The Coolidge examiner., 1936-05-08

Changes Things.
INTERMEDIATE AND SENIOR
TOPIC-How Should 1 Pray?
! YOUNG PEOPLE AND ADULT
TOPIC-How Shall We Pray Effec-
lively?
From first to last the books of
1.-The Bible TEEN with the language
and sspirit of prayer. Prayers Of
every type are found in the Old
Testament-personal confession and
petition, intercession, and espe-
cially praise to Jehovah voiced in
private and public prayers.
The present lesson offers definite
instruction by a great Teacher.
|. "Men Ought Always to Pray"
". y.
Prayer is necessary to spiritual
life. What breathing. is to the
physical body prayer is to the spir-
itual existence. Men ought to pray
under, every variety Of circum,
stance; in time of sorrow and bur-
den, for strength to endure; in time
of joy and success, for grace to
behave Alright.
Prayer ought to be eepersistent even
when the answer is not immediate
ly recognized. "All men pray at
tines" we are told. To the Chris
tian alone belongs the faith-tilled
and persistent prayer. God hears
and answers prayer, even when
we do not understand the mysteries
of delay
II. The Urgent Prayer of a Widow
(yv. 2-S). p
The picture here is Of helpless
widow who was being cheated out
of her property rights, coming to
a goddess judge for redress. Her
only means of getting help was per-
siStent1y to declare the justice Of
her claim. He complied with her ur-
gent request, not because he feared
| God Or. man, but to get rid of her.
The point here is not that God is
like this unjust judge, that he can
be teased into compliance, but rath-
er. the teaching. is by contrast. If
through persistence the judge yields,
how much ,Surer is the help of a
merciful God for the elect who
cry unto him day and night. The
believers prayer is to covenant
keeping God. This is why the truth
concerning the coming Of Christ is
of such meaning. The church
should pray for the fulfillment of
Gods promise, and not be disheart-
ened and discouraged, as are some
(II Pet. $40. Though many may
despair, we. should be assured that
genuine faith will abide and that
the divine promise concerning the
coming of Christ will be fulfilled.
ILL., The Prayer of the Proud
Pharisee (vv. 9-12).
/. He took a striking attitude ".
~. The Jewish custom was to
stand while praying, but the word
stood" implies the assumption of
ostentation. He was self-righteOus
and trusted in himself
2. He prayed with himself (vv.
II, 12). He was merely soliloquiz-
ing, pretending to thank God, while
really complimenting himself. He
congratulated himself upon-his NOR
ality (v. ~. He claimed TO thank
God that he was not as other men:
extOrtiOners, adulterers, unjust, or
even as the publican standing afar
off. One who has been kept from
the grosser sins ought to thank
God, but should not set himself
above his fellow men, as though the
virtues were his own. He congratu-
lated himself for his religious
merit ". 12). He tasted twice a
week and gave tithes of all he pos
sessed. He thus informed God that
he did even more than was re-
quired, implying that God was un-
der obligation to him.
". The Prayer of the Humble
Publican ". 13).
How great the contrast in the
prayer and spirit Of the publican
He did not stand with ostentation.
but for very shame could not so
much as lift up his face to heaven,
but smOte upon his breast, sign
of anguish and despair, and cried
God be merciful TO me, a sinner" ."
That this heart-cry is indeed the
heart of the lesson is indicated from
the fact that it is cited as the gold,
en- text.
V. Christ's Testimony ". 14).
Christ makes it Enthusiastically
evident that the attitude and peti-
tion of the publican meets with his
favor. Pharisees of every age, for
their pride and Righteousness
are rejected of God. The spirit of
the publican expressing itself in
the prayer of a penitent, will today
meet with the commendatiOn, This
man went down to his house justi-
fed, rather than the. other"
The believer who weighs thought
fully the meaning of this lesson
will find much encouragement to
prayer. He must be justified, know
ing his sins forgiven in answer to
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