Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1906-07-18
CHRISTIAN ENDEAyoR.
Prayer Meeting Topic For the Week
BEGINNING July -.

By REV s, III. DOYLE.
Topic-Christ's Life VII. How Christ
prayed and how we should pray.-Matt.
xiv. q; XVI, Ss-44,
There is nothing more Impressive in
the life Of Christ than His habit Of
prayer. If a sinless humanity, linked
to divinity, needed to hold communion
with God, how much more does weak
and sinful humanity need Ito carry
everything to God in prayer" Why
Christ prayed need be no question of
ours. The reason for His praying may
De left with Himself, while we address
ourselves to the great and important
fact that He did pray, That He prayed
is abu1dantly evident from the teSti-
mony of the Scriptural histories of His
life This is all we need TO know in
order to find in Him an example and
an inspirat ton to prayer. God tells us
all we need to know and keeps the rest
to Himself, and he is a foolish man in
deed who spends his time in trying to
pry Vito the secret things of God,
while at the same time he fails to
profit by the things that have been re
vealed" Christ prayed. That Is SUI
ticient for the practical purposes OF
our lives. His example teaches us TO
pray, and His methods ia prayer may
well be taken as our models.
Prayer with Christ meant, for one
thing, petition. He asked God for pow
er to raise Lazarus from the dead, and
before the event He said. Father, |
thank Thee that Thou hast heard Me,
and / know that Thou nearest Me al
ways" He prayed for Simon Peter
and in so doing won a victory over
Satan. who had also asked for Peter.
In His intercessary prayer He prayed
for the disciples and for His church. es-
pecially for its unity. In the garden of
Gethsemane He prayed for Himself,
yet Ia full submission to the will of
God 1t is our privilege and duty also
TO come to God with requests, and we
also have the assurance that our petit
tons will be granted ASK and ye
shall receive" We, like Christ, should
pray for power TO do the work Of God;
we, like Him. should pray for the safe
ty of those nearest and dearest TO US,
and not only for them, but for the
church universal and for the world;
like Him, we should also pray for our
selves. but always In the fullest sub
mission TO the win of God. mo. my
will, but Thine. be done" God knows
what Is best for us, and whether He
gives or withholds it Is for our good.
What seems to US good rnay really be
Sill, and what seems to our limited
vision adversely may be a blessing
Let US be thankful. therefore, that we
have One who does know what is best
and Is interested enough in us TO de
eide the question for us.
Prayer with Christ meant spiritual
communion with God 1t was His
custom to go apart and spend nights in
prayer. alone with God. We cannot
think that these hours in the silent
night were gwen up to requests. The
mere probable theory is that these al.
lent hours were spent in communion
with God. He was Son absent from
His Fathers house, and it needs no
Imagination to realize that He would
frequently seek fellowship and com
munion with His Father Nor should
our prayers be limited to petition. God
is also our heavenly Father. Heaven
is our home We also are away from
home and need to speak oft with our
Lord" with God, our Father. We are
spirit as He is spirit, and we should re
joice in the possibility of fellowship
with God and should hold communion
with Him. rs child with parent. as
friend with friend, as created beings
with their Creator.
Every phase of prayer is Illustrated
In Christ's life of prayer. He addressed
God reverently as His Father He
prayed in secret and in public. He
prayed amid the duties and cares Of
every ay life. and in the great crises
OF His life He gave hours to prayer
As He prayed let us pray. and we will
make no mistakes in our praying, and
God will hear us.
BIBLE READINGS.
lisa. ", 1-6; Ps. vi, o; Matt. vi. 5-13;
Luke xviii ia; John xi. Al. ~: xiv,
12-15; Eph. vi. IS; Phil. iv, 8: Col. iv, 2;
Tim. Il. is.