The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1911-05-11

4
| with Thanksgiving let your requests be
made known unto God. And the peace of
| God, which passeth all understandings,
mail keep your hearts and minds through
Jesus Christ.-Philippians 4. 81.
Let me ask you, In the very begin
ming Of this sermon, four very personal
questions: DO you realize what a
privilege prayer is? Has prayer been
Of real blessing to you? Can you put
your finger on any particular prayer
and say: Il know that prayer was
answered; II was a particular blessing
20 me?" Is your God not your moth
er's God, OF your fathers God, or some
body else's God, but ia your God o
prayer-answering God?
Now, II anybody had any knowledge
Of God except yourself and you we're
to bear witness to the fact that God
Is hearing and answering prayers,
would you be able to bring plustra-
lions out OF your own individual ex-
perience? That is an intensely per-
sonal and practical question. And the
fourth one: Do you feel free to go
to God at any time; are you SO much
at home with God that you cannot
hold yourself back at times from 60
ing and having a talk with Him?
Ia prayer a privilege that you enjoy?
Now, let us clear the field for &C.
ton by bringing the testimony of
Christ before us. In the chapter that
have Just read you will notice GER
tain ones coming to Jesus on very
interesting occasion. They saw Him
praying, and when He got through
praying they Immediately came to
Him and said: Teach US to pray.
Lord"
II seems to me that that picture
comes right before our minds. We
can see Jesus kneeling there in
prayer, and there is radiance about
His countenance; there is a sincerity
about His voice; there is an intimacy
la the whole atmosphere that sur
rounds Jesus. and the disciples who
are looking at Him feel, why. ! have
never had an experience Of that sort
In my life; that man is enjoying some
thing ] wish | could"
And so they come to Him manfully
and bravely and say: Lord, teach us
to pray" And Jesus teaches the great
Lords prayer. And you will notice
that as He goes on down In His beauti-
ful conversation with them He says:
Knock, and 1t shall be opened unto
you; ask, and ye shall receive"
Prayer is a privilege we may all
enjoy. Anybody, anywhere, any time,
anything. Anybody-"Whosoev shall
call upon the name of the Lord shall
be saved" Any urle-"men ought al
ways to pray" Anywhere-you re-
member that woman CT Samaria. there
at the well. She had an idea that II
was necessary to go on long Pilgrim
age to Jerusalem, to a certain par
ticular temple, in order to come in
communion with God. Jesus said:
Woman, not Jerusalem; God is
spirit, and they that would worship
God must worship Him In spirit and In
truth Anything-in everything let
your requests be made known unto
God"
/ will tell you three reasons that
are the real enemies Of prayer. 1t is
interesting sometimes to look into
your life and ask yourself the ques-
ton: who are my enemies, after
all?" They are not on the outside;
the real enemies of prayer are on
the inside. And what are those things
In your life that make It difficult for
you to realize how near God is, and
prayer? The first answer that very
naturally comes Is Sin" II is the
business OF sin to close our eyes to
the presence Of God; to separate the
soul from it's Creator.
Who are the people who say: IT
don't believe there is a Cody" They
are those who don't believe that there
is sny God, because their lives are in
condition OF sin Sin creates In our
hearts a distaste for prayer.
The second enemy of prayer is "Rea-
son." Reason would take the bread
out OF the hand OF a starving child.
Reason would go to the bedside of a
sick and dying soul and would take
the wise physician and drive him
away from the bed. Reason would
even reach its arm out into the sky
and tear God out OF the universe, II
II only had the power to do II. Reason
is one Of the biggest blessings and one
OF the biggest curses that this world
has ever had; II all depends upon
whether reason IL In its rightful place |
or not.
Then there is another enemy, and
that Is Formally" Some OF us are
taught to pray at this hour or that
hour; some are taught 10 pray in the |
morning or at night when we retire.
But the very minute that you dis |
cover that formality In prayer is be- |
coming simply a little fetch that you |
are putting in the place OF God, that
moment stop right where you are and |
say: God forgive me: ] have been
making a little fetch GU, of prayer
and that little fetch has rliuded me
to thy presence"
Let me PLACE upon your lips two
prayers. The first one: "oh. God.
help me TO realize Thy presence" And