The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1911-05-11

D n
made known unto God. And tho peace OF
God which passeth all understandings,
shall keep your hearts and minds through
Jesus "hr:st-Phillppians 4, 81.
Let me x you, in the very begin
ming OF Ibis 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: II know that prayer was
answered; It was particular blessing
TO me?" Is your God not your moth
er's God, or your fathers God, or some
body else's God, but is your God a
prayer-answering God?
Now, If anybody had any knowledge
of God except yourself and you were
to bear witness to the fact that God
Is hearing and answering prayers,
would you be able to bring ilustra.
tions 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 60
TO God at any time; are you so much
at home with ca that you cannot
hold yourself bag at times from go
Ing and having a talk with Him?
In prayer q privilege that you enjoy?
Now, let US clear the field for ac-
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 a 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"
1t seems to me that that picture
comes right before our minds. We
can see Jesus kneeling there In
prayer, and there Is a radiance about
His countenance; there is a sincerity
about His voice; there is an intimacy
in 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 beaut-
full conversation with them He says:
knock, and II shall be opened unto
you; ask, and ye shall receive"
Prayer is a privilege we may all
enjoy. Anybody anywhere, any time,
Anybody Whosoever shall
call upon the name Of the Lord shall
be saved" Any time-"men ought al
ways to pray" Anywhere-you re
that woman CT Samaria, there
at tho 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
with God. Jesus said
Woman, not Jerusalem; God Is a
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
Cod"
will tell you three reasons that
are the real enemies OF prayer. II Is
sometimes to look into f.
-FOUR life and ask yourself the ques-
ion. who are my enemies, after |
ill?" They are not on the outside; |
he real enemies OF prayer are on |
he inside. And what are those things |
in your life that make It difficult for |
you to realize how near God is, and |
how willing God Is to answer your
prayer? The FIRST answer that very
naturally comes is Sin" II is the
business OF sin to close our eyes 10
he presence Of God to separate the
soul from It's Creator
Who are the people who say II
ion't believe there is a God?" They /
ire those who don't believe that there
s any 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-
on." Reason would take the bread
,ut of the hand Of a starving child.
reason would go to the bedside Of a
lick and dying soul and would take
he wise physician and drive him
way from the bed Reason would
wen reach its arm out into the sky
nd tear God out of the universe, II
t only had the power to do It. Reason
3 one Of the biggest blessings and one
1 the biggest curses that this world
as ever had; II all depends upon
,hether reason is In fits rightful place
r not
Then there is another enemy, and
hat is Formally" Some of us are
aught to pray at this hour or that
our; some are taught to pray in the
lornlng or at night when we retire
'ut the very minute that you dis
over that formality In prayer Is be-
oming simply little fetch that you
re putting in the place of God, that
loment stop right where you are and
ay; God forgive me; have been
laking little fetch out OF prayer
nd that little fetch has blinded me
D thy presence"
Let me place upon your lips two
rayers The first one: "Oh, God!
elp me to realize Thy presence" And
hen you feel God coming right
trough the darkness and standing
ght in front Of you, your prayers will
ecome a real blessing to you Also.
lace on your lips this prayer; "oh.
cd help me to be very honest in my