Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1894-03-29

constantly for favors and never thank
Him.
The sunny side OF life IL always the
best side 10 look on. You 20 and climb
up the Alps from the north side and you
will ind them all bleak, cold and cheer
less You eventually Teach the summit
and start your descent on the Italy side.
and then beautiful scene spreads cut
before you. All IL sunshine and hap
pineSS IL r. "a good thing to live on the
sunny side OF the Alps. Let us all live
there.
ANSWERS IN HIS OWN SEASON.
Here let me say word about answers
to prayers. \ great many OF you think
II you don't get an answer TO your prayer
right away that God does not answer them
at all. | saw a friend OF mine shaving
himself some time ago and his little boy
came IN and asked for the loan OF the
razor OF course his request was refused
He wanted II TO whittle sticks with. Now
because he did not get II he cried and
thought that his father did not love him.
1t was In the refusal Of his request that
ne showed his love. ] Ike 20 have my
children ask me for what they want. |
made this statement some time ago. ana
IL was published I'm one Of the newspapers.
one Of my boys seeing II wrote me that
he wanted a bicycle. He gave reasons
for making the rGquest-first that | liked
II. and second that IT would be healthy
for him 10 ride a bicycle. Now | liked 10
have him ask me like that. Whether or
not he viii get the bicycle IL another
question Suppose boy or 3 years old
were 90 ask you for fast horse. Would
ne got It? No You would love him too
well to have him risk his life with fast
horse. So 1t is with US when God does not
deem what we ask for TO be cXpedient for
US Don't you believe that because you
don't happen TO get the answer that you
may want that your prayer IL not an
swercd. We want to keep II I'm mind that
when we get an answer it may be IN the
negative. Did you ever notice that the
three men that take up the most room
in Scripture prayed often? Take Moses,
he prayed earnestly; he prayed that the
Lord would let him 90 into the promised
land. For forty years that servant had
been leading the people through the will
dorness yet the Lord would not let him
go into the promised land. Didn't the
Lord love him? He finally said. Now,
Moses, don't YOU speak TO me any more
about that matter. let ii rest lie never
mentioned ii after that. but | tell you, |
don't believe there was man on the earth
~ that time that God loved as he did
Moses.
THE ANSWER TO MOSES.
Fifteen years after he answered
Moses's prayer He did not get his prayers
answered just when he wanted them an
swered. but in Gods own good time He
wouldn't let any archangel or even Ga
hricl bury him when he died. And you
tell me God didn't love Moses? Take
Elijah, He knew how TO pray. When he
got under that juniper tree and prayed
that he might die, like coward Cod
didn't let him die. The only man That
didn't pray he might die was the very
man who did die. God took him To
Heaven. Now. you take Paul. Thrice
Paul prayed that the Lord might take the
thorn out Of his flesh We do not know
what the thorn was. and perhaps it is
good thing We don't. Lots Of people get
a good deal Of comfort out OF that. The
Lord did not see fit TO remove the thorn.
Anything that would bring Paul up nearer
God was Just the thing he wanted. And
SO he got Il s prayers answered, but not
I'm the way he wanted.
I'VE all want prosperity. and pray for
IT, Yet when il comes how many remain
true 10 the Lord. How many millionaires
are there &c YOU suppose who remain true
and steadfast 10 the ways OF Christ?
Very few.
DON'T LOSE HEART IN PRAYING.
This brings us down to perseverance.
If our PRAYERS are not answered in one
day don't lose heart, but keep on praying.
God likes to be- impOrtunvd / don't be
lieyc that there IS aman in Richmond VINO,
If ne keeps on praying in the true spirit
but what viii get what he wants. II
may be- months. it may be years, before
it comes, but II will come. There Is no
gauge to Gods promises. You may pray
for weeks. or months. or years. you may
go down to your grave, ana your prayers
may not all be answered. but perhaps
around your coffin that Maynard boy may
b.. converted We are instructed 10 pray
and never cease. Pray right on. And If
W. get discouraged we are dlsobeyinS
God. and We are not doing what the
Lord would like TO have us do. J heard
in England abou. wife who SAID she
would give up one hour Of the day ana
20 10 her room and pray for her husband,
who was a skcptic. She prayed Tor twelve
months. but 10 answer came. she SAID
Can | give him up" NO. ] VIII pray SIX
months longer So she went on praying
for that time and at the end Of the siN
months not a ray of hope. not chahge
that she could see. And she SAID again:
Shall ! give him up She came 10 the
as long as ne lived That very day when
ne came home he went upstairs. and
when the time came for the dinner 10
be put on the table he did not come down.
Finally she went up to the room where
she had been praying for eighteen months
that he might be saved. and she found
him on his knees praying to God to save
him. When ! was over in England the
last time ! found he had built church
on his own land. i venture to say that
there are a good many of you who can
remember how you prayed for a long
time without any answer.
MORE INFLUENCE THAN BULLETS
II remember during the war at Nashville
a soldier came 10 me trembling from head
10 foot. | thought perhaps he had been
drinking. He took a soilcd piece Of paper
out of his pocket. and said: i wish you
would read that 1t went on to tell that
sister had been praying for him ever
since he had been in the army Some
times it seemed as if my heart would
break 10 think that my brother was I'm
the army and might be shot down any
time without hope He said: Il believe
am the worst man In the army. | have
had the shot and shell whiz past mo
without turning pale. but ] got that let
Ter last night, anu i ildNt Ilpl slept n Wink
since / got it, II was all soiled with
tears / talked to him. and had the JOY Of
leading him into the light. That sister
held right on, and the Lord answered her
prayer That is perseverance. Ii was a
hard case. but the Lord answered her
prayer. So let Us keep ii in mind that
if we are going TO have power with God
We have got to persevere.
MUST MAKE OUR PETITIONS
Then another true element 10 praver &c
petition. You know good many people
pray and don't make any petition. I
have heard men pray in this way-telling
God how great and good ana wonderful
he was. and not q petition In the prayer
from beginning TO end. There was a man
in England who got up in a meeting and
made one Of those wonderful prayers.
but there was no petition in il. And there
was a poor. gOdly Saint in the East who
could not stand II any longer, and she
cried out, Ask Him for something"
Now. that II just It. ASK. and ye shall
receive: knock, and II shall be opened
unto YOU" That is promise, now let's
lay hold Of il. You know there are peo-
pie who will tell you IL doesn't do any
good to pray. further than To teach us
submission You can ask. and you won't
1t anything. but II IS a healthy excuse.
That is a nice way TO mock a poor,
heart-broken mother, isn't IT. Ii teaches