unconfessed sin in my life), the Lord will not hear me.” Sometimes it may seem that our prayers go no higher than the proverbial ceiling. I t could well be that there is some unconfessed sin in our lives. “If we confess our sin?, he is faithful and just to for give us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” “He that believeth on me,” the Lord Jesus says, “as the scripture hath said, out of his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water.” Too many of us are like the woman who tied all of her washing up in a bundle and took it down to the river side. There she dropped it in to the water and jogged it up and down a few times. She didn’t ’even bother to untie it. The laundry was far from being clean. We come to God at the end of thé day and say, “0 God, for give my sins. God bless me. God bless my wife. God bless my son, his wife, us four, no more. Amen.” That’s about all there is to it. God wants us to come and freely confess our sins. Here we find restored fellowship and joy for our life once again. “Behold the Lord’s hand is not shortened that it cannot save, neither his ear heavy that it cannot hear; but your iniqui ties have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you that He will not hear.” The majority of defeats for the Christian come because we have failed to keep open the prayer life chan nels. We don’t take the time to stop and make our hearts clean. A man was chopping away at a pile of wood. A friend came along and saw the man laboring industriously. It didn’t take him long to see that his ax was dull. “Why don’t you take the time to stop and sharpen the ax?” The man responded, “Goodness no, it’s hard enough now without stop ping for that.” Think of your own life. You may say to yourself, “Life is hard enough now without taking the time to pray!” Prayer is our first and only resource. The Lord Jesus said, “Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out!”
The second essential is that, as God’s children, we must come with a clean heart. Some years ago archaeologists tried to uncover what was known as the Fountain of the Maiden in the ancient Roman forum. They had dug in vari ous places but were unsuccessful in uncapping the natural well. Then one enterprising young scientist insisted FORGET IT if you see a tall fellow ahead of the crowd, A leader of music, marching fearless and proud. And you know of a tale whose mere telling aloud Would cause his proud head to in anguish be bowed, It's a pretty good plan to forget it. If you know of a skeleton hidden away In the closet', and guarded and kept from the day, In the dark; whose showing, whose sudden display Would cause grief and sorrow and lifelong dismay, It's a pretty good plan to forget it. If you know of a spot in the life of a friend (We all have spots concealed, world without end), Till the shame of it showing no griev ing could mend, It's a pretty good plan to forget it. If you know of a thing that will darken the joy Of a man or a woman, a girl or a boy That will wipe out a smile or the least way annoy Or perhaps cause gladness then to de stroy It's a pretty good plan to forget it. that they go down deeper in one par ticular spot. Finally, the ashes and debris of the centuries was uncov ered ; the Fountain of the Maiden once again gushed forth with all of its beauty and crystal-clear refreshment. That is what is needed in our hearts. The Psalmist declared, “If I regard iniquity in my heart (if there is some
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