Find God Through Prayer

[Thompson, Darryl]

Find God Through Prayer

     Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I
will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall
search for me with all your heart. Jer. 29:12, 13  

     There are two kinds of prayer--the prayer of form and the prayer of
faith. The repetition of set, customary phrases when the heart feels no
need of God, is formal prayer. . . . We should be extremely careful in
all our prayers to speak the wants of the heart and to say only what we
mean. All the flowery words at our command are not equivalent to one
holy desire. The most eloquent prayers are but vain repetitions if they
do not express the true sentiments of the heart. But the prayer that
comes from an earnest heart, when the simple wants of the soul are
expressed just as we would ask an earthly friend for a favor, expecting
that it would be granted--this is the prayer of faith. The publican who
went up to the temple to pray is a good example of a sincere, devoted
worshiper. He felt that he was a sinner, and his great need led to an
outburst of passionate desire, "God be merciful to me a sinner." . . . .


     After we have offered our petitions, we are to answer them
ourselves as far as possible, and not wait for God to do for us what we
can do for ourselves. The help of God is held in reserve for all who
demand it. Divine help is to be combined with human effort, aspiration,
and energy. But we cannot reach the battlements of heaven without
climbing for ourselves. We cannot be borne up by the prayers of others
when we ourselves neglect to pray; for God has made no such provision
for us. . . . The unlovely traits in our characters are not removed, and
replaced by traits that are pure and lovely, without some effort on our
part. . . .  

     In our efforts to follow the copy set us by our Lord, we shall make
crooked lines. . . . Yet let us not cease our efforts. . . . Temporary
failure should make us lean more heavily on Christ. 

>From My Life Today - Page 19