Evening star., 1958-05-11
SPIRES OF The SPIRIT
Doctors Orders
ny DIR. FREDERICK BROWN HARRIS
Chaplain Of the United states senate

Ihe tragic thlnk ABOUT
these testing times is that 20
many hold q faith that does
not hold them. In spite Of
what they profess 10 believe.
contemporary conditions send
them into the pessimistic dol
drums. They are disturbed
by deep anxieties and peace
sapping apprehensions as 10
how II Is all coming out.
Perhaps, after all. truth viii
be crushed 10 earth. Such
succumb 10 black despair,
which Is treason 10 the faith
OF which they boasted in
SUMMER days. The hymn
writer was trying 10 shame
those recreant 10 their al
legged faith when he ac-
knowledged that there are
times when seemingly God
is least seen when all the
foes OF right are most
abroad. But a verse OF that
same hymn says solemnly:
Right Is right since God is
God
And right the day must min
To doubt mould be dislovdltv
To Jdlter mould be sin."
OF course such falterings
Of faith are symptoms known
long before these tempestu-
Gus Goth century days when
the gates Of hell are ram
pant. In centuries. long ago
men Of supposed faith have
talked Of retreat and even OF
surrender to the invading
hosts Of paganism. There was
the prophet Elijah. Against
the challenging prophets Of
Baal his faith had marched
magnificently and stormed
the stubborn battalions of
the foe. At his confident
word on Mount Carmel, in
the presence Of the court
and the nations leaders, the
fire had fallen which burned
to cinders the boasting
claims Of the false gods. The
demonstration Of his invin-
chile faith had been crush
ing to those challenging the
power Of the one true God.
But that very triumphant
prophet, after his foes bit
the dust, suffered an eclipse
Of his own faith. Despond-
emily he sat under a juniper
tree praying for death. Even
after his victory it seemed
that paganiSm was eating out
the spiritual caliber of Israel.
There were disquieting and
disgusting evidences of de-
cadence within the nation.
The statistics Of evil warped
the judgment of Elijah, just
as they make alarmists and
peSsimiSts of many in this
year Of Our Lord, 1858. God
led Elijah gently back to
sanity and a sense of pro-
portion when He told him
he was failing to reckon
1000 who had not turned
traitor to their faith. How
modern it all is! 1t is the
abnormal evil in business and
labor, home life and youth
behavior, which gets the head
lines. 1t is the forces threat
ening to disrupt the social
and spiritual fabric that
send good people to the
juniper tree Of despair and
defeat. They are oblivious.
as Elijah was, Of the stats
tics of faith and goodness.
Even as Elijah, with droop-
ing faith, miscalculated the
amount of good still intact
in the nation, God corrected
his grossly erroneous figures
II have left Me 1000 in
Israel whose knees have not
bowed unto Baal."
Now let us put side by side
with the story of Elijah the
2lst chapter of the Gospel
OF st. Luke. Here we have
the record of a time str;k-
ingly like this age in which
our lot is cast. The one who
writes this fascinating story
was a doctor. In his record
DR.. Luke puts down what one
has called "a devastating
catalog Of crises and convul-
sions, Of formidable, ruthless
forces playing havoc with
good mems dreams, of perse-
riltinnS racial hatredS and