^ I t e . fe le A A e c S , By Thelma H. Overholt M y heart is crushed with grief. The way before Seems filled with endless pain and blackest night. Groping my way, I seek a respite for my woe. In His dear Book I find it, like a shaft of light! He’s coming soon! Perhaps He’ll come today! Perhaps today! M Y busy hands are filled with countless tasks, I long for quiet and a peaceful rest
The captain said, “I know you.” Mr. Sankey, a little uneasy because he had no recollection of the man, asked, “When did you come to know me, Captain?” The captain replied, “You were a soldier in the Union Army during the Civil War. I was fighting with the Confederate forces. One night I was detailed to do away with the guard of a certain bridge that lay in our advance. As I crept quietly through the trees and under brush that grew at the bridge’s ap proach, suddenly there appeared the fine form of a Union soldier march ing guard. As I lifted my rifle to po sition and would have taken the life of that guard, he raised his head and in a golden tenor voice began to sing: ‘Saviour more than life to me, I am clinging, clinging close to Thee.’ He sang with such reality that I could not bring myself to pull the trigger. I returned to my detachment, having failed in my mission, and heartsick to know the God of whom the soldier guard sang.” After a pause he continued, “I have groped away most of my life, but the mo ment I heard your voice tonight, I knew you were the guard at the bridge and that, if any man could lead me to know God, it would be you.” Mr. Sankey, somewhat shaken in spirit, but with deep joy, told the captain of a Saviour “that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood.” Perhaps each of us needs to remind himself that normal breathing is reg ular and continuous. It must remain so in order to keep us free from sys temic poisons and to keep us freely supplied with the life-giving and re freshing pure air. He who draws his breath hesitantly and in gashing spasms is in danger of dying. Prayer is the Christian’s vital breath. P rayer I s a F oretaste of C elestial J oy Prayerful communion is the most supreme ecstasy mortals may know. It is the gilt-edged wing on which the believing soul may leave behind earth’s foolish restlessness, mount, and pass through the ramparts of glory into the presence of God Him self. There are three verses in the Gos pel of John which taken together form the scriptural classic on prayer. Often they are misunderstood, and leave a sincere Christian confused. Observed closely, each prayer prom ise is accompanied by a qualifying phrase which is the key to its as surance of celestial joy. John 14:13, 14: “And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glori fied m the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.” John 15:16: “Ye have not chosen SEPTEMBER, 1947
But no, the burdens come more crushingly, and I Cry out to Him, and in my souj there springs A joy supreme. It won’t be long, For He may come today! M Y mind is filled with dread foreboding as I gaze Upon a world so steeped in wickedness and sin, Woe upon wee, and sorrow, grief and pain. When comes the end? And then my weary mind Turns once again to Him; and oh, the joy! Unknown to men of earth, He’s coming back! Perhaps, perhaps today!
O Father, make this heart of mine to beat in tune With Thy unmeasured love. And grant my hands Sweet rest to others bring. Lord help me To keep fixed on Thee my gaze. That I May always, with a sympathetic word, Help others too, to know the joy of this dear hope. He may come yet today! This very day!
me, but I have chosen you, and or dained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.” John 16:23, 24: “And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.” We have heard these called un conditional prayer promises. How different is the picture when we dis cover these qualifying phrases. The promise is that of unconditionally granting to the child of God any request which he has faith enough to believe he will receive. How shal low and on the surface then would be our experience! The promise summed up is this: When you can face your problem, whatever it may be, and then out of a completely sincere heart pray, “Father, glorify thy name,” the unchanging and un changeable answer is, “I have both glorified it and will glorify it again.” We have often wondered if it were possible to make a request of God and to know assuredly that we would receive exactly what we asked for.
Indeed it is possible. When every circumstance of life becomes sec ondary, and the yielded heart cries, “Oh, that my life may bear fruit and that the fruit may remain to Thy glory,” • then there 'is no possi bility of denial. God says, “I will do it.” To our eternal shame and humilia tion, we have each found that our communion with God is most def inite, real, and continuous, when we are experiencing times of distress or fear or heartache. The promise of John 16:24 is, “That your joy may be full.” We remember the words of the Psalmist, “In thy presence is fulness of joy.” Perhaps the burden we fain would be relieved of is the instrument which alone keeps us "in His presence.” When that place of His known presence is the thing most desired, though it be attained through suffering or distress, then the answer must always be “Yes.” To the child of God who prays, "Father, glorify thy name, that my life may bear fruit, that I may know the joy of Thy presence,” God will never say, “No.” Oh, moment supreme, when the soul is lost to Self and every earthly thing, aware solely of the trans porting joy of complete abandon ment to the will of God! Then prayer is a foretaste of celestial joy. PAGE ELEVEN
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