyer once rose in a meeting of Mr. Earle, the evangelist, & said: "I have often heard of the power of prayer, but I don't believe a word of it: If you want to test it, take me." The evangelist invited him to come to the front. He replied, "I will do nothing of the kind; but, if you have 'power in prayer', try it on me." In closing the meeting, Mr. Earle invited all present to pray for the lawyer at an hour he named, & asked the lawyer to note the fact. On the third day that man was crying to God for mercy; & selling his law books, he became a minister of Christ.
66. In some parts of Africa, where the natives live in small crowded mud huts, with little chance of privacy, the Christians choose each one a tree in the forest, where they may go to pray & be alone with God. If one becomes unfaithful & neglects his place of prayer, another says, "Brother, the grass grows on your path."
67. Dr. J.H. Jowett used to tell of a little servant girl who applied for membership in his church. He asked her what she was doing for her Lord. She explained that she had very little time off & could seldom attend services or meetings, but, she said, she always took the daily paper up to her bedroom with her at night. Dr. Jowett asked what good that did. "Well," she explain, "I always turn to the Births & Marriages & Deaths. I read over each of these births & pray that these little babies may be early led to the Saviour & made a great blessing to their parents; I read of each wedding & pray that these bridges & bridegrooms may be very happy & may always be true to each other; &, reading each of the death notices, I pray, one by one, for all the bereaved that they may turn in their sorrow to the only source of lasting comfort."
68. As long as there are final examinations, there will be at least SECRET prayers in our schools.
69. Bending our knees in prayer keeps us from breaking under the load of cares.
70. Prayer gives strength to the weak, faith to the fainthearted, & courage to the fearful.
71. Wonderful things happen to us when we live expectantly, believe confidently, & pray affirmatively.
72. Satan hinders prayer but prayer also hinders Satan.
73. A Chinese Christian had been asked to give to a fund to be expended in sacrifice to idols as an insurance of his house against fire. He declined, on the ground that he trusted in the living God, & idols could not save from fire. When the idolatrous ceremony was over, fire broke out in the street where his home was & burned over 120 houses. When the flames were coming nearer & nearer to his house they tried to persuade him to remove his furniture, but he refused, & in their presence prayed to God to show that He was indeed the Lord of hosts Who could send legions of Angels to deliver him, if need be, from so great a calamity. Nearer & nearer came the fire, until only one house stood between his own house & the flames. Suddenly there were a change of wind & his house was saved.
74. There was once a little cripple who lay upon her deathbed. She had given herself to God & was distressed because she could not labour for Him actively among the lost. Her pastor visited her, & hearing her complaint, told her that from her sick bed she could pray earnestly. He went away & thought of the subject no more. Soon a feeling of religious interest sprung up in the village & the churches were crowded nightly. The little cripple heard of the progress of the revival & inquired anxiously for the names of the saved. A few weeks later she died & among a roll of papers that was found under her pillow was one bearing the names of 56 persons, every one of whom had been converted in the revival. By each name was a little cross, by which the poor crippled saint had checked off the names of the converts as they had been reported to her.
75. One Sunday night in April, 1912, an American woman was very weary, yet could not sleep because of an oppression of fear. At last she felt a burden of prayer, & with tremendous earnestness began to pray for her husband then in mid-Atlantic, homeward bound on the Titanic. As the hours went by she could get no assurance, & kept on praying in agony, until about five o'clock in the morning when a great peace possessed her, & she slept.
Meanwhile her husband, Colonel Gracie, was among the doomed hundreds who were trying frantically to launch the lifeboats from the great ship whose vitals had been torn out by an iceberg. He had given up all hope of being saved himself, & was doing his best to help the women & children. He wished that he could get a last message through to his wife, & cried from his heart, "Good-by, my darling." Then as the ship plunged to her watery grave, he was sucked down in the giant whirlpool. Instinctively he began to swim under water, ice cold as it was, crying in his heart, "Good-by, my darling, until we meet again." Suddenly he came to the surface & found himself near an overturned lifeboat. Along with several others he climbed aboard, & was picked up by another lifeboat, about five in the morning, the very time that peace came to his praying wife! Supplication! The prayer that will not take "No" for an answer; that storms the battlements of Heaven, & brings confusion & defeat to all the powers of Hell, even death itself!
76. All my discoveries have been made in answer to prayer.--Isaac Newton
77. We should believe that nothing is too small to be named before God.What should we think of the patient who told his doctor he was ill, but never went into particulars?
78. When we shoot an arrow, we look to the fall of it; when we send a ship to sea, we look for the return of it; & when we sow seed, we look for a harvest; & so when we sow our prayers into God's bosom, shall we not look for an answer?
79. F.W. Boreham, the writer, tells the story of an old Scotchman who lay very ill. His minister came to see him. As the minister sat down on a chair near the bedside he noticed on the other side of the bed another chair placed at such an angle as to suggest that another visitor had just left it. "Well, Donald," said the minister, "I see I am not your first visitor." The Scotchman looked up in surprise; so the minister pointed to the chair. "Ah," said the sufferer. "I'll tell you about that chair. Years ago I found it impossible to pray. I often fell asleep on my knees; I was so tired. And if I kept awake, I could not control my thoughts from wandering. One day I was so worried I spoke to my minister about it. He told me not to worry about kneeling down. `Just sit down,' he told me, `and put a chair opposite you, & imagine Jesus is in it, & talk to Him as you would to a friend.'" The Scotchman added, "I have been doing that ever since. And so, now you know why the chair is standing like that."
A week later the daughter of the old Scot drove up to the minister's house & knocked at the door. She was shown into the study, & when the minister came in she could hardly restrain herself. "Father died in the night," she sobbed, "I had no idea death could be so near. I had just gone to lie down for an hour o two, for he seemed to be sleeping so comfortably. And when I went back he was dead. He had not moved since I saw him before, except that his hand was on the empty chair at the side of the bed. Do you understand?" said the daughter. "Yes," said the minister, "I understand."
80. It is impossible to be prayerful & pessimistic at the same time.
81. The soul without prayer is like lungs without air.
82. A suggested prayer for all preachers: "O Lord, fill my heart with worthwhile stuff & nudge me when I've said enough."
83. A problem not worth praying about is not worth worrying about.
84. It is strange that in our prayers we seldom ask for a change in character, but always a change in circumstances.
85. George Whitefield, the famous English evangelist, said, "O Lord give me souls, or take my soul!"
Henry Martyn, missionary, kneeling on India's coral strands, cried out, "Here let me burn out for God."
"Praying Hyde," a missionary in India: "Father, give me these souls, or I die."
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86. The men who have accomplished most for God have been men of prayer. John Wesley was wont to spend at least two hours each day in prayer. Samuel Rutherford rose at three o'clock each morning to wait upon God. John Fletcher was said to have stained the walls of his chamber by the breath of his prayers. The greatest missionaries have been uniformly men of prayer. Think of David Brainerd dying at the age of 29, & Henry Martyn at the age of 31, & yet their names stand out as among the brightest stars in the missionary firmament. These young men exerted a profound influence not only upon their own generation, but upon all succeeding generations as well. It was not by their actual labours, which were soon cut off, so much as by their prayer life & their resultant saintly characters.
87. Adoniram Judson, perhaps the greatest missionary ever sent out from American shores, was emphatic in his insistence upon prayer. Make any sacrifice to maintain it. Consider that time is short & that business & company must not be allowed to rob thee of thy God." That was the man who impressed a mighty empire for God.
88. The weary ones had rest,
the sad had joy
That day, & wondered "how?"
A plowman singing at his work had
prayed,
"Lord, help them now."
Away in foreign lands, they wondered
"how"
Their simple word had power.
At home, the gleaners, two or three had met
To pray an hour.
Yes, we are always wondering "how?"
Because we do not see
Someone, unknown perhaps, & far away
On bended knee.
89. "Kneeology" will do more for the World than theology.
90. A sermon should never be preached until it is soaked in prayer.
91. Most of modern man's troubles come from the fact that he has too much time on his hands & not enough on his knees.
92. When leading a public prayer, speak loudly enough to be heard of men & sincerely enough to be heard of God.
93. After saying our prayers we ought to do something to make them come true.
94. Sir Walter Raleigh once made a request of the Queen & she petulantly answered, "Raleigh, when will you leave off begging?" Sir Walter replied, "When your Majesty leaves off giving," & his requested was granted. But the God of all grace never grows weary of our asking & never rebukes us for coming.
95. The quickest way to get a church on its feet is to get it on its knees.
96. I was awakened one night while my husband was overseas, with an urgent need to pray. My heart was frantic, for something told me he was in grave danger. And through the long hours of the night I was on my knees beseeching God for the safety of my loved one.
The next day the radio blared the news of the "Belgian Bulge" & somehow I was sure my fears had been in this connection. I marked the date & time of the night & resolved to compare notes with my husband when & if I should ever see him again.
He came home a year later & one of the first things I wanted to know was his situation the night when I had prayed. We even took into consideration the changes in time zones & according to his diary those very hours when I was on my knees, his whole battalion was surrounded by the Germans. Many of his friends were massacred in the much written up "observation" battalion which met such a sad fate, but God "Preserved him alive."
97. J. Edgar Hoover, director of the FBI, says: "The spectacle of a nation praying is more awe-inspiring than the explosion of an atomic bomb. The force of prayer is greater than any possible combination of man-made or man-controlled powers, because prayer is man's greatest means of tapping the infinite resources of God. Invoking by prayer the mercy & might of God is our most efficacious means of guaranteeing peace & security for the harassed & helpless peoples of the Earth."
98. Those blessings are sweetest that are won with prayers & worn with thanks.
99. Our prayer & God's mercy are like two buckets in a well; while the one ascends, the other descends.
100. If it were the case that whatever we ask God was pledged to give, then I for one would never pray again, because I would not have sufficient confidence in my own wisdom to ask God for anything.
101. Prayer is talking something over with God, rather than trying to talk God out of something.
102. One of the greatest scientists who ever lived gave this witness to his faith in God: "I can take my telescope & look millions & millions of miles into space; but I can lay my telescope aside, go into my room & shut the door, get down on my knees in earnest prayer, & I see more of Heaven & get closer to God than I can when assisted by all the telescopes & material agencies on Earth."--Isaac Newton
103. Billy Sunday tells of a minister who was making calls. He came to a certain home & asked for the mother but the child opening the door answered, "You cannot see Mother for she prays from nine to ten." He waited 40 minutes to see that mother, & when she came out of her prayer closet the light of glory was on her face, & he knew why that home was so bright; he knew why her two sons were in the ministry & her daughter a missionary. "All Hell cannot tear a boy or girl away from a praying mother," comments Mr. Sunday.
104. Susanna Wesley, with 17 children, spent one hour each day shut up with God alone in her room, praying for them--& her two sons, under God, brought revival to England while France weltered in the blood of a ghastly revolution.
105. A mother with three children was about to leave home for a few days. Gathering them about her she talked to them about her absence & their behaviour & prayers until she should return. She then poured out her heart with them in prayer. All heads were raised & every face was full of sunshine. After a moment's pause a little two-year-old boy bowed his head down by his mother's cheek, & said, "More." When a parent's love & example can evoke from children a call for more prayer, the home happiness is assured.
106. When war broke out my husband enlisted. I was left with five children, the youngest being a baby of eleven months. Two years later my husband was killed. My eldest boy was then eighteen, & he had to join up. Day & night I prayed for my son's safety. When he came back on his first furlough he had not been home long when he said: "Mother, you've been praying for me.' I said: "I have, my son, day & night." He then told me that there had been six of them in a trench when the hissing of a shell was heard. Suddenly the shell dropped in the trench itself, burying its nose in the mud, unexploded. After tense silence, one of the lads said: "Our mothers have been praying for us."
107. A person's most fervent prayers are not said when he is on his knees, but when he is flat on his back.
108. He who does not pray when the sun shines will not know how to pray when the clouds come.
109. Prayer can KEEP us out of trouble a lot easier than it can GET us out of trouble.
110. I live in the spirit of prayer. I pray as I walk about, when I lie down & when I rise up. And the answers are always coming.--George Muller
111. A young man had been called to the foreign field. He had not been in the habit of preaching, but he knew one thing, how to prevail with God; & going one day to a friend, he said, "I don't see how God can use me on the field; I have no special talent." His friend said: "My brother, God wants men on the field who can pray. there are too many preachers now, & too few prayers."
112. We can pray, believe, & receive, or we can pray, doubt, & do without.
113. Thou art coming to a King,
Large petitions with thee bring;
For His grace & pow'r are such,
None can ever ask too much!
114. A minister was watching some men repairing a section of a highway. His attention was especially drawn to an elderly man who knelt as he broke stones for the hole in the highway. The minister observed that this man did more work than the ones who were standing while breaking stones. Then he said to the kneeling man, whom he knew well, "John, I wish I could break the stony hearts of my hearers as easily as you are breaking those stones!" With a twinkle in his eyes John said, "Pastor, you could if you worked on your knees!"
115. Prayer makes the darkened clouds withdraw;
Prayer climbs the ladder Jacob saw;
Gives exercise to faith & love;
Brings every blessing from above.
Restraining prayer, we cease to fight;
Prayer makes the Christian's armour bright;
And Satan trembles when he sees
The weakest saint upon his knees.
116. A thrilling incident happened in a little hut in Africa. A missionary awoke suddenly. She had a feeling of imminent danger. Fear held her in a vice-like grip. The moon's rays shone through the window, but she could see nothing wrong. She continued to have a feeling of great danger so she awoke her husband. They talked in a whisper. Looking beside the bed, they saw a fearsome creature--a giant cobra whose head was raised, ready to strike & inject venom into the flesh of the missionaries. Quickly the husband reached for his rifle & shot the cobra through its head.
Our story is not complete. One day while a friend of the missionaries was sweeping the floor in her Canadian town, she had an irresistible urge to pray for these missionaries. "They are right now in great danger," she said to herself. So she began to pray. Presently God's peace came into her heart. She knew that God had worked in behalf of her faraway friends. Later, when the missionaries told her of their frightful experience, she compared the date & time of the two experiences. The peril of the missionaries & the burden to pray for them corresponded to the minute!
"More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of!"
117. Forbidding prayers in school won't hurt our country half as much as forgetting prayers at home.
118. The tragedy of our day is not unanswered prayer--but unoffered prayer.
119. Are we as enthusiastic in our prayers as we are in all other areas of our lives?
120. Those prayers that awaken God must awaken us.
121. Prayer is the gun we shoot with, fervency is the fire that discharges it, & faith the bullet that pierces the throne of grace.
122. When the heroic General Gordon went to the Sudan, his parting message to me was written on a card, & referring to a prayer-meeting held at his house: "I value more the prayer of that little circle than all the wealth of the Sudan."
123. The Rev. George Grubb tells in his books, "What God Hath Wrought", the following incident: During one of his campaigns he entered the tent a little earlier than usual one evening, & found the coloured tent attendant walking up & down on top of the rows of seats. "What are you doing?" Mr. Grubb asked.
"Well," he said, "I am claiming all the people who sit in these seats tonight for Jesus, for God says that 'every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you,' so I am walking up & down these seats & claiming them for God." (Josh.1:3)
124. Arrangements had been made for a lecture by the agnostic lecturer, Bradlaugh, who was a forceful orator, & it was feared by a small group of believers in the city that his visits would cause great spiritual harm to the youth of the place. They covenanted together that they would take hold of God for the hindering of the meeting. The evening came, however, & Bradlaugh appeared on the platform before a capacity audience. Was the prayer of the earnest group to go unanswered? After the introductory remarks by the chairman, the great infidel stepped to the front & began to speak. "Ladies & gentlemen," he said, & then passed his hand over his forehead. A second & a third time he repeated those words, & then, turning to the chairman, he said, "For some reason, sir, my mind seems clouded, & I am unable to continue. I am sorry to disappoint the audience." He sat down. The Chairman apologised, & the audience dispersed. Bradlaugh never returned to the place.
125. When thou prayest, rather be thy heart without words than thy words without heart.
126. No man can pray scripturally who prays selfishly.
127. Some people treat God as they do a lawyer; they go to Him only when they are in trouble.
128. He who runs from God in the morning will scarcely find Him the rest of the day.
129. When the road of life is steep & slippery, prayer in action gives us traction.
130. Abraham prayed & brought God down almost to his own terms.
Elijah prayed & called down fire from Heaven.
Daniel prayed & was saved from the lions.
Paul prayed & the prison walls were shaken.
Luther prayed & the gates of Rome shook.
Knox prayed & Queen Mary trembled.
Wesley prayed & a great revival saved England.
Muller prayed & great orphanages were reared.
Roberts prayed & a Pentecost swept Wales.
131. Dr. Goodrich...was on the lookout on a wall in Peking during the Boxer uprising in China, & saw the enemy approach within a second of achieving its objective, when suddenly the whole attacking force turned & fled in confusion. Some of those who fled were captured, & when asked why they fled, answered: "We saw the walls suddenly swarming with Angels in white, & we cried out, `The gods have come down to fight for the foreigners, & our cause is lost.'"
132. When the searchers found a five-year-old boy who had been lost in the mountains for two days, they asked, "Were you afraid?" "It was scary," the little boy answered, "but I prayed & God took good care of me."
133. Little Raymond returned home from Sunday school in a joyous mood. "Oh Mother," he exclaimed as he entered the house, "the superintendent said something awfully nice about me in his prayer today."
"Isn't that wonderful!" said the mother. "What did he say?"
"He said, `Oh, Lord, we thank Thee for food & Raymond,'" replied the lad.
134. The greatest of men must turn beggars when they have to do (?) with Christ.
135. Take God into thy counsel. Heaven overlooks Hell. God at any time can tell thee what plots are hatching there against thee.
136. Prayer is a swift messenger, which in the twinkling of an eye can go & return with an answer from Heaven.
137. Could we be content to meet a loved one only in public?
138. The chief purpose of prayer is that God may be glorified in the answer.
139. Prayer is to ask not only what we wish of God, but what God wishes of us.
140. If I can do some good today,
If I can serve along life's way,
If I can something helpful say,
Lord, show me how.
If I can right a human wrong,
If I can help to make one strong,
If I can cheer with smile or song
Lord, show me how.
If I can aid one in distress,
If I can make a burden less,
If I can spread more happiness,
Lord, show me how.--Grenville Kleiser
The victories won by prayer,
By prayer must still be held;
The foe retreats...but only when
By prayer he is compelled.
141. Tell Him about your heartache
And tell Him about your loneliness too,
Tell Him your baffled purpose
When you scarce know what to do.
Then leaving all your weakness
With the One divinely strong,
Forget that you bear the burden
And carry away the song.
142. Wrestling prayer can wonders do,
Bring relief in deepest straits;
Prayer can force a passage through
Iron bars & brazen gates.
143. Give me a good digestion, Lord,
and also something to digest.
Give me a healthy body, Lord,
and sense to keep it at its best.
Give me a healthy mind, dear Lord,
to keep the good & pure in sight,
Which, seeing sin, is not appalled,
but finds a way to set it right.
Give me a mind that is not bound,
that does not whimper, whine, or sigh.
Don't let me worry over much about the fussy thing called I.
Give me a sense of humour, Lord;
give me the grace to see a joke,
To get some happiness from life
and pass it on to other folk.--Thomas H. B. Webb
144. Satan rocks the cradle when we sleep at our devotions.
145. Many people pray for things that can only come by work & work for things that can only come by prayer.
146. Prayer without love has no suction. It does not draw the blessing down.
147. Yank some of the groans out of your prayers, & shove in some shouts.
148. It is foolish to pray against sin & then sin against prayer.
149. Pray, & then start answering your prayer.
150. Lord, make me free...
From fear of the future;
From anxiety of the morrow;
From bitterness toward anyone;
From cowardice in face of danger;
From failure before opportunity;
From laziness in face of work.
151. Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace.
Where there is hatred...
Let me sow love;
Where there is injury...
Pardon;
Where there is doubt...
Faith;
Where there is despair...
Hope;
Where there is darkness...
Light;
Where there is sadness...
Joy.
O Divine Master, grant that I may
Not so much seek to be consoled...
As to console;
To be understood...
As to understand,
To be loved...
As to love, for
It is in giving that we receive,
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
It is in dying that we are born to Eternal life. St. Francis of Assisi
152. Prayer is so simple
It is like quietly opening a door
And slipping into the very presence of God,
There in the stillness
To listen for His voice.
Perhaps to petition
Or only to listen,
It matters not;
Just to be there,
In His presence,
Is prayer!
153. Please don't pray for rain if you're going to complain about the mud.
154. There is nothing that makes us love a man so much as praying for him.
155. Prayer is not the least we can do; it is the most.
156. To attempt any work for God without prayer is as futile as trying to launch a space probe with a peashooter.
157. We need more Christians for whom prayer is the first resort, not the last.
158. What various hindrances we meet
In coming to the mercy seat;
Yet who, that knows the worth of prayer,
But wishes to be often there?--William Cowper
159. In prayer, you've got to stick up your antenna. Your SPIRIT is your antenna, because it is spiritually sensitive. When you're in prayer your spirit is seeking the Lord. In a sense your spirit comes out & up & reaches out for the Lord. The minute you start thinking about the Lord & get spiritually sensitive, your little spiritual antenna goes up! And it receives the impressions & impulses that you feel in the spirit. God has made the rules that way & that's the way you have to play! You get these things in the spirit when you're quiet or alone or most spiritually sensitive or asleep. It seems like your spiritual antenna can then go up a little higher & get a little better reception.
160. Selfishness short-circuits prayer.
161. The plane had caught fire like a torch.
"I was still conscious," said the pilot, "and I tried to get through the little window next to my seat. Flames licked at my back & legs. I got halfway through, but the chute on my back wedged me in. I had to go back into a fire & try to get it off. But I couldn't. My fingers were numb. The last thing I remembered was shouting, `Please help me, God!' And the next thing I knew I was lying on the ground, with the doctor bending over me. Nobody knows yet how I got out of that window."
He hesitated for a moment, & then added, "My theory, of course, is that the Lord pulled a fast one."
162. When we are listless about prayer is the very time when we need most to pray! The only way we can overcome listlessness in anything is to put more of ourselves, not less, into the task. To pray when you do not feel like praying is not hypocrisy--it is faithfulness to the greatest duty of life.
163. ROYAL TELEPHONE
Central's never busy, always on the line,
You may hear from Heaven almost any time.
'Tis a royal service free to one & all;
When you get in trouble, give this royal line a call.
Telephone to glory, Oh, what joy divine!
I can feel the current moving on the line;
Built by God the Father for His loved & own
We may talk to Jesus through this royal telephone.
There will be no charges, telephone is free;
It was built for service just for you & me;
There will be no waiting on this royal line,
Telephone to glory always answers just in time.
Have you failed to get the answer,
Satan's crossed your wire,
By some strong delusion or some base desire?
Take away obstructions, God is on the throne,
And you'll get the answer through this royal telephone.
If your line is ground & connection true
Has been lost with Jesus, I'll you what to do:
Prayer & faith & promise mend the broken wire
Till your soul is burning with the Pentecostal fire.
Carnal combinations cannot get control
Of this line to glory anchored in the soul.
Storm & trial cannot disconnect the line
Held in constant keeping by the Father's hand divine.
164. God is not mocked. He does not answer prayers if He has already given us the answer & we are not willing to use it.
165. To give prayer the secondary place is to make God secondary in life's affairs.
166. Prayer does not enable us to do a greater work for God. Prayer IS a greater work for God.
167. Prayer is the highest use to which speech can be put.
168. Once in an Eastern place wide
A little child sat weaving;
So patiently her task she plied,
The men & woman at her side
Flocked around her almost grieving.
"How is it, little one," they said,
"You always work so cheerily?
You never seem to break your thread,
Or snarl or tangle it, instead
Of working smooth & clearly."
"I only go & tell the King,"
She said, abashed & meekly;
"You know He said, `In everything.'"
"Why so do we!" they cried. "We bring
Him all our troubles weekly."
She turned her little head aside;
A moment let them wrangle;
"Ah, but," she softly then replied,
"I go & get the knot untied
At the first little tangle!"
169. As it is the business of tailors to make clothes & of cobblers to mend shoes, so it is the business of Christians to pray.
170. The measure of our love for others can largely be determined by the frequency & earnestness of our prayers for them.
171. God does nothing but in answer to prayer.
172. She asked to be made like her Saviour:
He took her right then at her word,
And sent her a heart-crushing burden
Till the depths of her soul were stirred.
She wanted a meek, lowly spirit--
The work He gave answered that cry.
Till someone who had once been companions,
With a pitying smile passed her by.
She asked to lean hard on her Saviour,
He took human props quite away,
Till no earthly friend could give comfort,
And she could do nothing but pray.
She had prayed to be made like the Saviour,
And the burdens He gave her to bear
Had been put the great Sculptor's teaching;
To help answer her earnest prayer.
173. I'll never forget a miracle of encouragement the Lord did for us while in some difficult days living in a pension alone & trying to pioneer a new city. One day while Sos was busy arranging documents, househunting & litnessing, I took all four children out to provision our needs.
I had the baby in my arms, two hanging onto my skirt & the oldest was pushing the stroller full of bags & bottles, & boy, was I struggling down that busy crowded city street! Thank the Lord we just couldn't do it in our own strength, & finally we just pulled over to pray.
When we opened our eyes, there were two very old ladies, foreigners--they sure weren't from here as the hey were very white with white hair, in their 80's at least, & we could not understand a word they said! But they were leaning way over into our circle to hear our prayer!
They had the slowest most tranquil spirit in the midst of all that city confusion, & finally one said in broken English, "You are like a beautiful garden, full of beautiful flowers!" Wow!--And she slipped a very large donation into one of the children's hands, gave us a most angelic smile & puttered down the street! All of us still believe these "foreigners" were from Heaven--Angels! Praise the Lord!--Sos & Ahlai
174. To pray without labouring is to mock God: To labour without prayer is to rob God of His glory.
175. Prayer should be fundamental, not supplemental.
176. UNANSWERED YET?
Faith cannot be unanswered.
Her feet were firmly planted on the Rock;
Amid the wildest storms she stands undaunted,
Nor quails before the loudest thunder shock.
She knows Omnipotence has heard her prayer,
And cries, "It shall be done," sometime, somewhere.
Unanswered yet? Nay, do not say ungranted;
Perhaps your part is not yet wholly done.
The work began when your first prayer was uttered.
And God will finish what He has begun.
If you will keep the incense burning there,
His glory you shall see, sometime, somewhere.--Robert Browning
177. A MISSIONARY'S PLEA
Dear Mother:
Are they praying for us at home?
Are they meeting together for prayer,
Or, going on still in the usual way,
As they did when I was there?
We thank them all for their money,
We thank them all for their care.
But, oh, just tell them, dear mother
We are needing so much their prayers.
Will you ask them to gather together,
To meet at our Father's throne,
That we may be kept from faltering,
When we feel we are standing alone?
There are moments when courage fails us,
And dangers around us stare;
Do tell them again, dear mother,
We are needing so much their prayers.
Your Missionary Children
178. A Persian fable says--One day
A wanderer found a piece of clay
So redolent of sweet perfume
Its odour scented all the room.
"What are thou?" was the quick demand:
"Art thou some gem of Samarcand
Or spikenard rare in odd disguise?
Or other costly merchandise?"
"Nay, I am but a piece of clay." "Then, whence this wondrous sweetness, pray?" "Friend, if the secret I disclose,
I have been living with the rose." (Song of Songs 2:1; 2Cor.3:18)
179. What comes from Heaven in a promise
Should be sent back to Heaven in a prayer.
180. BECAUSE YOU PRAYED
God touched our weary bodies with His power
And gave us strength for many a trying hour
In which we might have faltered, had not you,
Our intercessors faithful been, & true.
Because you prayed--
God touched our lips with coals from altar fire,
Gave Spirit-fulness, & did so inspire
That, when we spoke, sin-blinded souls did see;
Sins chains were broken;
Captives were made free.
Because you prayed--
The dwellers in the dark have found the Light;
The glad good-news has banished heathen
The message of the Cross, so long delayed,
Has brought them life at last--
Because you prayed.--Charles B. Bowser
181. Somebody prayed, my burden was lighter,
Somebody prayed & my path became clear,
Clouds rolled away, & the sunshine was brighter,
Jesus my Wonderful Saviour was near.
Prayer hands, outstretched, over ocean & mountain
Helped me press onward, when I was afraid.
Thirsty souls drank at the life-giving Fountain,
Somebody, somewhere, had earnestly prayed.
Faith flickered low in my pain-tortured body,
Jesus, the Mighty Physician, was there,
Healing me, giving me joy in His Presence,
Answering somebody's unfailing prayer.
Gems for the Master afar I may gather,
Trophies at last at His feet to be laid,
"Well done," He'll say, but methinks I shall answer,
"It's all by Thy Grace, Lord, 'cause somebody prayed."--Louise J. Walker
182. BEYOND OUR ASKING
More than hearts can imagine
or minds comprehend,
God's bountiful gifts are ours without end--
We ask for a cupful when the vast sea is ours,
We pick a small rosebud from a garden of flowers,
We reach for a sunbeam
but the sun still abides,
We draw one short breath
but there's air on all sides--
Whatever we ask for falls short of God's giving
For His Greatness exceeds every facet of living,
And always God's ready
and eager and willing
To pour out His mercy completely fulfilling
All of man's needs for peace, joy and rest
For God gives His children Whatever Is Best--
Just give Him a chance to open His Treasures
And He'll fill your life
with unfathomable pleasures,
Pleasures that never grown worn out & faded
And leave us depleted, disillusioned and jaded--
For God has a "storehouse"
just filled to the brim
With all that man needs
if we'll only ask Him.--Helen Steiner Rice
183. MORNING PRAYER
Jesus, where'er Thy people meet,
There they behold Thy Mercy-seat:
Where'er they seek Thee, Thou art found,
And every place is hallowed ground.
For Thou, within no walls confined,
Inhabitest the humble mind:
Such ever bring Thee where they come,
And going, take Thee to their home.
Great shepherd of Thy chosen few,
Thy former mercies here renew;
Here to our waiting hearts proclaim
The sweetness of Thy saving Name.
Here may we prove the power of prayer,
To strengthen faith, & banish care,
To teach our faint desires to rise,
And bring all Heaven before our eyes.
Lord, we are few, but Thou art near,
Nor short Thine arm, nor deaf Thine ear;
O rend the heavens, come quickly down,
And make a thousand hearts Thine own!--William Cowper
184. It is not the arithmetic of our prayers, how many they are; nor the rhetoric of our prayers, how eloquent they may be; nor the geometry of our prayers, how long they be; nor the music of our prayers, how sweet our voice may be; nor the logic of our prayers, how argumentative they may be; nor the method of our prayers, how orderly they may be--which God cares for. Fervency of spirit is that which availeth much.
185. The Lord's answers to prayer are infinitely perfect, & they will show that often when we were asking for a stone that looked like bread, He was giving us bread that to our short-sightedness looked like stone.
186. GOD IS STILL ON THE THRONE
How sweet the memory--as a child
when disappointments came
My mother's faith & courage sweet,
that put my own to shame.
For in the time of trouble deep
my faith would weaken sore,
While hers just seemed to thrive on trials
and only grow the more.
And then it was I'd hear her say
as my doubts took to wings,
"Why,--God is Still upon the Throne
and PRAYER CHANGES THINGS."
But, after years, I wandered from
the shrine at mother's knee;
For seeming wise & learned men
had clearly shown to me
That such a simple, childlike faith
was now quite obsolete,
Belonging just to ages past,
today--for fools 'twas meet.
"All this", they said, "is only myth
and from gross ignorance springs,
That God is Still upon the Throne,
and PRAYER CHANGES THINGS."
Their way seemed well in weather fair
but Oh! when troubles came
It didn't meet the need at all--
'twas such a futile game.
"Now just hold on", the scoffer said,
"there's nothing else to do."
But that was just the trouble when
there was naught to hold on to.
For I had lost the simple faith
that such assurance brings,
That God is Still upon the Throne,
and PRAYER CHANGES THINGS."
So I turned back with eager heart
to the old-fashioned way;
And now I KNOW that God is real,
no matter what they say.
For better proof could not be had
than truly answered prayer,
And answered too in such a way
as to know--God is there.
And where is greater happiness
than the peace that this truth brings
That God is Still upon the Throne,
and PRAYER CHANGES THINGS." By Grandmother
187. How little we use this method of holy argument in prayer; & yet there are examples of it in Scripture: Abraham, Jacob, Moses, Elijah, Daniel. All used arguments in prayer, & claimed the divine interposition on the ground of the pleas which they presented.
188. The worth of a prayer is not gauged by its dimensions.
189. It IS necessary to draw near unto God, but it is not required of you to prolong your speech till everyone is longing to hear the word "Amen".
190. Units of prayer combined, like drops of water, make an ocean which defies resistance.
191. INTERCESSION, by Grandmother
Say not I do not understand the fierceness of your fight,
For I was with you many times in the darkness of your night.
Though you were many miles away & we were years apart,
I felt oft-times your agony, the pain within your heart.
Say not you fought the battle grim in darkness all alone,
For I was with you there in PRAYER, stood by you at the Throne.
With shield of faith & Spirit's sword I answered at His Word,
And came to battle by your side when first your call I heard.
Say not, "Tis fantasy that one should hear such distant cry".
For we are one in Him we love, His Spirit draws us nigh.
And oft He whispers to my heart the call to "QUICKLY PRAY".
So I have reached you there in prayer though you are far away."
192. Nothing lies beyond the reach of prayer except that which lies outside the Will of God.
193. No praying man or woman accomplishes so much with so little expenditure of time as when he or she is praying.
194. Lord, I have shut the door, speak now the word
Which in the din & throng could not be heard;
Hushed now my inner heart, whisper Thy Will,
While I have come apart, while all is still.
Lord, I have shut the door, here do I bow;
Speak, for my soul attent turns to Thee now.
Rebuke Thou what is vain, counsel my soul,
Thy Holy Will reveal, my will control.
In this blest quietness clamorings cease;
Here in Thy presence dwells infinite peace;
Yonder the strife & cry, yonder, the sin:
Lord, I have shut the door, Thou art within!
Lord, I have shut the door, strengthen my heart;
Yonder awaits the task--I share a part.
Only through grace bestowed may I be true;
Here, while alone with Thee, my strength renew.--William M. Runyan
195. Prayer can do anything that God can do.
196. The one concern of the Devil is to keep the saints from praying. He fears nothing from prayerless studies, prayerless work, prayerless religion. He laughs at our toil, he mocks at our wisdom, but he trembles when we pray.
197. Prayer is the rope up in the belfry; we pull it, & it rings the bell up in Heaven.
198. The man who kneels to God can stand up to anything.
199. Prayer is striking the winning blow...service is gathering up the results.
200. My God, is any hour so sweet,
From blush of morn to evening-star,
As that which calls me to Thy feet,
The hour of prayer?
Blest is that tranquil hour of morn,
And blest that solemn hour of eve,
When, on the wings of prayer upborne,
The world I leave.
Then is my strength by Thee renewed;
Then are my sins by Thee forgiven;
Then dost Thou cheer my solitude
With hopes of Heaven.
No words can tell what sweet relief
Here for my ev'ry want I find;
What strength for warfare, balm for grief,
What peace of mind.
Hushed is each doubt, gone ev'ry fear;
My spirit seems in Heaven to stay;
And e'en the penitential tear
Is wiped away.--Charlotte Elliott
201. Prayer is the soul's sincere desire,
Unuttered or expressed;
The motion of a hidden fire
That trembles in the breast.
Prayer is the burden of a sigh;
The falling of a tear;
The upward glancing of an eye,
When none but God is near.
Prayer is the contrite sinner's voice
Returning from his ways,
While Angels in their songs rejoice,
And say--"Behold, he prays.'
Prayer is the Christian's vital breath,
The Christian's native air,
His watch-word at the gate of death:
He enters Heaven with prayer.--J.Montgomery
202. In the secret of His presence, how my soul delights to hide!
Oh, how precious are the lessons which I learn at Jesus' side!
Earthly cares can never vex me, neither trials lay me low;
For when Satan comes to tempt me, to the secret place I go!
When my soul is faint & thirsty, 'neath the shadow of His wing
There is cool & pleasant shelter, & a fresh & crystal spring;
And my Saviour rests beside me, as we hold communion sweet;
If I tried, I could not utter what He says when thus we meet!
Only this I know: I tell Him all my doubts, my griefs & fears:
Oh, how patiently He listens! and my drooping soul He cheers:
Do you think He ne'er reproves me? what a false friend He would be,
If He never, never told me of the sins which He must see!
Would you like to know the sweetness of the secret of the Lord?
Go & hide beneath His shadow: this shall then be your reward;
And whene'er you leave the silence of that happy meeting place,
You must hold & bear the image of the Master in your face. --Ellen Lakshmi Goreh
203. In a factory where delicate fabrics are woven the operators are required, when the threads at any time become tangled, to press a button which calls the foreman to come & put matters right. On one occasion, however, a woman who was an old hand at the work thought she could disentangle the threads without the foreman's help, but she made things much worse. When the foreman did come she said, "I did my best, sir."
His answer was, "Remember that doing your best is to send for me."
When things get in a tangle, doing our best is sending for the Master, asking Him to straighten them out for us.
204. God shapes the World by prayer.
205. Confessing sin is not informing God, it is agreeing with Him.
206. Did not God sometimes withhold in mercy what we ask, we should be ruined at our own request.
207. Prayer is not monologue, but dialogue; God's voice in response to mine is its most essential part. Listening to God's voice is the secret of the assurance that He will listen to mine.
208. In prayer, while we seek in appearance to bend God's Will to ours, we are in reality bringing our will to His.
209. Turn the Bible into prayer.
210. We ask for silver & God sometimes sends His denials wrapped in gold.
211. two friends stood in a large railway station & watched an express train with the most modern of engines go flying through. "What a powerful engine!" remarked one of them to his friend, who was the Station-master of that station. "Yes!" said the Station-master who was a Christian, "On the rails. But off the rails it is the weakest thing in the World. And," he added, "how like the Christian! His power lies in communion with his Lord & Saviour, but when he leaves the path of communion he is the weakest person in the World."
212. The story is told of a certain minister who was disturbed to see a shabby old man go into his church at noon every day & come out again after a few minutes. What could he be doing? He informed the caretaker & bade him question the old man. After all, the place contained valuable furnishings.
"I go to pray," the old man said in reply to the caretaker's questioning.
"Come, come now," said the other, "you are never long enough in the church to pray."
"Well, you see," the shabby old man went on, "I cannot pray a long prayer, but every day at twelve o'clock I just comes & says, `Jesus, it's Jim' & waits a minute & then comes away. It's just a little prayer, but I guess He hears me."
When Jim was injured some time later & taken to the hospital, he had a wonderful influence on the ward. Grumbling patients became cheerful & often the ward would ring with laughter.
"Well, Jim," said the sister to him one day, "the men say you are responsible for this change in the ward. They say you are always happy."
"Aye, sister, that I am. I can't help being happy. You see, it's my Visitor. Every day He makes me happy."
"Your visitor?" The sister was puzzled. She always noticed that Jim's chair was empty on visiting days, for he was a lonely old man, with on relations. "Your visitor? But when does he come?"
"Every day," Jim replied, the light in his eyes growing brighter. "Yes, every day at twelve o'clock He comes & stands at the foot of my bed. I see Him & He smiles & says, `Jim, it's Jesus'."
213. No answer to prayer is an indication of our merit; every answer to prayer is an indication of God's mercy.
214. The prayer that is faithless is fruitless.
215. The answer of our prayers is secured by the fact that in rejecting them God would in a certain sense deny His own nature.
216. If we be empty & poor, it is not because God's hand is straitened, but ours is not opened.
217. GOD HEARS OUR PRAYERS
If radio's slim fingers
Can reach out in the air
And pluck the sweet
Melodies found lingering there
And send them at once to both you & me
Direct to our homes or wherever we be;
If the old refrain on the violin
Can reach us so clearly above Earth's din,
If the voice that is singing sweet & low
Is not torn asunder by storm clouds of woe;
If whispering hope from the strings of the harp
Can travel for miles, speak to our heart;
If the strains of the organ we can hear through the night,
And pleads in the darkness, "Lead kindly light";
If all of these things we can hear in the air,
Then why should we doubt that God hears our prayers?
218. If we are weak in communion with God we are weak everywhere.
219. The man who walks with God always gets to his destination.
220. The hand of faith turns the knob which makes the contact & throws the switch which turns on what little power you have. The hand of hope tunes with expectancy feeling for the frequency upon which God is broadcasting, & suddenly His great broadcasting station booms in with tremendous positive volume & power & certainty--& the messages come through loud & clear!
But if you're not skillful to tune in your fine tuning & absolutely zero in at the dead centre, or rather live centre of God's perfect frequency--with tremendous concentration & without distraction--if you allow any other signals to pull you off course or distort with static, God's message may become faint, distorted, interrupted, unclear, or even totally jammed by the static & power of the Enemy! Be sure your battery is well-charged by His power, fresh & renewed--that your contact is good & clean & firm--that you're tuning in attentively, accurately, with patient determination, waiting even in silence, if need be, while you wait for God's signal!
If you wait with faith & patience, without distraction, & with the utmost concentration, sooner or later you'll receive some of the most beautiful music you've ever heard, & some of the most powerful, thrilling, & amazing messages that will really stir you to action! You'll dance to His tunes, & battle according to His signals--His directions--& you'll know you're fulfilling His Will--the purpose for which you were created, regardless of the consequences!
221. Mr. Spurgeon once came to Bristol. He was to preach in the three largest Baptist chapels in the city, & he hoped to collect 300 pounds, which were needed immediately for his orphanage. He got the money. Retiring to bed on the last night of his visit, Spurgeon heard a voice which, to him, was the voice of the Lord, saying, "Give those 300 pounds to George Muller.' "But, Lord," answered Spurgeon, "I need it for my dear children in London.' Again came the word, "Give those 300 pounds to George Muller." It was only when he had said, "Yes, Lord, I will," that sleep came to him.
The following morning he made his way to Muller's Orphanages, & found George Muller on his knees before an open Bible, praying. The famous preacher placed his hand on his shoulder & said, "George, God told me to give you these 300 pounds." "Oh," said Muller, "dear Spurgeon, I have been asking the Lord for that very sum." And those two prayerful men rejoiced together.
Spurgeon returned to London. On his desk, he found a letter awaiting him. He opened it, to find it contained 300 guineas. "There!" cried he with joy, "the Lord has returned my 300 pounds with 300 shillings interest."
222. I cannot tell why there should come to me
A thought of someone miles & miles away,
In swift insistence on the memory,
Unless there be a need that I should pray.
Too hurried oft are we to spare a thought
For days together for some friend away:
Perhaps God does it for us, & we ought
To read His signal as a call to pray.
Perhaps just then, my friend has fiercer fight;
Some overwhelming sorrow or decay
Of courage, darkness, some lost sense of right,
And so, in case my friend needs prayer, I pray.
Friend, do the same for me, if I, unsought,
Intrude upon you on some crowded day;
Give me a moment's prayer in passing thought;
Be very sure I need it, therefore pray.--E. Middleton
223. How lovely are the faces of
The men who talk with God--
Lit with an inner sureness of
The path their feet have trod;
How gentle is the manner of
A man who walks with Him!
No strength can overcome him, &
No cloud his courage dim.
Keen are the hands & feet--ah, yes--
Of those who wait His Will,
And clear as crystal mirrors are
The hearts His Love can fill.
Some lives are drear from doubt & fear
While others merely plod;
But lovely faces mark the men
Who walk & talk with God.
224. God's chief gift to those who seek Him is Himself.
225. I seldom made an errand to God for another but I got something for myself.
226. A naturalist walking with his friend through the busy streets of a great city, stopped suddenly, and asked: "Do you hear a cricket?"
"Of course not," laughed his friend. "You could never hear a cricket with all this roar of traffic."
"But I hear a cricket," persisted the naturalist, and, turning over a stone, he uncovered the insect.
"Did you actually hear that cricket chirping above the noise of the street?" asked his friend in astonishment.
"Certainly," said the naturalist. "I spend my time listening to nature, whether I am in the forest, the field, or the town. Everyone hears that for which he is listening."
Taking a coin from his pocket, he dropped it on the pavement, and each passer-by put his hand in his pocket to see if he was the one who had dropped it.
For what are you listening? Gold or God? Your ears are tuned to listen for something, even as the receiving set is tuned to receive the program from a distant radio station. God's ears are tuned to hear our prayers. Are ours tuned to hear His commands?
227. A violent storm struck Tupelo, Mississippi. The following day a Negro asked his friend if he had prayed while the storm raged. The man replied in his unique and fascinating way, "Co'se I did! Who wouldn't pray in a storm lak dat?" A third Negro, hearing what was said added, "I 'security de Lawd heard plenty strange voices roun' here las' night!"
228. When I was young, I said to God, "Lord, tell me the mystery of the Universe." God seemed to say, "That knowledge is reserved for Me alone." So I said, "God, tell me the mystery of the peanut." God seemed to say, "Well, George, that's more nearly your size!" And the Lord told me!--Dr. George Washington Carver.
229. It is good to pray for the repair of mistakes, but praying earlier would likely keep us from making so many.
230. God can pick sense out of a confused prayer.
231. Because God is the living God, He can hear; because He is a loving God, He will hear; because He is our covenant God, He has bound Himself to hear.
232. Grass cannot call for dew as I do. Surely the Lord Who visits the unpraying plant will answer to His pleading child.
233. Even your simple little transistor radio or the more complicated telephone set, work much on these same principles, designed for pre-selected frequency responses by its creator, when operated properly by the various operators which control these frequencies, both at the broadcasting station & you at the receiver. The broadcasting station operates with tremendous power on a certain frequency--sometimes on several frequencies. But you, the operator of the receiver, need not have much power or wisdom yourself, but only the simplest of skill to know how to turn on your own little individual power source, make contact with your own tiny battery--your own spirit--just a tiny little mini-volt of power or faction thereof--just enough to activate your own circuit, & then only enough skill to tune in to the powerful frequency of the broadcasting station to receive sounds dropped out of the sky!--Tune, turn on, & receive His dropouts--or rather, turn on whatever little power or strength of the Spirit that you have that He's already charged your tiny battery with--your own spirit--so that your circuits might be activated to receive His powerful messages dropped out of the Heavens!--Dad
234. It's one thing to take what the Lord gives, but it's another thing to have enough faith to ask Him to give you something good enough to operate in!
Reminds me of the guy I once knew who was so desperate for a car that he said, "Lord, please give me a car! I gotta have a car, Lord--just any old car!" So that's exactly what he got--exactly what he asked for--a real clunker! You get what you ask for, & what you have faith for! God takes you exactly at your word!--Dad.
235. Prayer's like a mathematical problem: The more complicated the problem is & the more factors involved, the more difficult the solution. The bigger the problem & the more parts there are to the problem, the harder it is to work out the answer. But for a simple little problem like two plus two, it's easy to get a simple answer like four, because you have very little involved. Then it's easy to get the answer.
236. When we miss out on prayer we cause disappointment to Christ, defeat to ourselves & delight to the Devil.
237. God tells us to burden Him with whatever burdens us.
238. When a good man falls, he falls on his knees.
239. Let the day have a blessed baptism by giving your first waking thoughts into the bosom of God. The first hour of the morning is the rudder of the day.
240. What is the life of a Christian but a life of prayer?
241. It's a little bit like Astrology: All the stars, constellations, sun, moon, planets & all, have to be in a certain conjunction & positioned at just the right time in order to get the right results. You can't rush God, the planets or the stars. You have to wait till they're in that position. You've got to wait till it's God's time. But if you wait on God's time & you shoot straight at the right time, you'll get the right answer!--Dad.
242. I silenced an atheistic Jew in the park once by insisting on reading him nothing but the Bible, & a hush fell on the whole crowd, who said to him, "Shut up, we want to hear what the Bible has to say!" Never underestimate the power of the Word!--Or, for that matter, the power of prayer!--I've oftentimes shut up some vain babblers or hecklers just by starting to pray. There are very few people who don't respect prayer or at least your right to pray.
Ho did it at a big New York TV talk show & it hushed the whole crowd, & when he finished, some were in tears! There's something electrifying about prayer! Or how about a little praise! If you all started praising the Lord together, what could they do? You could drown them out! I'm convinced a sincere song, prayer, praise, or Bible reading could do a lot more good than all the arguing in the World. However, that might not be fair to the poor weak M.C. if you've agreed to be interviewed, unless you have to do it to bring peace! So you don't necessarily have to resort to such extreme measures unless you're in an emergency & need to get extraordinary results!--Dad
243. God said to Israel one time that bad things were happening because He said, "No man stirreth himself to call upon Me!" (Isa.64:7) My Mother told me of an incident that happened to an old missionary who was preaching in China in the pulpit one Sunday morning & the Communists invaded the town, threw open the front doors of the Church & just mowed the people down with machine guns including the preacher in the pulpit, a horrible, horrible massacre!
Here were all these Christians of this small village in China totally massacred! My Mother was horrified when she heard the news! She asked, "God, why? Why did You let that happen to all those precious Chinese Christians & that pastor, a good missionary that's gone clear to China to evangelise them?"
"Why Lord?" She was kind of angry with the Lord. "Why did You let that happen?" And God spoke back to her just as clear as she ever heard the voice of the Lord:
"Because My people pray not for My missionaries!" There is God passing back the buck! We're trying to blame God, but He's putting the responsibility on you! Now if you can pray & your prayers can change things, then if things are not changed it's your fault for not praying & believing & asking God to do something else.--Dad
244. Prayer should be the key of the day & the lock of the night.
245. Jesus has never slept for an hour while one of His disciples watched & prayed in agony.
246. If you can't pray as you want to, pray as you can. God knows what you mean.
247. I have many times been driven to my knees by the utter conviction that I had nowhere else to go.
248. Men of God are always men of prayer.
249. Let's take the radio for another example: You're going to send a radio message across the World for someone over there to pick it up. Number one: Your transmission won't have any power at all unless it's plugged into the current, the Holy Spirit, God's Power, the main current, the main line.
Your transmitter has to be in good condition. If it's faulty or out of tune or on the wrong channel, it won't transmit like it ought to & won't get the message through clear.
On top of that, it's got to be beamed in exactly the right direction at God's satellite. God, in a sense, really controls the limits of the direction of the prayer, because if you don't beam it in the general area where He wants it to go so it hits His satellite, it will miss the point all together. It won't do a bit of good if you're firing off in some other direction. You've got to be right on target in the direction God wants it to go, or it won't bounce right.
But if you're in tune, the Holy Spirit directs it. If your set is automated & the Holy Spirit is absolutely in control, then it's automatically tuned just right--power, beam, direction, everything--by the Lord's Own Computer, & it can't miss! But if you've been fooling around with the dials & the settings, you can mess up the whole works by trying to do it your way.
Also, the Lord has to have His satellite of His Will in just the right position to bounce it down to the receiver, & the receiver's got to be in just the right position to receive it. The satellite is on a fixed orbit that you can't change, like God's overall plan that is fixed. You must aim within that fixed orbit. Then, depending on your prayer & the recipient of your prayer, & providing conditions are right & you aim right in the direction that God has already sent the satellite of His Will, you can hit right on target! It's got to go according to God's general direction if you want it to work.
Then if your receiver gets in the right position he'll receive it. If the recipient is tuned in right & has the right power & is on the right channel, he will get the message.
So there are an awful lot of factors which affect the whole process of prayer. Which is one reason, of course, why you don't always get the answer right away. The trouble may be with you, or it's maybe not God's time 'cause His satellite isn't in the right position yet, or the trouble may be at the other end.--Dad.
250. Never, never may we forget that if we would do good to the World, our first duty is to pray!
251. Whatever else you make a business of, make a business of prayer.
252. The prayers of the Christians are secret, but their effect cannot be hidden.
253. I know no blessing so small as to be reasonably expected without prayer, nor any so great but may be obtained by it.
254. How come it takes so long for some prayers to be answered? Again, the picture of the billiard table: The balls are numbered, & the player is supposed to hit a ball of a certain number in proper sequence at a certain time in the game.
But you can't hit that ball until its number comes up.--And of course, the One Who created the game numbered the balls!--And you don't regulate where that ball's going to be at the time it's supposed to be hit. That's all ordered by the way the balls were scattered in the first place. You have to wait until your ball & that ball are in just the right position regarding that corner pocket to make the right shot to get the ball where you want it to go.
In a way, it's almost like the Lead Player is God, & He is the One that made the breakshot that scattered the balls originally. And as you go along, He plays too & keeps changing the position of the balls by His shots. The only difference is, God is not trying to beat you. He's actually trying to help you win if you're on His side, like playing doubles: Your partner is God, & your opponent's partner is the Devil! God's shots are made to try to make it easier for you.
It's like when you play partners: Your partner, God, tries to "set it up" for you. The same is true in another game, croquet: God is like your partner & He tries to give you set-ups to make it easier for you to shoot. Of course, it doesn't matter how good God sets things up, if you don't shoot straight it won't do any good.
And no matter how good your shot is, that ball, planet or person has to be in a certain position for it to hit right. You may be firing away, maybe even hitting the planet right, but if the object of your prayers is not at the right angle of reflection it's not getting through to him.--Dad
255. Prayer is the key to Heaven's treasures.
256. I had rather stand against the cannons of the wicked than against the prayers of the righteous.
257. The mightier anyone is in the Word, the more mighty he will be in prayer.
258. God's Promises are to be our pleas in prayer.
259. I fell asleep one time when I was praying in our little house in Downham, England. The family were all sitting round me at Christmastime & I was praying away & I fell asleep praying & they said I kept right on praying. That was the funniest feeling I ever had. I was so surprised when I woke up & I was still praying!--Dad
260. It's just like a telephone call. You're almost like the exchange. And God sends the main call from His Spirit to your mind. And then you have to make the connection to send it on to the party that needs to receive it. But if you just think about them & then don't pass on the thought to the Lord in the form of a desperate plea for them & instead you just cut it off, it's just like you're turning the phone off on God!
It's like when He's trying to make a phone call & He gives you the number & you put it through. He tells the operator--you're the operator. God is the One that's calling, & He tries to put it through you because He wants to show you what Love really is.
`Love is making a connection like that from to somebody who needs your love. You are the connection between God & that person, in Love. In everything we do in witnessing, God is the One Who's sending the message, right? And they are the one He wants to get it to.
But it has to go through you.--You're the operator. And if you don't make the connection, if you're lazy & slow & negligent & you don't care & you don't even want to be bothered with these calls & so you don't make the connection, then it's a broken connection, & they never get the message, & they never receive the Love, & so there's never any answer.--Dad.
261. "Mama!" said the little boy as he was kneeling down to say his bedtime prayers, "What does `Fi-shu-die' mean?" "Fi-shu-die?" said the mother. "Yes, you know--`Fi-shu-die before I wake.'"
262. There is an Eye that never sleeps
Beneath the wing of night;
There is an Ear that never shuts,
When sink the beams of light:
There is an Arm that never tires,
When human strength gives way;
There is a Love that never fails,
When earthly loves decay.
That Eye is fix'd on Seraph throngs;
That Arm upholds the sky;
That Ear is fill'd with Angel songs:
That Love is throned on High.
But there's a power, which man can wield,
When mortal aid is vain,
That Eye, that Arm, that Love, to reach,
That listening Ear to gain.
That power is prayer, which soars on High
Through Jesus to the Throne,
And moves the Hand, which moves the world,
To bring Salvation down. Amen. J.A.Wallace
263. A friend of mine, Miss L. Dennis of the Heart of Africa Mission, spent her Christmas Day as the only European in a Congo village. She was without food at dinner time, and kneeled at her bedside in the tiny one-roomed native hut to pray, "Give me this day my daily bread." As she arose, out flew a little hen with a loud, "Tuck, Tuck, Tuck." She had laid her first egg under the bed.
264. To talk with God,
No breath is lost--
Talk on!
To walk with God,
No strength is lost--
Walk on!
To wait on God,
No time is lost--
Wait on! Dnyanodaya (Indian Poet)
265. Martha was busy & hurried
Serving the Friend Divine,
Cleansing the cups & the platters,
Bringing the bread & the wine.
But Martha was careful & anxious,
Fretting in thought & in word.
She had no time to be learning
While she was serving the Lord.
For Martha was cumbered with serving, Martha was troubled with things.
Those that would pass with the using
She was forgetting her wings.
But Mary was quiet & peaceful
Learning to love & to live.
Mary was learning His precepts,
Mary was letting Him give--
Give of the riches eternal,
Treasures of mind & of heart,
Learning the mind of the Master,
Choosing the better part.
Do we ever labour at serving
Till voices grow fretful & shrill?
Forgetting how to be loving?
Forgetting how to be still?
Do we strive for things & possessions
And toil for the perishing meat?
Neglecting the one thing needful?
--Sitting at Jesus's feet!
Oh, service is good when He asks it,
Labour is right in its place,
But there is one thing far better--
Looking up into His face.
There's so much that He would tell us,
There are so many truths oh so deep!
This is the place where He wants us
And these are the things we can keep!--Grandmother.
266. God still speaks to those who take the time to listen.
267. If you would have God hear you when you pray, you must hear Him when He speaks.
268. A Christian in great perplexity prayed but found no relief in prayer. Looking up from where he knelt, his eye alighted on a card, "Try Thanksgiving!" He did, & the Lord gave him peace & removed his cares. (Phil.4:6; 1Tim.2:1)
269. How much does a prayer weigh? The only man I ever knew who tried to weigh one still does not know.
Once upon a time he thought he did. That was when he owned a little grocery store on the West side. It was the week before Christmas after the World War. A tired looking woman came into the store & asked him for enough food to make up a Christmas dinner for her children. He asked her how much she could afford to spend.
She answer, "My husband was killed in the war, I have nothing to offer but a little prayer."
This man confesses that he was not very sentimental in those days. A grocery store could not be run like a bread line.
So he said, "Write it on paper," & turned about his business.
To his surprise, the woman plucked a piece of paper out of her bosom & handed it to him over the counter & said, "I did that during the night watching over my sick baby."
The grocer took the paper before he could recover from his surprise, & then regretted having done so! For what would he do with it, what could he say?
Then an idea suddenly came to him. He placed the paper, without even reading the prayer, on the weight side of his old-fashioned scales. He said, "We shall see how much food this is worth."
To his astonishment the scale would not go down when he put a loaf of bread on the other side. To his confusion & embarrassment, it would not go down though he kept on adding food, anything he could lay his hands on quickly, because people were watching him.
He tried to be gruff & he was making a bad job of it. His face got red & it made him angry to be flustered.
So finally he said, "Well, that's all the scales will hold anyway. Here's a bag. You'll have to be put it in yourself. I'm busy."
With what sounded like a gasp or a little sob, she took the bag & started packing in the food, wiping her eyes on her sleeves every time her arm was free to do so. He tried not to look, but he could not helping seeing that he had given her a pretty big bad & that it was not quite full. So he tossed a large cheese down the counter, but he did not say anything; nor did he see the timid smile of grateful understanding which glistened in her moist eyes at this final betrayal of the grocer's crusty exterior.
When the woman had gone, he went to look at the scales, scratching his head & shaking it in puzzlement. Then he found the solution. The scales were broken.
The grocer is an old man now. His hair is white. But he still scratches it in same place & shakes it slowly back & forth with the same puzzled expression. He never saw the woman again. And, come to think of it, he had never seen her before either. Yet for the rest of his life he remembered her better than any other woman in the world & thought of her more often.
He knew it had not been just his imagination, for he still had the slip of paper upon which the woman's prayer had been written: "Please, Lord, give us this day our daily bread." (Matt.6:11)
270. If you "Trust in the Lord with all thy heart & lean not unto thine own understanding, & in all thy ways acknowledge Him, He shall direct thy paths." (Pro.3:5-6) In order for Him to direct your path you should do the first three things: Trust Him, acknowledge Him & don't lean to your own understanding!--Dad.
271. When you're really asking & praying, you know good & well if you're asking for a fish He'll not give you a serpent, & if you're asking for bread He'll not give you a rock. (Matt.7:9,18)--Dad
272. Sinning stops praying &...Praying stops sinning.
273. I knelt to pray when day was done,
And prayed "O Lord bless every one,
Lift from every saddened heart the pain,
And let the sick be well again."
And then I woke another day,
And carelessly went upon my way.
The whole day long I did not try
To wipe a tear from any eye.
I did not try to share the load
Of any brother on the road.
I did not even go to see
The sick man just next door to me.
Yet once again when day was done,
I prayed "O Lord bless everyone."
But as I prayed, unto my ear
There came a voice that whispered clear.
"Pause, hypocrite, before you pray,
Whom have you tried to bless today?
God's sweetest blessings always go,
By hands which serve Him below."
And then I hid my face and cried,
"Forgive me, God, for I have lied.
Let me but live another day,
And I will live the way I pray!"
274. Let's have a little seance with Jesus, right now, shall we? Let's hold hands to show our unity in the Spirit, show our love, our affection, touch! There's a lot in touch that's important! You kind of mix auras, you feel the current flowing on the line, you complete the circuit! It doesn't mean that you guys who can't reach the other guys at the end of the line are not completing the circuit, you've got one long line & a lot of electricity on that, praise the Lord?--Dad.
275. Prayer is weakness leaning on omnipotence.
276. Gipsy Smith was once asked how to start a revival. He answered:
"Go home, lock yourself in your room, kneel down in the middle of your floor. Draw a chalk mark all around yourself & ask God to start the revival inside that chalk mark. When He has answered your prayer, the revival will be on."
277. A Chinaman brought a number of his friends to the mission. When asked how he succeeded in getting so many to come, he said, "I got on my knees & talkee, talkee, talkee. Then I got up & walkee, walkee, walkee." Pray & then work. Prayer without works is vain. Praying without working like working without praying, is dead. Let us all talkee & walkee.
278. A sergeant-major, converted some time ago in a Salvation Army hut while on duty in the Middle East, had charge of the locomotive which ran between Cairo & Haifa. After his conversion he made it a practice, before starting on each journey, to pray for the safety of the train & of his passengers. On one journey the engine suddenly stopped, for no apparent reason. A civil engineer on the train, as well as the engine staff tried in vain to discover the cause of the breakdown which took place at 3 o'clock on a week morning. As dawn approached, two workmen came running farther down the line with the news that a rainstorm had made a hole in the permanent way large enough to engulf the whole train had it proceeded. "What luck!" the passengers said. But the driver quietly gave his witness & spoke of the prayer he offered for their safety every time he took his place on the footplate. Strangely enough, as it seemed to the passengers, the engine started without a hitch when the track had been repaired after a 14-hour holdup.
279. "Men ought always to pray & not to faint!" (Luke 18:1) It's too bad that we seem to sort of pull our antenna in when we get busy physically & then we don't seem to have as good reception. But it's probably because antennas are all quite frail & delicate. Your spiritual sensitivity is a very sensitive part of your spiritual equipment, & you've got to keep it well protected. You couldn't run around with your antenna sticking up all the time while you're working hard in the kitchen.--Dad.
280. If we do not "come apart", we will come apart.
281. Testified Olga Kristensen, who spent forty years in China as a Missionary:
"Toward the end of my stay I had nearly 80 refugees at the mission station besides the women living there. One night we heard the bandits approaching. There were shots at the end of the street. We all knew that without intervention, murder & disaster were on the way. I went into my closet & prayed to God for a word to calm myself & the others with me. My tortured soul then found a word I had often read before, but which now had a real meaning for me--`When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea,...thy sleep shall be sweet. Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it cometh.' Could I have a better message? I brought it to all the others & told them to go to rest. When I was going to bed I was tempted to lie down with my clothes on, but after a little struggle I undressed &, lying down, slept soundly. Next morning the dead were lying outside our premises. There had been fighting & murder, but no one had even gone so far as to knock on our door."
282. Spurgeon was once asked the reason of his marvellous power in the ministry. Pointing to the floor of the Metropolitan Tabernacle, he said, "In the room beneath, you will find 300 praying Christians. Every time I preach they gather there, & uphold my hands by continuous prayer & supplications. It is in that room that you find the secret of the blessings."
283. We mutter & sputter,
We fume & we spurt;
We mumble & grumble,
Our feelings get hurt;
We can't understand things,
Our vision grows dim,
When all that we need is
A moment with Him.
284. When we pray unitedly, joining hands in a circle, we can feel that unity in both flesh & spirit & a united strength & power like electricity flowing through us, having made the contact & the connection with our hands from one to the other in a continuous circle symbolising the unending eternity of the Hereafter, a circle being endless & encompassing all within it!--Dad.
285. Thank You for Your Word, Lord, that gives us the faith that we can come boldly before the throne of grace seeking help, Lord, in time of need, & that Your Spirit Herself will make intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered, in Jesus's name! (Heb.4:16; Rom.8:26)--Maria
286. You've got to have an antenna, feet on the Word, & you've got to turn it on & tune in!--Dad.
287. Intercession is standing in other people's shoes & representing them before God.
288. The World is too much with us!!--Every great man of God in the Bible, from Moses to Jesus, had to go away alone into his mountain for awhile, away from the multitude & its incessant demands & needs, in order to have time to meditate & pray, & to produce, from communion with God, the laws of God, for the needs of man.--Dad
289. Biographers of Fenelon tell us that he lived in such intimate fellowship with God that his very face shone. Lord Peterborough, a sceptic, was obliged to spend a night with him at an inn. In the morning he rushed away, saying, "If I stay another night with that man I shall be a Christian in spite of myself." Someone else said of him, "His manners were full of grace, his voice full of love, & his face full of glory."
290. Archibald Orr Ewing, a successful business man in Glasgow, went to China as a missionary. Through communion with his Lord Jesus Christ, his features became so radiant that the people there gave him a new name--"Mr. Glory-face". (Exo.34:29; 2Cor.3:18;4;6.)
291. Lord, be within me
--To strengthen me; without me
--To preserve me; over me
--To shelter me; beneath me
--To support me; before me
--To direct me; behind me
--To bring me back; around me
--To fortify me.--Lancelot Andrews
292. Take away everything I have, but do not take away the sweetness of walking & talking with the King of Glory!
293. We have become so engrossed in the work of the Lord that we have forgotten the Lord of the work.
294. One of the many interesting stories of the Bible is that of Elijah & the ravens. You remember that God sent ravens to bring His servant food, when he was at the brook, hiding from Ahab. Sometimes we seem to think that such wonderful things happened long ago, but that they do not happen any more. But in this we are mistaken. God still cares for His people. He is always near, when they need Him.
David Brainerd was a famous missionary who went to the Indians to preach the Gospel. As a result of his labours, many of the Indians found their Saviour. Brainerd was a man of prayer. In his diary he tells of his experiences on his many travels. And he often mentions how the Lord heard & answered his prayers.
One day, on one of his many journeys to visit an Indian tribe, he was overtaken by a severe storm. He looked for a place of shelter & eventually found one in a hollow log of a very large tree. While there, he prayed for the Indians & also that the Lord would take care of him & his needs.
When meal time came, he was hungry, but there was nothing to eat. He noticed a squirrel approaching the tree. The squirrel chattered a while. When the little animal disappeared, Brainerd noticed that he had left a few nuts behind. The missionary ate those nuts.
Three days the storm continued, & for three days Brainerd remained in the log. Each day the squirrel came to deposit some nuts at the entrance. David Brainerd knew that the Lord had sent that squirrel.
295. After Charran & our four oldest children sang at an old folks' home & led all 55 people in prayer to receive Jesus, the people who were having a party drew numbers to receive little prizes. Many of them gave the prizes they had won to the children.
We were given several very useful things but the miracle was that 3-year-old Lara needed a nightie & one of the prizes was a beautiful warm flannel nightie that fit her perfectly!--And yet these were prizes being given to old people! Thank You Jesus for how He always supplies!--Job & Charran
296. The camel at the close of the day
Kneels down upon the sandy plain
To have his burden lifted off,
And rest to gain.
My soul, thou too shouldst to thy knees
When daylight draweth to a close
And let thy Master lift thy load,
And grant repose.
Else how canst thou tomorrow meet,
With all tomorrow's work to do,
If thou thy burden all the night
Dost carry through?
The camel kneels at break of day
To have his guide replace his load;
Then rises up anew to take
The desert road.
So thou shouldst kneel at morning dawn,
That God may give thee daily care;
Assured that He no load too great
Will make thee bear.
297. It is said that Moody could not stand long prayers in public. At one of his meetings he called on a brother to pray, & he became lost in an eulogy on the Almighty. As Moody saw no landing in sight, he suddenly said, "While the brother is finishing his prayer let us sing number 75." A medical student happened to be bored with the long prayer, & was just reaching for his hat to leave when Moody's sudden switch from the prayer to the song arrested his attention. He put his hat down, remained in the service, & was converted. The student was the famous missionary afterward, Sir William Grenfell.
298. Marie had a friend who took her to the casino. She had never gambled before & prayed that the Lord would anoint her & make her win--& she won $110. A week later, another friend took her & she just sat there & watched him play, praying that he'd win & he won $100. When she later told him about it, he gave her the $100.--Johannes & Joanna, Pacific.
299. The granting of prayer, when offered in the Name of Jesus, reveals the Father's Love to Him, & the honour which He has put upon Him.
300. I remember reading years ago a simple story of an old violinist. He was poor, but possessed an instrument which never failed to charm by its soothing mellowness. Played as he could play, it never failed to awaken responsive chords in the heart! Asked to explain its charm, he would hold out his violin &, tenderly caressing its graceful curves say: "Ah, a great deal of sunshine must have gone into this wood, & what has gone in comes out."
How much of God's sunshine has entered your life? How much time have you spent in the radiance of His presence? It is only too true of all of us that if more of God's radiance had entered into our souls we should be better able to radiate peace & hope to the crowds around us.
301. Weary, anxious, & burdened with toil,
Martha is serving a meal for her Lord;
Mary, with love that no doubt can despoil,
Eagerly feedeth her soul on His Word.
Food for the body sustains for a day.
Food for the spirit will nourish alway.--Melvin J. Hill
302. Dr. Walter Wilson & a missionary friend were praying for a car which was greatly needed for the missionary's work in Africa. The missionary prayed, "O God, You know how badly I need a car for my work. Do, Lord, send me a car. Any kind of an old, ramshackle car will do!" Dr. Wilson interrupted. "Stop praying that way, brother! God is not in the junk business!"
303. When you awoke from sleep this morning,
Though the hour was rather late,
Did you stop to speak with Jesus,
And His benediction wait?
Did you thank Him for His mercy,
For His care through all the night,
That no evil had befallen,
That no tears now dim your sight?
Did you ask Him for the blessing
Of His presence through the day,
For His leading safely onward,
For His guiding, lest you stray?
Did you tell Him that you'd gladly
Go wherever He would lead;
That you'd try to do His bidding,
Helping every soul in need?
If you go without these blessings
As you start another day,
Be assured your strength will fail you,
And you'll faint along the way.
Oh, live closer to the Master;
For unless you're very near,
Words of Love He whispers to you
Will not reach your listening ear.
304. Two Senators were conversing in the anterom of the U.S. Capitol. They were discussing who was the better Christian. One said, "Humph, I bet you $10 you can't even recite the Lord's Prayer." "I bet you I can," replied the other. "Well, let's hear you," the first challenged. The other immediately intoned, "Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray Thee, Lord, my soul to keep..." The first Senator listened with amazement. "Here's your $10," he said, "I sure didn't think you knew it!"
305. Prayer does not need proof; it needs practice.
306. I asked God for strength, that I might achieve,
I was made weak, that I might learn humbly to obey...
I asked for health, that I might do greater things,
I was given infirmity, that I might do better things...
I asked for riches, that I might be happy,
I was given poverty that I might be wise...
I asked for power, that I might have the praise of men,
I was given weakness, that I might feel the need of God...
I asked for all things, that I might enjoy life,
I was given life, that I might enjoy all things...
I got nothing that I asked for--but everything I had hoped for,
Almost despite myself, my unspoken prayers were answered.
I am among all men most richly blessed.
307. I keep in step with Jesus
And he keeps in step with me,
And so we walk together,
In perfect harmony.
--There's not an hour that passes,
There's not a day goes by,
But that we have sweet fellowship,
My precious Lord & I.
308. Pray for a good harvest, but keep on hoeing.
309. One day a lady was giving her little nephew a lesson. He was generally a good, attentive child, but on this occasion he could not fix his mind on his work. Suddenly he said, "Auntie, may I kneel down & ask God to help me to find my marble?" His aunt having given her consent, the little boy knelt by his chair, closed his eyes, and prayed silently. Then he rose and went on with his lesson contentedly. Next day, almost afraid of asking the question, lest the child had not found his toy, and so might lose his simple faith, she said, "Well, dear, have you found your marble?" "No, Auntie," was the reply, "but God has made me not want to." God does not always answer our prayers in the way we wish or expect, but if we are sincere, He will take from us the desire for what is contrary to His Holy will.
310. When we make self the end of prayer, it is not worship but self-seeking.
311. Most commit the same mistake with God that they do with their friends: they do all the talking.
312. The secret of reaching men is to know the secret of reaching God.
313. When little Peter heard the minister shout as he prayed, he said to his mother, "Don't you think that if he lived nearer to God he wouldn't have to talk so loud?"
314. I love to lie awake at night,
When all the World's so still
Then I can hear my Father's voice
And know my Saviour's Will.
'Tis then He shines His purest beams
To search my secrets out;
And shows me all my hidden faults,
Putting each to rout,
Why fight insomnia with a pill?
Why dread to meet the nights?
There is no better time to find
The everlasting Light.--Frances Cooke
315. A moment in the morning,
Ere the cares of day begin,
Ere the heart's wide door is open,
For the world to enter in,
Oh, then alone with Jesus,
In the silence of the morning,
In heavenly, sweet communion,
Let your joyful day be born.
316. When the disciples locked the doors, Christ knew He was sure of a welcome. He could not get their ear because of the din & confusion that came through the open doors. Closing the door to the world is opening the door to the Master. Don't be afraid of shutting the door. It is the best invitation for the Master to enter.
317. The Rev. Thomas Bradbury was remarkable for punctuality in the time he devoted to family worship. One evening when the bell had rung, the servants went up to prayer, & forgot to shut the area door near the street. Some men observed the door open, & one of them entered the house to rob it.
Creeping upstairs, he heard the old gentleman praying that God would preserve his house from thieves. The man was thunderstruck, & unable to persist in his design. He returned & told the circumstance to his companions, who abused him on account of his timidity; but he was so affected that, some time after, he related the circumstance to Mr. Bradbury, & became an attendant on his ministry.
318. A Christian farmer was in town at noon & went into a restaurant for a hamburger & french fries. When he was served, he quietly bowed his head to give the Lord thanks for his food. Some fellows at the next table saw him & thought they would poke fun at him. One of them called out, "Hey, farmer, does everyone do that where you live?" "No, son," answered the farmer, "the pigs don't."
319. One day of preaching (Day of Pentecost) was preceded by ten days of praying. Our pattern is oftentimes--one day of praying precedes ten days of preaching.
320. The two most famous legions in the Roman army were the Tenth Legion & the Thundering Legion. The Tenth Legion was composed of Caesar's veteran shock troops. In every great emergency it was upon that Legion that he called, & it never failed him. The Thundering Legion was the name given to the Militine Legion in the days of the philosophy emperor--& yet one of the worst persecutors of the Church--Marcus Aurelius.
Tertullian tells us how the legion won that name, the "Thundering Legion". In A.D.176 the army of the emperor was engaged in a campaign against the Germans. In their march the Romans found themselves encircled by precipitous mountains which were occupied by their savage enemies. In addition to this danger the army was tormented by thirst because of the drought. It was then that the commander of the Praetorian Guard informed the emperor that the Militine Legion was made up of Christians & that they believed in the power of prayer.
"Let them pray, then," said the emperor. The soldiers of the Legion then bowed on the ground & earnestly besought God in the name of Christ to deliver the Roman army. They had scarcely risen from their knees when a great thunderstorm arose, accompanied by hail. The storm drove the barbarians out of their strongholds; &, descending from the mountains, they entreated the Romans for mercy. His army delivered from death at the hands of the barbarians, all delivered from death by the drought, the emperor decreed that this legion should be thereafter called the "Thundering Legion". He also abated somewhat his persecution of the Christians.
321. It was only an earthen vessel of no particular beauty. But all who came near it were charmed by the exquisite, delicate odor emanating from it. Someone asked the potter, "What did you put into the clay you used to mould this vessel to make it so appealing to all who enter your shop?" "Nothing! Nothing at all! I, too, noticed the flowerlike fragrance of the clay from which I wrought the vessel. So I went to the place from where the clay came & there I found a wild rosebush growing. Its petals covered the ground & filled the atmosphere with fragrance. The petals it shed year after year must have given the clay its odor."
We should stay so close to Christ that our daily lives will radiate His grace, goodness & sweetness.
322. Everything is needful that He sends. Nothing is needful that He withholds.
323. The purpose of prayer is not to get man's will done in Heaven, but to get God's Will done on Earth.
324. It is as natural for the spiritual man to pray as it is for the natural man to breathe.
325. The truest economy of time & labour is to be found in prayer.
326. The quickest way to solve any problem is to first bathe it in prayer.
327. James Gilmour, a missionary to Mongolia, was once asked to treat some wounded soldiers. Although he was not a doctor, he did have some knowledge of first aid, so he felt he could not refuse the request. He dressed the wounds of two of the men but a third had a badly broken thigh bone. The missionary had no idea what to do for such an injury. Kneeling beside the man, he asked the Lord for help.
He didn't know how God would answer his prayers, but he was confident that his need would be supplied. He couldn't find any book on physiology in the primitive hospital, & no doctor arrived. To complicate matters, a crowd of beggars came to him asking for money. He was deeply concerned about his patient, yet his heart went out to those ragged paupers. Hurriedly he gave them a small gift, plus a few kind words of spiritual admonition.
A moment later he stared in amazement at one weary beggar who had remained behind. The half-starved fellow was little more than a LIVING SKELETON. The missionary suddenly realised that the Lord had brought him a walking lesson in anatomy! He asked the elderly man if he might examine him. After carefully tracing the femur bone with his fingers to learn how to treat the soldier's broken leg, he returned to the patient & was able to set the fracture.t
328. In Central British Columbia, in a very isolated community, a Shantyman missionary was leading an open air service in front of a general store. Soon the program was interrupted by the appearance of a drunken cowboy who spurred his horse in a headlong gallop directly toward the missionary. Not one of the people who stood & watched the scene was aware of the quick inner cry for guidance & help that flashed from the missionary's heart to the throne of God. A split-second decision was reached: "Lord, You are able to protect--if You permit that horse & rider to run me down--Thy Will be done."
The horse lunged forward until its next step must smash the missionary to the ground. Suddenly it reared on its hind legs, as if encountering an invisible wall of the protection of the Lord. Three times the booze-crazed rider spurred his frothing mount at the missionary, & three times the horse refused to take the final leap that would have spelled serious injury or death to the Shantyman. The service proceeded to a conclusion as if there had been no danger.
329. To pray "in Jesus' name" means to pray in His Spirit, in His compassion, in His Love, in His outrage, in His concern. In other words, it means to pray a prayer that Jesus Himself might pray.
330. One psychiatrist has reported that, though he himself does not pretend to be a religious man, he cannot help being impressed by the fact that, in 25 years of active practice in New York City, he has never had a patient who really knew how to pray.
331. Trouble may drive you to prayer, but prayer will drive away trouble.
332. Formerly our church was built upon a high bluff. The street in front was wide, & an experienced driver had no difficulty in turning there. I had not been driving long enough to have confidence in myself, & usually sought a safer turning point. Once I was in a hurry & tried to make the turn near the embankment. I don't know what happened, but I found the car going backward at full speed & the brake would not work. There was a slight rise before the drop, but it did not stop the car. All earthly hope was gone. In my extremity I called upon the Lord, & the car stopped instantly with the rear wheels hanging over the high embankment. When I reached home I opened my Bible to find a Psalm of thanksgiving, & my eyes fell upon these words: "He inclined unto me, & heard my cry. He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miraculously clay, & set my feet upon a rock." The Word made me even surer that this was a miracle.
333. Two missionaries in Malaya walked to a distant village for some money which had been sent to a bank for them. When they were returning to their station, night overtook them. They prayed & committed themselves to God. Then they lay down to sleep on a lonely hillside. Some weeks later a man came to the mission hospital for treatment. He looked intently at the missionary doctor. "I have seen you before," he said. "No, I don't think we have met before," said the doctor. "But we have met before! You were sleeping one night on a hillside. Several of us saw you withdraw some money from the bank. We followed you, intending to rob you when it was dark. But we could not get near you because you were surrounded by soldiers." "Soldiers!" exclaimed the missionary. "There were no soldiers with us!" The bandit said, "But there were soldiers with you--sixteen of them. Their swords were drawn. We were filled with fear & ran away!"
"The Angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear Him, & delivereth them." (Psa.37:7)
334. When I pray, "coincidences" happen, & when I do not, they don't.
335. Most people don't know that God rules the World by the prayers of His Saints.
336. Powerful praying is not pretty phrases, but it is persistent prevailing.
337. A holy life does not always live IN the closet, but it cannot live WITHOUT the closet. (Mat.6:6)
338. Teachers, to be prepared you must be pre-prayered.
339. An African told how God worked Easter Sunday at the Ibuga Church of Western Tanzania. The Ibuga Christians had to meet outdoors because the buildings could not accommodate the 800 who attended. While they sang & worshipped, they had no idea of the calamity that was striking their neighbourhood.
About the time they started their service, a huge lioness came from the forest wild & mad. Normally a lion would kill & eat, but she was only bent on killing. She dashed from house to house attacking everything in her path. She killed three goats, a cow, & then a woman & her child! As the cry of anguish arose, the lioness ran off in the direction of the Ibuga Church meeting. The villagers said that now the "Mungu Mwena" ("God is good") people will get it, for that lioness is headed directly for them.
The congregation suddenly saw the creature only a few yards away. She stopped & growled furiously. The people quivered with shock! The preacher shouted, "Folks, don't be afraid, the God who saved Daniel from the lions is here. The Risen Christ of Easter is here." Then with a God-given faith & authority he turned to the lioness & said, "You lion, I curse you in the Name of Jesus Christ!"
Then the most amazing thing happened. From the scattered clouds, though there had been no rain--nor was there any later--a bolt of lightning struck the lioness & she dropped dead in her tracks. The preacher ran & jumped up & down on the carcass & then used it as a platform to preach!
Seventeen people were instantly saved. The community was stirred & agreed with the local policeman who muttered as they carried the carcass to the police station, "the God of these `Mungu Mwena' people surely is a God of miracles!"
340. Prayer is a shield to the soul, a sacrifice to God, & a scourge to Satan.
341. Prayer with obedience is power: Prayer without obedience is presumption!
342. Prayer as it comes from the saint is weak & languid; but when the arrow of a saint's prayer is put into the bow of Christ's intercession it pierces the throne of grace.
343. You never pray with greater power than when you plead the promises of God.
344. A well-known missionary who has gone to his heavenly Father, told how on one occasion he had to make all possible haste to a certain place on the mission field. A deep stream which had to be crossed was all in flood, no boat was available, & humanly speaking it was an impossibility to cross at that time. He & his party camped, & prayed. His heavenly Father knew all. As they prayed, a loud crashing noise was heard. A tall tree which had stood the storms of years had fallen, & it fell clear across the stream. Truly He knows how to deliver the godly.
345. Before the Communists took over China, John Ting, "God's Fool", did a mighty work for God. He was a member of the "Little Flock Evangelists." By his life & by his witnessing, he won many Chinese to Christ. He had utter faith in God's care, as the following thrilling incident attests.
One day Ting & his companions arrived at a river which had to be crossed. The river was overflowing its banks & the water was deep. Ting & his companions were being pursued by bandits. The situation seemed humanly hopeless! But Ting said, "Our God is a mighty God. He can open a way for us through the river!" He prayed simply & earnestly: "O, Lord, hold back the waters, & make a way for us to escape from our enemies!" Then he stepped into the raging water which swirled about his knees. He motioned to the others to cross as he bowed his head & prayed silently. For a moment, Ting's companions hesitated. Then, to their amazement, they saw that the water was steadily dropping. In a short while, all had crossed the river to safety!
The God Who wrought this miracle in answer to believing prayer, the God Who divided the Red Sea & rolled back the water of the River Jordan that His people might pass through safely, STILL LIVES! He still urges His children: "Call unto Me, & I will answer thee, & shew thee great & mighty things which thou knowest not." (Jer.33:3.)
346. In February, 1931, our district was reduced to a state of famine, & there was yet another month to wheat harvest. We had helped many, but one day when the Christians came for help we had to tell them we had nothing left. I told them that God wa a prayer-hearing & prayer-answering God. They proposed to come & join in prayer each afternoon.
On the fourth day of intercession I was called out of the meeting to see what was happening. Away in the north was a dark cloud appearing, & as we watched, it crossed our district & rained heavily. It wa not an ordinary rain, but a deluge of little black seeds in such abundance they could be shoveled up. They asked, "What is it?" reminding us of the children of Israel in the wilderness who asked a similar question. The seeds proved edible, & the supply so great it sustained the people until harvest. We learned later that the storm had arisen in Mongolia & wrecked the places where this grain was stored. The seed was carried 1500 miles to drop on the district where prayer was being answered.
347. Power in the Christian life depends upon our communication with the Source of power.
348. When we seek the Lord, we soon discover that He has never been far away.
349. Prayer puts God's Work in His hands--& keeps it there.
350. As air is to life, so prayer is the breath of faith.
351. God's ear lies close to the believer's lip.
352. The prayer of faith is the only power in the Universe to which the great Jehovah yields.
353. One morning I was on my knees praying, asking God to send me $10.00 some way, so that I could buy an automobile license. If I were to preach the next Sunday morning at the penitentiary, I needed means of transportation. And so I prayed & told God that if He wanted me to preach there, it was His problem, & not mine.
While I was talking to the Lord, my wife was cleaning the carpets downstairs. She turned off the vacuum cleaner & shouted upstairs, "Are you praying for $10.00?"
I answered, "Yes."
"Well, quit praying," she said, "Somebody has just shoved it through the letter slot in the door."
354. Tomahawks in hand, the Indians crept toward the strange tent. As they cautiously peered under the flap, their intention to kill was forgotten. There, in the centre of the tent was a man on his knees. As he prayed, a rattlesnake crossed his feet & paused in position to strike. But the snake did not strike. It lowered its head again & glided out of the tent. It was a long time later when David Brainerd, the man in the tent, found out why the Indians at the village received him with such honour as they did. He had expected that they would want to kill him. The reason for their change of heart was the report their comrades had brought of the marvellous thing they had seen. The Indians looked upon David Brainerd as a messenger from the Great Spirit, which indeed he was. He had come into the deep forest to preach the Word of God to the savages. Surely it is a good thing that in all good work the protection of God is with the worker.
355. We lie to God in prayer if we do not rely on Him afterwards.
356. The Devil enjoys hearing a prayer that is addressed to an audience.
357. Cold prayers shall never have any warm answers.
358. The history of the church's progress is the history of prayer.
359. He stands best who kneels most.
360. Two men praying the same prayers anywhere on Earth will raise a commotion in Heaven!
361. An officer in the first World War gives this account of God's willingness & ability to save men from shot & shell when they will pray. A German machine gun crew had their gun trained on an angle of our trenches where troops frequently passed back & forth, & the casualties were many. As a last resort volunteers were called to storm the gun in the open. Fifteen men volunteered. They themselves could see at a glance that most if not all of them must die. Even if they succeeded in silencing the gun they would scarcely escape the hail of lead that would follow them back to their lines. The young officer appointed to lead them, a chum of the one reporting the incident, before going over, addressed the volunteers as follows: "Men, I am a Christian. Before every undertaking I pray. Those of you who are willing, kneel with me & pray about this one." Then he uncovered his head & kneeling prayed, asking God to spare their lives, but if any must go that their souls might be saved. When he arose from his knees he noted that every man of them had knelt with uncovered head. Then they went over the top & raced for the machine gun nest amid a hail of lead & steel. They overcame the gun crew, tore up the gun & took it with them as they ran back to their trenches--not a man missing or seriously wounded. To the men looking on it was a miracle indeed. None among them will ever say that the day of miracles is past. God has not withdrawn His "exceeding great & precious promises."L
362. H.Clay Trumbull, in his book, "Personal Prayer", tells of a widow who had a hard struggle providing for her two children. One stormy night, she found she had not one particle of food in the house for the next day's need. She prayed with her children that night, omitting to tell them of their need.When morning came, she prayed for their daily bread, assured that her Father could supply it--as He alone knew how. She asked her children to go down to the shore before breakfast, & get some clean sand for their sitting room floor. Before the days of woolen carpets, in the humbler New England homes they were accustomed to strew sand on the floor. When the children had gone, the mother again kneeled & prayed for their daily bread. After this she spread the breakfast table, for which she had no food. Suddenly the children returned without the sand, but bringing gleefully a fine fish, which they had found in a hollow of the beach, as left by the outgoing tide after the storm, & which they together had captured. With a grateful heart she thanked God for His goodness, & prepared the fish for their breakfast.
363. Why not change the pattern of your prayers now & then? Wake up some morning & ask, "Dear Lord, is there anything I can do for You today?"
364. Prayer moves the arm that moves the World!
365. How deeply rooted must unbelief be in our hearts when we are surprised to find our prayers answered.
366. I have so much to do that I must spend several hours in prayer before I am able to do it.
367. William Hacquist of the Evangelical Alliance Mission tells a story of escape in Boxer Days. They had travelled six days & had come to a point where they must choose by land or river for further travel. But, because of drought, there was no water in the Han River at the time. Further, their carriers & escort refused to travel other than on the land route. So a prayer meeting was called in a native inn to ask God's guidance. They felt led to procure two large flat-bottom river boats; they bought food & placed it with their baggage on board. But there was no water. "The place where we stayed was surrounded by high hills. As we prayed & waited, in about mid-afternoon, heavy dark clouds came over the hilltops, & from them came pouring down the heaviest rain I have ever seen. It really looked like a cloudburst. In a very short time the river bed was filled with water, so we could release the boats & nicely float down the river. We later learned why we were led not to travel by land. In a mountain pass, several hundred bandits were waiting to kill us. God sent us the safe way."
368. A pioneer preacher tells of a personal experience. He says, "In the course of my work in a certain settlement I incurred the ill will of the leader of a gang of horse thieves & bandits, who made his honest boast that he would `get me'. One afternoon a man was hurt by a falling tree & I was sent for. To reach the lumber camp I had to pass through some rough, cut-over land. It was evening as I entered it, & all at once I was overcome with fear & foreboding, which I could not shake off until I dismounted & laid my trouble before the Lord. I went on unmolested.
"The next day the head bandit was shot by one of his men, & I was again summoned to a deathbed. The man confessed on the previous night he had lain in wait in the cut-over land, intending to kill me, adding, `But who were those men who rode with you?' When I said I was alone he screamed, `You were not! Two men were with you, one on either side, & in all my life I never saw such horses as they rode. Who were they?' The excitement brought on hemorrhage, & he fell into unconsciousness from which he never rallied. But I have never doubted that on the night of my terror God sent me supernatural protection & deliverance."
369. In December 1940, Mrs. A.E. Gadsby of Niagara Falls, Canada, mailed a Christmas parcel to her daughter in Prestwick, Scotland & prayed that it would arrive safely. The ship carrying the mails was torpedoed off the West Coast of Ireland, but a favourable tide floated the package & unerringly cast it ashore on the beach of Prestwick. The contents were soaked but perfectly usable. The address was still legible & the package reached the addressee two days after Christmas.
370. Picture an old woman with a halo of silvered hair--the hot tears flowing down her furrowed cheeks--her worn hands busy over a washboard in a room of poverty--praying--for her son John--John who ran away from home in his teens to become a sailor--John of whom it was now reported that he had become a very wicked man--PRAYING, praying always, that her son might be of service to God. The mother believed in two things, the power of prayer & the reformation of her son. God answered the prayer by working a miracle in the heart of John Newton.
John Newton, the sailor-reacher. Among the thousands of men & women he brought to Christ was Thomas Scott, cultured, selfish, & self-satisfied. Because of the washtub prayers another miracle was worked, & Thomas Scott used both his pen & voice to lead thousands of unbelieving hearts to Christ, among them a dyspeptic, melancholic young man, William Cowper by name. He, too, was washed in the cleansing blood & in a moment of inspiration wrote, "There is a Fountain Filled With Blood." And this song has brought countless thousands to the Man Who died on Calvary. All this resulted because a mother took God at His Word & prayed that her son's heart might become as white as the soapsuds in the washtub.
371. In the days of war the Japanese policeman who had absolute power said that within three days everyone in a certain Formosan mountain village must come to the police station & swear that he would not be a Christian, or he would be tied hand & foot, & stones tied to him, & he would be thrown from the high bridge into the rushing river below. The Christians met at midnight to decide what to do. Some said, "We'll have to give it up. We cannot be Christians now. He will surely kill us." Then a young boy arose. "But don't you remember that Jesus said not to be afraid of those who can only kill the body, but to be afraid of those who kill body & soul? If he kills us, it will only be our bodies--our souls will go to be with Jesus." They all said, "That's true."
When the vote was taken, every hand was raised--all voted to die. Next day the policeman laughed cruelly, & said, "Tomorrow you die." Now the policeman liked to fish, & waded out into the river. A sock or tree in the current struck his leg & broke it. While the mountain people were praying, a messenger rushed in, & said, "The man who was to kill you tomorrow has been drowned in the river."
372. Motto in a church: If you must whisper, whisper a prayer.
373. Prayer is a serious thing. We may be taken at our words.
374. When it is hardest to pray, we ought to pray hardest.
375. Prayer is releasing the energies of God.--For prayer is asking God to do what we cannot do.
376. The Christian on his knees sees more than the philosopher on tiptoe.
377. If prayer does not drive sin out of your life, sin will drive prayer out.
378. a native African Christian moaned & tossed with a raging high fever. The missionary used what simple remedies he had. He longed, however, for an ice pack. No ice was possible, he thought, & dismissed the longing. The mother of the fevered boy asked, "Cannot the Great-God send ice for my dear son?" Then she reminded him of one of his sermons when he said that God delights to do miracles. "But," he protested, "Ice! Ice!" She gave no heed to his doubts, & said, in a tone of implicit faith, "Shall we not pray?" Down on their knees they went, he praying first, telling the Lord things He already knew, & making very general requests. But the mother plainly said, "Lord, if ice is necessary to his healing, Thou canst send it. I do believe."
When the prayer ended, a hailstone the size of a walnut rolled into the hut, & when they looked out, they saw drifts of hailstones beyond the door. Sekunzi seized & shook her pastor, & exclaimed, "Did not the Great-God answer in His own wonderful way?" The hailstorm was local--the crops of the neighbours were not harmed--the son recovered completely--the miracle increased the faith of all who heard it--the pastor learned never to limit the power of God.
379. I read an incident that occurred during the first settling of the United States when there were plenty of wild Indians & wild animals. The country was thinly settled with white people. There was a young Christian family living in Virginia, consisting of a man, his wife & two small children. One day in the summer after they got their crop done they went to visit their nearest neighbour, eight or ten miles away, the woman & the children on their only horse & the man with his rifle walked beside his family.
In the evening about the time they started for home, there rose a storm & before they reached home dark overtook them. The storm was raging, the lightning was fearfully flashing every few seconds--they could only see their Indian path by the flashing lightning. They got about a mile from their home. All at once the horse stopped & by the flash of lightning they saw a huge panther on a limb of a tree just in front of them, ready to make his spring on the woman & children; (the man started to shoot, but in morning he had forgotten to take but one load for his rifle & he had used that one.) Just as the animal started to leap, the woman looked up through the fearful clouds, & prayed to the Lord to save them, & at that very moment there came a stroke of lightning, tore the tree up & the wild beast fell dead right in front of them. Such is the power of the Almighty to answer an earnest & faithful prayer.
380. A short prayer will reach the throne--if you don't live too far away.
381. The family altar which does not alter the family is not a good family altar.
382. We organise instead of agonise.
383. All we have to do, Lord, is turn on the power, let You flood our beings with Thy power, & tune in to Your frequency. For You're not just frequent, Lord, but You're there all the time! Amen!--Dad.
384. There is a legend about two Angels who were sent to Earth to gather up the prayers of men. One was to fill his basket with the petitions of Mankind. The other was to gather their prayers of thanksgiving. Some time later they went back to the Father's house. One had a basket heaped high, & running over, with the innumerable petitions of men. The other returned with a sad & heavy heart, for his basket was almost empty. The thanks of men were heard but rarely on Earth, even though the Angel had searched diligently. Do not let us forget the thanksgiving side of our prayers.
385. Strong is the lion--like a coal
His eyeball--like a bastion mole
His chest, against his foes;
Strong the gier-eagle on his sail;
Strong against tide th'enormous whale
Emerges as he goes.
But stronger still in earth or air,
And in the sea, the man of prayer,
And far beneath the tide;
And in the seat to faith assigned,
Where ask is have & seek is find,
Where knock is open wide. (1Sam.12:23; Ps.106:23; Dan.2:18-20; Jam.5:17.)
386. Prayer meetings are the throbbing machinery of the church.
387. If we are weak in communion with God, we are weak everywhere.
388. Effective prayer is a quartet--the Father, the Son, the Spirit & the Christian.
389. Talking to men for God is a great thing, but talking to God for men is greater still.
390. He who wants anything from God must approach Him with empty hands.
391. The Bible is a letter God has sent to us; prayer is a letter we send to Him.
392. Prayer is possession by anticipation.
393. I was longing to serve the Master
But alas I was laid aside
From the busy field of workers
In the harvest field so wide
They were few, yes, few in number
And I could not understand
Why I should be left inactive;
It was not as I had planned.
I was longing to SERVE the Master
And the need indeed was great.
For me it was easy to LABOUR
But oh, it was hard to WAIT,
To lie quite still & be silent
While the song was borne to my ear
From the busy field of workers
In the harvest field so dear.
I was longing to serve, just to SERVE the Master
But He led to a desert place
And there as we stopped & rested
His eyes looked down in my face,
So full of tender reproaching
They filled me with sad surprise!
Did He think I had grudged my service
Or counted it sacrifice?
Oh, Master, I long to serve, just to serve Thee,
There are so far at the best
Let me off to the fields, I pleaded,
I care not to stay & rest.
I knelt at His feet imploring,
I gazed in His face above.
"My child," He said, "Don't you know,
Your SERVICE is NOTHING without your LOVE?"
I was longing to serve, to serve my Master
Oh, this was my one fond thought,
For this I was ever pleading
As His footstool in prayer I sought,
But there in that lonely desert
Apart from the busy scene
It dawned on me slowly & clearly
Where my great mistake had been.
My mind was so full of service, just service,
I had drifted from HIM apart.
And he longed for that sweet communion,
That UNION OF HEART WITH HEART!
Well, I sought & I found forgiveness,
While mine eyes with pain were dim
And now, though His Work is still precious
The FIRST Place is kept for HIM!--By Grandmother
394. Prayer is the slender sinew that moves the muscle of omnipotence.
395. Prayer is that mightiest of all weapons that created natures can wield.
396. There is no burden of the spirit but is lighter by kneeling under it.
397. A father & his young daughter were great friends & much in each other's company. Then the father noted a change in his daughter. If he went for a walk, he excused herself from going. He grieved about it, but could not understand. When his birthday came, she presented him with a pair of exquisitely worked slippers, saying, "I have made them for you."
Then he understood what had been the matter for the past three months, & he said, "My darling, I like these slippers very much, but next time buy the slippers & let me have you all the days. I would rather have my child than anything she can make for me."
Some of us are so busy for the Lord that He cannot get much of us. To us He would say, "I know your works, your labour, your patience, but I miss the first love." (Rev.2:2-4)
398. Help me to follow You today
Help me to walk in the narrow Way
Help me to seek You first when I wake
Help me Your guiding Hand to take
Help me to listen to Your voices
Help me to make the right choices
Help me to find Your perfect Will
Help me to stop & be perfectly still
Help me to listen to Your Word
Help me to live by all I've heard
Help me to love You more & more
Help me to share, not keep things in store
Help me to follow You just like a sheep
Help me to know my soul You will keep
Help me to trust You with my life
Help me to pass by malice & strife
Help me at all times Thy face to seek
Help me, Lord, to be loving & meek
Help me to learn to let You work
Help me to squeeze & not to jerk
Help me to rise whenever I fall
Help me in falling to grow more tall
Help me be strong when I am weak
Help me Your Kingdom first to seek
Help me forgive those who are cruel
Help me to know I too am a fool
Help me to know I need You so much
Help me to find sweet rest in Your touch, &
Help me tonight when I lie down
To be wearing a smile & not a frown.--By Solomon
399. You can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth you! Ask God for help--& if you really are overloaded, He'll help you!If you really need help, tell it to Jesus first of all! Seek the Lord! "Cast thy burden upon the Lord & He shall sustain thee!" Just roll it over on Jesus & roll over & go to sleep--& let Him stay up all night! Don't worry about it! Let the Lord do the worrying! His shoulders are broad enough to carry any load--all the burdens put together, including His Own!--Dad.
400. General McArthur told an American Bible Society visitor: "Never a day goes by, be I ever so tired, but I read the Bible before I go to bed." (John 5:39; Acts 17:11.)
401. Look on His face: so shall His light Divine
On Thee in radiancy & beauty shine:
Walk in His steps; the path that Jesus trod
Shall lead thee safely on to Heaven & God.
List to His voice, & thou shalt ever hear
His Words of comfort, peace, thy heart to cheer.
Put thou thy hand in His, & thou shalt see
How strong, how firm His hold on thee shall be. (2Cor.3:18.)
402. A legend is told of how Moses once heard a shepherd praying, "O God, show me where You are that I may become Your servant. I will clean Your shoes, & comb Your hair, & sew Your clothes, & bring You food." Moses rebuked him with the words: "God is Spirit & needs not such ministrations." There upon the shepherd rent his clothes in dismay & fled to the desert. Then Moses was rebuked by God, saying, "You have driven away My servant...I regard not the words that are spoken but the heart that offers them."
403. One hot summer day a young farmer came from his cornfield hot & tired. He took the name of the Lord in vain, cursing the cornfield for being such a grassy mess. He finally succeeded in cleaning the field thoroughly, the rain came, the sun shone, but field of corn refused to grow as it should. When harvest time came the farmer complained that he didn't make enough corn to pay the fertiliser bill. His Christian wife calmly asked, "Didn't you ask God to damn that field of corn?" Then the young fellow repentantly remembered his words. God does hear & answer us, & if many profanity users realised just what they were asking for, I believe they would be a little more careful.
404. "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God." (Rom.8:14.)
Holy Spirit, hear us;
Help us while we sing;
Breathe into the music
Of the praise we bring.
Holy Spirit, prompt us
When we kneel to pray;
Nearer come, & teach us
What we ought to say.
Holy Spirit, shine Thou
On the Book we read;
Gild its Holy pages
With the Light we need.
Holy Spirit, give us
Each a lowly mind;
Make us more like Jesus,
Gentle, pure, & kind.
Holy Spirit, brighten
Little deeds of toil;
And our playful pastimes
Let no folly spoil.
Holy Spirit, keep us
Safe from sins which lie
Hidden by some pleasure
From our youthful eye.
Holy Spirit, help us
Daily, by Thy might,
What is wrong to conquer,
And to choose the right. Amen. W.H. Parker (1845-1929)
405. Most Christians don't pray Samuel's prayer, "Speak, Lord, Thy servant heareth." Most of them pray, "Hear, Lord, Thy servant speaketh!" They don't really expect to hear anything from the Lord. Isn't that sad? But they expect God to hear them. Whereas a large part of prayer is not only talking, but LISTENING. If you want the Lord to speak you've got to shut up so you can hear Him!--Dad
406. During the Second World War, when the Japanese were invading Java, a lady called Marquita Bischop & her daughter had to leave their home & flee from the enemy. After travelling a long way, they came to house of a Dutchman, & he allowed them to stay in a little hut on his plantation, & helped them with food supplies.
But after a time this man was taken away by the enemy, & though the two women stayed on in their hut, they were in great need. They had no food, & were close to starvation. In despair, they went out to dig in the ground to see if they could find any roots to eat.
Suddenly Marquita decided to ask God for help. She got down on her knees & prayed, "God, we are starving, & must have meat. And, please, God, we want it now!" Then she sat back & waited.
Almost at once a huge bird came flying overheard, carrying in its beak a chicken which it had seized. As it came near, it dropped the chicken, only a few yards away from her. They were able to cook the bird & eat it, & so save their lives.
Telling this story afterwards, Marquita said, "Of course there are missionary, & of course there is a God."
407. When Napoleon's army was marching through the country, a good Christian woman, a widow with children, was somewhat fearful lest the soldiers should molest the home; & that night, around the family altar, she breathed her prayer, "Oh, God, build a wall around our home & protect us from the enemy." When the children retired they were heard asking one another, "What did Mother mean asking God to build a wall around our home?' In the morning they knew, for a heavy wind & snow storm had come, & snowdrifts were all around the little home; the soldiers went by, not knowing that the house was there. That mother used God's Promise. So may you, & then you will thank God for the answer.
408. The most important thing you have to do is to listen & look at what God has to show you. There's nothing more important than that.--Dad.
409. In the Spring of 1921, a group of British soldiers faced death from thirst on the Sinai Desert, in Egypt.
They were a small desert patrol which had become lost in a furious sandstorm & had run out of water. In desperation, they decided to dig in the sand, hoping to find a well.
Suddenly, one of the men remembered a passage from the Bible, the one referring to Moses striking the desert rock & bringing forth water for the children of Israel. He pointed out to his companions that this was the same Sinai Desert, & that there was a rock ledge nearby. Why not, he asked, try to find water just as Moses had done?
The tortured men, willing to believe anything, immediately started to swing at the rocky ledge with a small pick-ax they carried. Then, as they struck out frantically, a miracle occurred...a trickle of clear, sweet water came out of the face of the rock.
The rock was actually soft limestone, & part of it covered a hidden spring. This water kept the men alive until they were rescued...proving that an Old Testament miracle could be repeated in the 20th Century.
410. My pail I'm often dropping deep down into the well
It never touched the bottom, however deep it fell.
And though I keep on dipping by study, faith & prayer,
I have no power to measure the living water there. (John 4:11; Acts 17:11.)
411. I met God in the morning
When my day was at its best,
And His presence came like sunrise,
Like a glory in my breast.
All day long the Presence lingered,
All day long He stayed with me,
And we sailed in perfect calmness
O'er a very troubled sea.
Other ships were blown & battered,
Other ships were sore distressed,
But the winds that seemed to drive them
Brought to us a peace & rest.
hen I thought of other mornings,
With a keen remorse of mind,
When I too had loosed the moorings,
With the Presence left behind.
So I think I know the secret,
Learned from many a troubled way:
You must seek Him in the morning
If you want Him through the day!
Ralph Spaulding Cushman
412. God, Who touchest Earth with beauty,
Make me lovely too;
With Thank you Spirit re-create me,
Make my heart anew.
Like Thy springs & running waters,
Make me crystal pure;
Like Thy rocks of towering grandeur,
Make me strong & sure.
Like Thy dancing waves in sunlight,
Make me glad & free;
Like the straightness of the pine trees
Let me upright be.
Like the arching of the heavens,
Lift my thoughts above;
Turn my dreams to noble action--
Ministries of Love.
God, Who touchest Earth with beauty,
Make me lovely too;
Keep me ever, by Thy Spirit,
Pure & strong & true.--Mary S. Edgar
413. David Brainerd was a man of great spiritual power. The work which he accomplished by prayer was simply marvellous. Dr. A.J. Gordon, in giving a sketch of Brainerd's experience, said,
"In the depths of those forests, alone, unable to speak the language of the Indians, he spent whole days literally in prayer. What was he praying for? He knew that he could not reach those savages; he did not understand their language. If he wanted to speak at all, he must find somebody who could vaguely interpret his thought; therefore he knew that anything he should do must be absolutely dependent upon the power of God.
"So he spent whole days in prayer, simply that the power of the Holy Ghost might come upon him so unmistakably that these people should not be able to stand before him. What was his answer? Once he preached & the interpreter was so intoxicated that he could hardly stand up. That was the best he could do. Yet scores were converted through that sermon. We can account for it only by the tremendous power of God behind him."
414. When your witnessing or preaching on the street corner or in the park isn't going well, stop & pray. If you can't do it, let God do it! When the computer just doesn't seem to want to do the right thing, stop, lay your hands on it & pray! It could be the Devil or one of his little imps getting into the works! Or when the cooking just doesn't seem to go right, stop & pray! Or if somehow or other you just can't make those books balance, stop & pray! Maybe the Devil's throwing some kind of a gimmick or a monkey wrench into the figures somewhere!--Dad.
415. For all who watch to-night--
By land, or sea,, or air,
O Father, may they know that Thou
Art with them, "even there."
For all who weep to-night--
The hearts that cannot rest--
Reveal Thy Love--that wondrous Love
Which gave for us Thy Best.
For all who wake to-night--
Love's tender watch to keep,
Watcher Divine, Thyself draw nigh,
Thou Who dost never sleep.
For all who fear to-night,
Whate'er the dread may be,
We ask for them the perfect peace
Of hearts that rest in Thee.
Our own beloved to-night--
O Father, keep, & where
Our love & succour cannot reach,
Now bless them through our prayer.
And--all who pray to-night--
Thy wrestling Hosts, O Lord,
Make weakness strong, let them prevail,
According to Thy Word. Amen.
Constance Lady Coote
416. Thank You Lord for answering prayer! Thank You Jesus for sparing U.S. & thank You, Lord, for also scaring us, to make us realise how dependent we are on Thee & Thy loving protective hand & Thy tender loving care, & to remind us through some of these trials & troubles & tribulations to PRAY! "We need always to pray & not to faint" (Lk.18:1), & remember that we are dependent on Thee & Thy protection & need to talk to You & remind You that we are dependent & ask You to take care of us. You like to hear us pray! You like to hear & see us manifest our love & faith & dependency on Thee, & then You answer.--Dad.
417. Dear Lord, Help us to e empty with no will of our own & no thoughts or ideas of our own, but just willing to receive whatever You have for us. As we seek we'll find. "Ask & ye shall receive. Seek & ye shall find. Knock & it shall be opened unto you." (Mat.7:7.) He that hungereth & thirsteth after righteousness, including ANSWERS, is going to be filled! (Mat.5:6.)--Dad
418. What the Lord wants to be a lesson for you, may not BE a lesson if you don't take the time to ask the Lord, "What are You trying to show me?"--Dad.
419. The Lord is here! So sit down & talk to the Lord.--And let Him talk to you, which is most important.--Dad.
420. Prayer is not just to get down on your knees & speak your piece, but to let God speak His, too!--And wait until He answers!--Dad
421. Otherwise the day is over,
Night is drawing nigh,
Shadows of the evening
Steal across the sky.
Now the darkness gathers,
Stars begin to peep.
Birds, & beasts, & flowers
Soon will be asleep.
Jesus, give the weary
Calm & sweet repose;
With Thy tend'rest blessing
May mine eyelids close.
Grant to little children
Visions bright of Thee;
Guard the sailors tossing
On the deep blue sea.
Comfort every sufferer
Watching late in pain;
Those who plan some evil,
From their sin restrain.
Through the long night watches
May Thine Angels spread
Their white wings above me,
Watching 'round my bed.
When the morning wakens,
Then may I arise,
Pure & fresh & sinless
In Thy holy eyes.
422. Now the night is falling,
Father, be Thou nigh,
In Thy tender keeping
May we safely lie,
Till the morning sunbeams
Hail another day,
Then, O Father guide us
On our pilgrim way.--By William Acfield.
423. You say, "Why didn't the Lord make prayer easier? Why do the spirits have such a hard time getting through to us?" Well, aren't you glad that you aren't sensitive to all of the wavelengths there are & all the sounds on the air right now? Wouldn't it be horrible if you could hear them all? You'd be getting a lot of the wrong stuff, right? So the Lord has made you to have to really seek the right signals & to find'm & to tune in!--Not only turn on. I've seen a lot of Pentecostals, boy, they could get turned on, but they never seemed to know how to tune in or get anything out of it except a lot of fireworks! Whereas they need to learn how to tune in & get something from the Lord! Most of the chattering away in tongues that I've heard in most Pentecostal churches, nobody ever got anything!--Dad
424. Prayer is work! Real desperate prayer is FIGHTING!--Not just calmly quoting a little healing verse, but really getting DESPERATE in prayer & really FIGHTING for the victory!--Dad.
425. prayer is not dependent upon the position of your body. You can be standing up, kneeling down, sitting down, lying down, walking around or working in the kitchen! That's one place you really have to do a LOT of praying, because it's a dangerous room & it's a very important room.--But it's not the most conducive place to LISTENING!--Dad.
426. Prayer & meditation & getting alone with the Lord & quiet & really dealing directly with the Lord is very necessary, because it's kind of hard for Him to get through to you when your minds are filled with the events of the day.--Dad.
427. Why fight insomnia with a pill?
Why dread to meet the nights?
There is no better time to find
The everlasting Light.
428. Sometimes maybe the Lord just lets us have a problem in order that He can give us the answer! He likes to have us pray & find out we can't always solve all our problems & that we need His help! After all, if we could figure it all out & solve all our problems, we wouldn't need Him! So the Lord lets us have a little problem now & then to show us we need Him & we have to pray. He likes to give us answers to remind us that we're dependent on Him & we need Him, & besides, He likes us to love Him & appreciate Him. So praise the Lord! Amen? He likes us to appreciate His help & to love Him for it--like a Father!--Dad.
429. You can hear from God everyday, & you SHOULD be hearing from Him everyday. God expects His children, those who know Him personally & know His Will & His Word, to touch Him personally, directly, & make a direct contact with Him, not through somebody else's faith or prayers.--Dad.
430. If you want to HEAR from the Lord, if you want to hear something besides yourself, then you're going to have to really turn on that power & TUNE IN! It takes a little work, it takes a little concentration, but if you just stop long enough & get other things off your mind & out of your way & just give Him your attention, you'll hear Him.--Dad.
431. He's given you all the equipment, you've got Him, you've got the Power, you've got everything, all He asks you to do is get in a position where you can turn on & tune in!--To HIM!--Dad.
432. Prayer is not a substitute for work, thinking, watching, suffering, or giving; prayer is a support for all other efforts.
433. If laser beams can cut through mountains, why should we doubt the power of prayer? Wonderful things can happen to us when we live expectantly, believe confidently, & pray affirmatively.
434. The pulse of prayer is praise. The heart of prayer is gratitude. The voice of prayer is obedience. The arm of prayer is service.
435. Prayer provides power, poise, peace, & purpose.
436. Lord, make me more like Yourself, less like myself.
437. If this obstacle is from Thee, Lord, I accept it; but if it is from Satan, I refuse him & all his works in the Name of Calvary.
438. A Christian once told his non-Christian friend, "You sure swear a lot."
The unbeliever replied, "Yeah, but I don't mean nothing by it. You sure pray a lot, but you don't mean nothing by it either."
439. In my escape from the Boers in 1899, I realised with awful force that no exercise of my own feeble wit & strength could save me from my enemies, & that without the assistance of that High Power, I could never succeed. I prayed long & earnestly. My prayer, as it seems to me, was swiftly & wonderfully answered.--Winston Churchill
440. Really to pray is to stand to attention in the presence of the King & to be prepared to take orders from Him.
441. Keep praying, but be thankful that God's answers are wiser than your prayers!
442. A good prayer, though often used, is still fresh & fair in the eyes & ears of Heaven.
443. Certain thoughts are prayers. There are moments when, whatever be the attitude of the body, the soul is on its knees.--Victor Hugo
444. God loves us to pray to Him, but He very much dislikes our making prayer an excuse for neglecting the effort of doing good works.--Pope John Paul I
445. Pray to God in the storm--but keep on rowing.
446. In praying we must not forget that our prayers are to be answered. Some are answered just as we wish; some are answered in a way different from what we wish--in a better way! Some are answered by a change in us; some by a change in others. Some are answered by the giving of a greater strength to bear trials, & some by the lifting of the trials. Some at once; some in years to come; & some await Eternity.
447. Asleep, wrapped in night's shadow,
The woodland, field & meadow,
In rev'rent stillness lie,
Beneath a quilt of starry sky!
But thou, my heart, awake thee,
To prayer & song betake thee!
While all the World in slumber lies,
Let praise to thy Creator rise!
Long 'foreigner the dawn is breaking,
O Lord, my heart's a'waking!
Thy Angels never seem so near,
Nor is Thy voice so loud & clear
As in the night, so soft & still,
When I awake to hear Thy Will!
While all the World in slumber lies,
My prayer to Thee, O God, shall rise!--Catherine Winkworth
448. There was once a clergyman who lived in a town that was hit by a major flood. The water was a foot deep in his living room. Some parishioners in a boat rowed up to his door, asking him to join them. "No, go ahead," the clergyman replied. "I'll be just fine. God is taking care of me." So they left.
Then the water rose to the second floor. Back came his anxious parishioners in the boat. Again they asked him to join them. Again he refused.
By the time the boat came back once more, the house had been completely engulfed & the clergyman was standing on his chimney. "Reverend," his parishioners called to him, "Come with us! You'll drown!"
"No," the clergyman replied. "I'll be fine. The Lord is providing."
So they left. And he drowned.
Later, in Heaven, the clergyman angrily made an appointment to see God. "Why did You do this to me?" the clergyman fumed. "I did what You said. I prayed. And You didn't help me."
"Didn't help you?" God answered in surprise. "What do you mean? I sent a boat around to get you three times!"