Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1905-06-30
THE PROBLEM OF PRAYER.
BY Rev. N. A. harrington,

by Rev. n. a. HARRINGTON.
Pray without ceasing."-I. Thess
5-17.
To many it is an open question
whether it is worth while or even pos.
sible to pray at all, and therefore out
of the question entirely to pray con.
tinually. Pauls injunction appears
even TO those who believe in prayer
applicable only to the monk and the
r%ecluse. Even if it were possible to
obey the command in the ordinary
sense it is doubtful whether the world
would be any better if life were one
perpetual prayer meeting.
1t is not strange that many have
swung away from the practice of for.
NAL prayer when the older conception
of its meaning is contrasted with the
modern conception of life. Once pray
er meant the sealing of the eyes and
the ears to the scenes and the sounds
Of this life that n might gaze upon
and hold communion with those or an
other world. ii meant, too, almost ex-
clusively the act of ardently petition
ing heaven for the things that one
could not and often would not get for
himself. But life today dare not shut
us eyes; 1t counts it a sin to ignore
this world of need and sin even for the
sake of the bliss Of a world where
these things are not.
Then, men ask. If prayer Is no more
than a getting Of goods from God
without labor or CONDENSATION. in
what way does it differ from begging?
In what way Is the nan who saws
Heaven owes NE a living" my better
than the one who says The world
owes me a living? The product of
such prayer is pauperlzation. The
logical end of that theory is
all the inducements to toll as vel
as the restraints of life would be gone:
n might ask for calamities on Others
as well as for blessings on oneself.
But practically all the difficulties of
prayer arise from the limitation of its
meaning to a petition. They come
from the point of view that thinks
only of answers, of goods sent in re-
spouse to prayer orders. The man who
says will work for my bread in
stead OF begging heaven for II NAV be
stlll a man of prayer. His work may
De the noblest prayer, while his heart
may go out to God in gratitude for
strength and opportunity to labor.
work is prayer, love is prayer. graft
tude Is prayer, education is prayer.
The world needs more men and wo-
men who pray with their hands OF
helpfulness, their feet that speed on
errands Of kindness, their eyes that
look out in good cheer, their ears that
listen in sympathy.
Prayer is an attitude rather than
an act. 1t must be without ceasing.
1t Is like love, not an act nor a series
of acts, but a relationship. 1t is as
much more than words as love is
greater than it's deeds. Formal prayers
are to prayer itself as the letters of
a friend are to the love of that friend.
The love goes on without ceaslng; the
prayer, the aspiration, the longing
after the presence Of, the knowledge
of, the love Of God goes on without
ceasing.
Prayer is an atmosphere, a habit. a
second and higher nature. 1t is a life
that in itself is one long unbroken
petition for his likeness and his life.
1t will find expression in words, but
will not be limited to them. 1t is
the child living with his father; such
a life will involve the making of re-
quests and the granting Of them, but
such things will be only incidental, not
essential, to its communion. Living
with such a father we shall tell him
all our needs, desires, fears, but shall
we hide from him our joys, hopes,
and aspirations? We shall want him
to see Il work, to rejoice with us
it. Prayer will not be reciprocal.
The prayer that is no more than
petition for provision must be as pain
to God as it would be to us who
are parents If our children never ad-
us save to beg for their meals
and their clothes. On the other hand,
life of prayer that found no en-
In words, that made no re-
quests and looked for 40 tangible gifts,
would be as strange as If our children
were dumb and we were powerless to
owe them in deed rs well as In feel
-ng. The life of prayer is the realiza.
Ion Of the perfect relations Of the All
Father with all his children.