Evening star., 1928-11-24

Sir Francis Youngh,Gsband claims
that most men, and particularly men
of action, are deeply conscious OF the
presence Of some unseen force at WORK
in the world, and what they have felt
has filled them with a conviction that
the power makes for righteousness" /"
The reality of the presence Of an 'in-
visible ally" who was ever ready to
assist all that sought His aid in the
struggle of life, has filled all men with
the spirit of prayer. 1t is this fact
that has made "all men incurably re-
ligious." The secret of the poise, per-
sonality and power CT the Lord Jesus
can be traced to His life of communion
with the Father. Paul was a man OF
prayer. While one will not find phi
loSophy of prayer in the writings OF
the apostle, we find that he practiced
prayer, seeking not worldly advance or
gain, but spiritual blessings.
Probably Paul would have met the
present age, with its problems, somewhat
differently from the way he met those
Of his day and generation. He would
not have needed any stronger argu-
ment to demonstrate the power Of pre-
vailing prayer than his own experience
and practice OF fellowship with his Lord
in prayer. In fact, any attempt to ex-
plain prayer that does not rest upon
! the facts that demonstrate conclusively
the value of prayer by the evidence Of
we'll authenticated answers to petitions
would be valueless. He found, as we
will find, that our greatest personal
| privilege and power comes through ous
| prayer life.
The pSychiatrists have found out
that a prolific cause of mental disturb
te la Oh IF sci yaA 1f
| inward harmony. It may consist OF a
secret sin, a wayward imagination, de-
Sires at war with ideals or a wrong at
titude toward life and other people.
! The way out Is a central, dominating
unSelflsh purpose that brings life into
harmony. We shall find the way out
of conflict where Paul found it, CON
quering self overcoming barriers, mas
| tering difficulties and conquering all op-
position by his practice of prayer"
The Practice Of Prayer.
In his farewell message to the leaders
of the Ephesian Church, delivered upon
the beach at Miletus, Paul warned
them of the danger Of false teachers
entering into their fellowship and
their possible destructive work. He
| pointed out not only their peril, but
| dlSu hSSuIeQ ILlein ItldL Ile IdCeu serious
difficulties at Jerusalem. They knew
that it was the last time that they
would look into the fact of the apostle,
who had endeared himself to them by
his sacrificial services and untiring ef-
forts to win them for Christ and es-
tablish them in the faith 1t was q
time of great sorrow. and, following his
custom, he knelt down and prayed
with them all' upon the beach
BY practicing in that hour his GUS
tomary method of conquering all of
the difficulties of life, he taught the
brethren of the Ephesus Church as
sembled upon the seashore that day
the way of success. In his epistle to
them, written to the Church in EphesuS
when the apostle was in Rome, he re-
veals the fact that his prayer OF that
day and OF his constant remembrance
OF them at the throne of grace was a
source Of JOY. Paul had great comfort
In their faith, of which he heard, and
he ceased not to thank God for their
victories in meeting their spiritual
dangers. He told them that he con-