The Clio messenger., 1917-03-02

~ He had suddenly |
S--------s- =ss.---<'-->S been asked Il !
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 |
hanishment 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,
81 prayed to the God of heaven and 1
said unto the King"
Character Of Trayer.
1t was necessarily a short prayer
and very definite prayer He had
no time to "beat round the
bush," he must come to the
point ut once. 1t was very sudden, for
emergencies do not allow time Tor
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 VIII answer Tic writer re-
/ ceiyed telegram in Chicago one
morning Mt 9:25 which had been sent
from Pittsburgh at $50 the same
morning. lie received it before it was
sent because OF the difference in cen
tral and eastern time. God hears our
prayers before we utter them and no
emergency can eyer arise SO suddenly
that it finds God unprepared. OF what
unspeakable value il 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 were not conducive to prayer
A banquet was in progress at Il
heather court and Nehemiah was in
the midst as the cup bearer. The
worlds festivities are not calculated to
arouse 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
and privately shutting himself away
from such surroundings. But here in
| the midst of the noise surrounding the
worldly world he could pray, We
sometimes think that 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 to hear the voice Of God in
the midst of any circumstances. No
emergency, however suddenly it may
arise nor however thronged the sur.
roundings may be, need find us shut
out from the Lord.
Conditions of Prayer.
First of ALL Nehemiah was 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
essary to allow God to speak to us.
He has said Gle that turneth away his
ear from hearing the law, even his
prayer shall be an abomination." IL
we close our 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 Ii not true that we
move with uncertainty and speak with
hesitancy when sudden emergencies
arise? Are we not often distressed in
mind after n 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,
gences so frequently met If we had
the enjoyment of emergency prayer. 1t
does not need any spoken words, 1t
does not depend on conducive circum-
stances, it does not demand an out
ward privacy, but can be used when
there is sot time even to form the
words of the shortest prayer In the
midst of the busiest activity or in the
heart Of the throngIng crowd