Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1901-08-08
SUCCESSFUL ONES GET CERTIFICATES.
EFFICACY OF PRAYER.
The Petitions for Moisture and the
Philosophy Thereof.

Philosophy Thereof.
Much discussion OF the efficacy of
prayer has been INDUCED IN during
the continued drouth. The REFLEc-
TOR asked the Rev. Fuller Berg.
stresser, pastor of Trinity Lutheran
church, for his views on the posi-
bility Of securing rain thereby. He
replied:
strip the world Of belief in the
efficacy of prayer and you take from
life the warmth Of the sunshine, the
fragrance Of the flower, and the very
freshness Of the dew. Prayers eti-
cacy is not confined to the good ef.
fects which it is adapted to produce
on the feeling Of person who offers
it. 1t presupposes the fact of God
as hearer and answerer Of prayer.
"Not every longing of the heart,
nor every cry Of the soul is good for
our highest welfare. Many prayers
offered in earnestness might prove
ruinous to somebody or something
if answered. When we pray for rain
we have reason to consider well lest
we pray amiss. A drenching rain in
middle July would have meant large
crops Of corn and fruit. That would
have meant fat purses. Would it not
also have meant much leanness Of
soulP We have been deficient in
merit and gratitude for what we have
already received. Wouldn't more
have made us purse-proud9
" The prayer Of a righteous man
availeth much'-when there are Not
too many difficulties to overcome
We might as well trust our almanac
as to pray half-heartedly for rain
when the Kansas hot winds are blow.
ing. At such seasons some say there
is no God west of the Kaw, but it is
hardly ever as bad as that. With ad-
verse physical conditions to over.
come, and lax spirituality acting as
a deterrent it takes mighty man OF
faith to bring rain.
cat its best Kansas religion is de-
cidely homeopathic. Not by half is
Kansas as good to God as be is to
Kansas. To ask God to qaench the
hot air rushing from the earths sur
face, to scatter the brassy heavens,
and at the same time not to consider
the lax spiritual tension Of the peo-
pie, but just to send us rain and
plenty of it-well, it requires more
persistent prayer than the average
Jayhawker mas at his command.
This is the point: My potato patch
is drying up. Now possibly for the
first time in an age | fall on my knees,
and do what-worship God' No,
just ask for rain to save my potatoes.
What have | done to deserve rain? II
rain would come right then and there
most likely would forget to give
thanks and backslide before ! would
get off my knees.
"How many who are now grouty
because the corn has failed have Ut
tered a word Of thanks for the unpre.
cedented wheat harvestP What
thanks did the Lord receive for the
many months OF favorable growing
weather. There are many Jeshuruns
in Kansas who wax fat and kick. Un-
grateful for what we have, but asking
for more. That's human nature. II
we would all move from Grumbler's
alley to Thanksgiving street it would
be the best thing we ever did.
Gods blessings are not based on
equivalents Otherwise our portion
would be scant. God continually
blesses US far above our deserving.
II we don't get rain when we want it
ana ASK Ior II we at least get it when
he chooses to send it-and that's good
enough for me.
Normally Kansas is a garden.
With her rolling, waving, sloping
land it resembles Eden, whose close
second she is. The average yield Of
every commodity for which her land
is best adapted is far in excess Of any
other state. II a hot spell dries up
the corn and scorches the pasture and
brings the water supply to an alarm.
ingly low ebb it is not such a calamity
as some would have US suppose.
my prayer for rain will prevail
later than wished, but that mat.
ters not. God knows full well how
to run his universe, a large and i'm
portant part Of which we denominale