Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-05-04

II Ill lStldu uIuSl III dy, tisC ~
vi cannot have power to work
Prayer is that communion with
God which draws from Him, through
His love, the strength to live and con-
quer. Without God we can do nothing.
With God we can do all things. But God
cannot help a man who does not believe
in Him. The willingness to receive is as
important as the power to give. And this
willingness is shown by the mans look
ing to the source Of all strength in low
ing trust and humble submission.
Yet we must not think of God as only
or chiefly a center of power. We do not
get the best which our Father longs to
give when we simply draw upon Him as
a business man draw upon his bank.
The truest help that we get from one
another is not that which the stronger
or the wiser directly gives to the weak
and the ignorant. but rather is it the
Impress of personality, the touch of af-
fectionate friendship which excites de-
sire and ambition and makes the weaker
care of his friend So is it that the
spirit of goodness, the spirit of God,
entering into ug makes strong to live
our lives and gain the education which
shall fit US for heaven. The loving pres
ence OF Christ helps us to do our work.
because virtue passes from Him to us.
and we are able, through the inspira ton
Of His love, to do what we have to do.
II only we can gain this idea of prayer
we will find the key to Christianity. The
Master declared it when He said: abide
in me and l in YOU"
I once heard a man say that he did not
pray any more for special things, strength
for the day and patience for its burden
bearing. He simply communed with the
Master, talked to Him and listened to His
voice: contemplated His goodness and
glory as revealed in the gospel and rested
in the calm of His presence. And SO he
found he had strength for everything,
and that his needs were abundantly sat
tsfed- think he had found great
secret-that the virtue Of the dear Christ
passes into us as We wait in His presence
and adore and love Him.
The analogy of this is found in our
daily experience. The child does not I'M
ceasingly ask the father for something.
He simply cuddles up in the fathers arms
and forgets everything in his conscious
ness Of the fathers nearness and the
fathers love. When I am troubled l go
to my friend, not to pour out my troubles
or to ask his help. but just to be near
him and gain new courage through his
influence. We may talk together of quite
ordinary and impersOnal matters, but
somehow his way of expressing himself
and his hopeful nature make one feel that
life is worth living. and that its troubles
are only incidents in its progress. So the
live in the presence of our Father. mind
full that He is always near us and that
He cares for us wherever We are and
whatever we are doing. So We pray with
out ceasing; we pray always. because we
are always conscious that the dear Lord
Is by our side and that no power of evil
can hurt us while He is near. This Is
the necessity as We think OF prayer.
Without this We will find our prayers
formal and cold. and rise from our knees
as helpless and doubling as when We
knelt down by our bedside to say words
of prayer, alas! rather than to pray.
There are three elements in prayer
which we must have in ourselves if we
esty and love Humility means a COM
plete emptying ourselves of all conceit.
all prejudices and human plans, and
simply coming to God with open natures
own imagined powers makes us SO self
willed that there is no place for Gods
will to enter. A teacher can do little
for the pupil who thinks he knows as
much as his tutor. [ remember taking
lessons in music when I was in college
from a great musician / thought / knew
a great deal about music. | had played
the organ as a young lad In a Presoy-
terrain Church Though I was an Epis-
copalian-a good example of church
unity. and it seemed to me l was ready to
go on in an advanced course of har-
mony and composition. But the professor
put me back into scale playing and
kept me for weeks practicing simple
exercises At first l rebelled. The idea
Of making me do that which l thought
I had mastered years before. But l
soon found that in my humble submits
sion-yes, In my acknowledging to my
self that knew very little about music
Law the necessity which alone could bring
me profit from my study. II go to God
then. with conceit. thinking highly of
myself and imagining that l am better
than other men, l cannot gain much be-
cause there is no submission to the great
wisdom and love of my King That was
the trouble with the Pharisee in the
parable He began by telling God his
excellences: he did not feel his need
Of God, while the publican knew that
he was a sinner and had nothing of
which to boast.
Oh. this poor pride defeats Ls SO often