The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1908-04-09

petitions of his
subjects. If he admits that there Is
q God, while at the same time he de-
MES that he answers prayer, he has
brought his God down to the position
Of the petty savage chieftain who
lives for his own pleasure without re-
gard to the welfare of his subjects.
Prayerlessness is, therefore, q species
of barbarism.
Any man as a subject of the King
may come before him with petition.
If he has a grievance, let him not tell
it to others, and thus backbite the
King. The King invites him into his
presence, and will give audience even
to his complainings. Let him come
boldly unto the throne of grace, that
he may obtain mercy and find grace to
help him in time of need" God is en-
throned in grace and invites every
subject in need to approach with bold
ness. And the promise is clear:
"My God shall supply all your needs
according to his riches in glory by
Christ Jesus" The resources Of
Gods throne are at the disposal of all
would il not be wrong to refuse to
make petition? Would it not be dis
loyal? Prayerlessness is, indeed, dis
loyalty to the King of the universe.
God as Judge.
God as Judge hears and answers
the prayer of a plaintiff. In the par
able of the Unjust Judge Uuke
1918 the widow has a grievance
against her adversary. and pleads that
he shall be punished. Though the
Judge is unjust, his judicial position
compels him to hear her plea, and her
importantly constrains him to grant
her petition. The argument is that, IL
an unjust judge is compelled by Off
cial position to hear the plea, and
constrained by the Importantly of the
plaintiff to grant 1t, how much more
will just God respect his judicial po-
sition and answer without demanding
importantly.
But just Judge cannot forgive a
man who has been proved guilty, un-
less satisfaction to justice can be
made. Mercy is injustice. 1t may be
based upon kindness, but that does
not rid it of injustice. Then how can
a prayer for forgiveness be answered
without impeaching the justice of the
Judge? Only by another's bearing the
sinners guilt.
To say that confession of sin is
atonement enough ignores the right
eousness of God. Confessing debt
does not pay debt; it rather enforces
the obligation to pay. But If the debt
has been paid by another, 1t would be
fragrant injustice to demand second
payment.
God as Father.
God as Father hears and answers
the prayer of his child. If you con-
fess the fatherhood of God and then
deny that he is influenced by the cry
| of his child. you would degrade him
| below the level of the beasts of the
| field and the birds of the air, for they
| heed the cry of their young in distress
/ and hasten to their relief. So right is
1t for the Father to hear the prayer
/ of his child that the universal con-
seriousness Of mankind gives him no
option. He must hear it, or be
|
pagan ethics demands it. For
parent to be insensible to the cry
of his child is sign of insanity or
depravity. To deny that God answers
! prayer, while we believe in his father
hood, is, therefore, to charge him
with insanity or depravity.
Reward of Obedience.
The father has, of course, the right
to use his superior wisdom in decid-
ing whether or not the child's request
shall be granted The child has no
right to command the father except by
his obedience. In nature we can COM
mand only by obeying If we obey the
laws of electricity or steam, we may
command them and they will do our bid
ding. But If we refuse to obey their
laws, they refuse to obey us. And
so when God promises upon certain
conditions, and we fulfill the condl.
tions, his promise becomes our COM
mand, and we may lovingly insist upon
its fulAllment. AS a father to give
a child what every whim OF fancy or
selfish desire might prompt him to
ask would be to injure the child and
make the order of home give place to
the anarchy of discordant demands.
AS Father, God gives to his child
all he asks within the limitations Of
his superior wisdom.
AS subject petitioning a ruler, as
q plaintiff pleading before a Judge. as
a child crying to father. every one
ought to pray. Not to pray is, there
fore, to lead an immoral life in our re.
lation to God and man, in that we are
not doing what we ought to do. To
pray in the name of Jesus Christ is to
draw upon the resources of the King
Of the universe. to receive pardon
from the Judge of all the earth," and
to have the constant care of a low
ing Father.