The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1917-09-15

been asked a
question by the king and he must an
swer at once. Upon his answer de-
pended the fulfillment of his hopes,
the realization of his desires and the
Punishment of his sorrow. Everything
depended upon the way in which he
met this emergency. How easily and
wisely he met it he tells us in the text,
Il prayed to the God of heaven and I
said unto the King"
Character of Prayer.
1t was necessarily a short prayer
and a very definite prayer. He had
no time to beat round the
bush," he must come to the
point at once. 1t was very sudden, for
emergencies do not allow time fol
preparation; but they are never too
sudden for God. We will never find
God unprepared for our emergencies.
He is always there before they arrive.
He says for our comfort Before they
call l will answer" The writer re-
ceived a telegram in Chicago one
morning at 9:25 which had been sent
from Pittsburgh at $3.50 the same
morning. He received it before it was
sent because of the difference in cen
trail and eastern time. GOD hears our
prayers before we utter them and no
emergency can ever arise SO suddenly
that it finds God unprepared. OF what
~unspeakable value if every time an
emergency arose we could have at
once the wisdom of omniscience to
guide us? What confidence and assur-
ance we would enjoy knowing just the
right way to act and the right word to
say in all our emergencies?
Circumstances of Prayer.
They We're not conducive to prayer.
A banquet was in progress at q
heather court and Nehemiah was in
the midst as the cup bearer. The
worlds festivities are not calculated to
arouse a prayerful spirit nor are they
suggestive of prayer. The gaiety and
laughter, the jest and song, the whole
atmosphere of amusement in which
Nehemiah found himself would not be
conducive to prayer. Nor did the cir.
cumstanceS permit of his retiring alone
oho piIfotClS olllLlllS 1l1lI1SC1l away
from such surroundings. But here in
the midst of the noise surrounding the
worldly world he could pray. We
sometimes think hat we could pray if
we could only get alone and quiet
away from the noise and the rush of
people. But the value of emergency
prayer is to be able to have the ear of
God and 10 boo, +ho xo;.o "a "a T.
the midst of any circumstances. No
emergency, however suddenly it MAY
arise nor however thronged the sur
roundings may be, need find us shut
u from the Lord.
Conditions of Prayer.
First of all, Nehemiah was a man
of habitual prayer. He was in the
habit of taking everything to God.
When he heard the distressing news
of the condition of his beloved city,
he prayed. When his enemies would
stop his work, he prayed. When they
plotted and Schemed against his life,
he prayed.
In the second place, Nehemiah was
in the habit of listening to God in his
Word. He could remind God of his
promises, as his prayer in the first
chapter reveals. 1t is necessary to
speak to God, it is perhaps more nee
essary to allow God to speak to us.
He has said "He that turneth away his
ear from hearing the law, even his
prayer shall be an abomination." If
we close u ears to him he will close
his ears to US. He who has Gods ears
for any sudden emergency is the man
whose ear is to the Book. In the third
place, he was a man of faith, as the
last two verses of the first chapter of
his book show. He believed God was
what he was and would do what he
said, and this gave him quietness and
peace at all times. He was habitually
prepared for any emergency. Can this
be said of us? Is it not true that we
move with uncertainty and speak with
hes1tancy when sudden emergencies
arise? Are we not often distressed in
mind after a sudden decision has had
to be made lest we have decided
wrongly? What confidence and assur-
ance, what quietness and rest we
might enjoy in the face of those emer
gencies so frequently met if we had
the enjoyment of emergency prayer. 1t
does not need any spoken words, it
does not depend on conducive circum-
stances, it does not demand an out
ward privacy, but can be used when
there is not time even to form the
words OF the shortest prayer in the
midst of the busiest actiuitu or In 1ho