Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-07-09

Let us listen to the words Of one who has
burden upon his heart who has a prayer
that rises rather than falls. who has a
word that will ascend rather than descend
The prayer of the pharisee simply fell at
| his feet for he talked with himself. The
prayer of the publican on wings of faith
reached the throne of God. for he was un-
| burdening his soul with the consciousness
| of his souls need, and it was the cry OF
| the sinner for mercy and forgiveness. HIS
prayer was not as long the pharisee's
| prayer. He does not contrast his own life
| with the life of another, he does not be-
| moan the fact that he Is not like the phari-
see yonder, who is able to say so many
nice things about himself. He does not
know the pharisee is there. So far as his
thought is concerned he has no special in
terest in the pharisee, not because he de-
spises him, but because he has interests OF
his own that are paramount. because he
has a burden of soul that he must be rid
Of, and the only thought in his mind IS
that he shall get rid of that burden, and
his cry to God for mercy is the only thing
that can come to the surface upon his lips.
And listen to the prayer-only a very few
words-"God, be merciful to me, a sinner"
Counting every word it is only seven, but
II Is the perfect number and the perfect
number symbolzes the perfect prayer of
the penitent heart. 1t is the cry of one
conscious of his sinfulness before God.
looking toward God he hopes only mercy.
God, be merciful to me; God, look with
compassion upon my condition; God, wilt
Thou not be gracious unto me that l may
be rid of my sin'-recognition of God.
recognition of his own sin. and faith to
believe that God will hear his prayer.
These are the three steps to the throne.
If you and 1, in our petitions of prayer,
hope that our prayer may be heard, we
must walk up these steps, our conscious
ness of Gods presence our recognition of
God as the author of life and the father of
mercy, our recognition Of our own condition
and our own need, and faith to believe that
God will answer. The hardest thing in
to do, and the only thing that 1t was almost
impossible for me to get men to do, is to
get them to believe that they are to be
saved by grace" There is somehow the
spirit of pharseeism in every life, and we
are DESTROYS somehow TO have something
to do with our salvation. We desire to
work our way, we desire to fast twice in
the week If need be. we desire to give
tithes of all that we possess, we desire to
do something more than simply to cry for
mercy and receive the blessing.
You remember the Old Testament story
of Naaman: how he came to the prophet
of the Lord burdened with leprosy that had
fastened itself upon him, and he came
bringing with him gold and silver and
changes of raiment He will not be healed
of his trouble in such wise as to make him
self beggar; he will pay his doctors bills,
and he comes and he stands before the
house of the prophet Elisha, and he does
Just what the pharisee did. he talks with
himself for the moment, and he thought
within himself: Now the prophet will come
out to me- I am the captain of the hosts
of Syria. The prophet surely will come out
to me and stand and put his hand over the
place and speak the word and the leprosy
will be cleansed." But that was not Gods
way.
Instead of coming out the prophet sent out
a messenger, and the messenger said to
70 nd ash m in the
River Jordan and thou shalt be cleansed."
And Naaman said Are not the rivers Of
ALBANIA and Parphar, rivers of Damascus,
better than the waters of Jordan? If that
is all there is to do. why cannot I wash
in them and be clean?" He was angry be-
cause God did not recognize the pharisee.
because God would not recognize the per-
sonality of the man. and allow him to pay
his way for spiritual blessing 1t is hard
somehow to get us to take salvation as a
we will ever get it. God, be merciful to
me-" and he went down to his house justi-
fed.
God and the sinner coming together in
obedience TO the cry for mercy and to the
mpassionate heart of God, who always
listens for that cry, and when the sinner
and the Savior meet on that platform the
sinner becomes justified in the Savior.
Would you have your prayer heard, would
we have our petitions 10 ascend to the
throne of grace? Then let us eliminate
from them all of self and lay hold for the
blessing of salvation first upon the grace
that is In God through our Lord Jesus
Christ, and for the carrying on of His work
for the strength that we need for service.
Let us be equally forgetful of self with the
consciousness that our sufciency is in Him.
He is the God of mercy and the God of all
grace, and when there Is thorn In the
flesh His grace is sufficient, when there is
anything to hinder may look to Him for
wisdom. and under all the conditions and
circumstances of life let US remember that
He waits TO be gracious to the honest heart
that looks to Him for mercy and compass
sion. Above all, let us remember that we
must not despise the publican who prays