Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1881-07-18
8eli0ipns department.
PRAYERS DENIED YET
ANSWERED.

creative hand, to let it get on as best it
may. The chasm between this world
and the throne of God is not so wide
that he who fills immensely with his
presence cannot be both on that throne
and in the world. The creative hand of
God is now his providential hand. The
life of the world is life to which God
lends energy. The breath of the new
spring is the breath of God. The petal
of lily is canvas for his color. The
sweep of sparrow's wing and the mo-
ment of sparrow's fall are not matters
too slight for his notice and appoint
ment. AS James Martineau has spoken
of it "God is excluded from neither
air, nor sea, nor souls. There is mys-
tic implication of his nature with ours
and ours with his: his serenity amid
our griefs his sanctity amid our guilt;
his wakefulness amid our sleep; his life
through our death his silence amid our
stormy force" Thou hast beset me
behind and before and laid thine hand
upon me" exclaims the psalmist.
If, thou, God be in such neighborhood
with US, prayer cannot be irrational.
He is within whisper reach, within
thought reach. Nay, if we will accept
the Bible statement, we must believe
that the divine attention Is alert to catch
the voice of prayer. God waits for it,
searches for it, solicits it. The Father
seeketh for the worship of those who
worship him in spirit and in truth. The
prayer of the upright is his delight, and
also prayer is answered. The Psalms
are full of the peans of this praise: 81
cried unto the Lord with my voice, and
he heard me out of his holy hill. ="
BLESSED be the Lord because he hath
heard the voice of my supplications. "
Christ asks: "Do you think you are
more tender in your fatherhood than the
Heavenly Father is in his; or what
man is there of you who, if his son ask
bread, will he give him a stone, or if
he ask fish, will be give him serpent
If ye. then, being evil, know how to
give good gifts to your children, how
much more shall your Father which is
in Heaven give good things to them that
ask him.
But, while it is true that the besetting
God delights in prayer, and that often
the answer comes swift as the stroke Of
the wing of Gabriel, or suddenly as the
knock of disimprisoned Peter upon the
door of the house of Mary, it is also
just as true that sometimes there is /;
black and wide and weary chasm be
tween the prayer and the answer of it
The prayer goes up, but the pain goe
on. The cry goes forth, but the burden
gals and brushes down. The ear o
God seems heavy and his hands idle
while the heart, sick with hope deferred
and weary with its groanings, seems t.
stand on an iron earth and to stretcl
the hands of useless supplication tow
ard brazen heaven.
Take scripturar illustration. Their
was family in Bethany which Jesu
loved. Many time, from the conflict
with the Scribes and Pharisees, from tn
WEAKNESS of his pilgrimage, from tn
hardness Of his poverty, like vessel
storm-beaten, putting into quiet hal
Dor, he had sought grateful refuge here
1t is only lately that he has been mos
welcome guest. He has gone now int
Perea, beyond the Jordan. During hi
absence, Lazarus, the brother and SUP
port of the household, sickens. Tn
disease runs rapidly to a crisis; deaf
is evidently in dangerous nelghborhoos
Naturally enough, the sisters turn
their extremity to the Lord they low
A messenger is hurridly dispatched
Jesus. He bears from the sisters i;
true and trustful and beautiful prayt
as was ever offered. 1t is full of mo-
touching confidence. lord, he who
thou loveth is sick" 1t is but day
journey from Bethabara to Bethan
Certainly, there will be no tarrying. &c
tainly, their Lord will not wait nov
when the sincerest faith frames his ov
love into gentle argument.
But he does tarry, even though Il
sisters watch there for him even thous
Lazarus, whom he loves, is sick. TT
prayer goes up to the Lord of power al
of life; but it comes back with emp
hands. The sisters attend their brot
er; but they are helpless. Here
Lazarus dying, and there is Jesus wal
ing over in Bethabara. Death comes
quick and conquering. "Now, when
had heard that Lazarus was sick,
abode two days still in the same pla
where he was" The very need at Bet
any seems to be reason for his leisu
at Bethabara; and when at last he dc
come, slowly moving on, consumi
twice the time needful for the journe
as far as Lazarus is concerned, he mig
have staid at Bethabara When
reaches Bethany, Lazarus has been 70
days buried, and, in that hot Taste
climate, corruption has long ago set il