Changing Those Who Pray continued proof, so much example, so much encouragement for us in the Word of God, and among other things, this is why we are reminded that we fail to receive things because we fail to ask for things. With Thanksgiving
about us who contribute to our well-being. I wish that into the lives of all who read these words there might come a storm of thanksgiv ing. I am sure that one of the griefs of God and good people is that men so seldom and in such stinted fash ion express the thanksgiving which perhaps in a blind, half-hearted way they feel. What husband is there who does not owe his wife 10,000 thanksgivings for the pa tient, loving service of years? What wife who does not at times cause her husband to wonder whether she really does appreciate the pa tient labor that brings the comforts into the home for her and her chil dren? What parent is there who has not a right at.Times to think that his children do not appreciate the loving care which has watched over them from the beginning in their homes? What children are there who do not render 10,000 little services to father and mother for which they receive scanty, if any thanks at all, and who of all of us is there who does not have a great amount of thanksgiving due to God? I was once leading a special meeting for a few weeks and I said to the young people: “We have prayed a good deal first and last. Let us make this meeting a thanks giving meeting.” A n d I wen t through the hymn book which we we r e us i ng to s e l e c t praiseful hymns. As I recall, there were something like 300 hymns in that book and I had hard work to find a dozen that were really hymns of praise. There were lots of prayers, there were lots of exhortations, there were a great number of senti mental ditties of one kind and an other, but real praise to God for His patient forbearing love and His ceaseless, watchful care, was al most wanting. Is not this enough to break the heart of the Almighty that there is such a s t i nt ed r e t u r n for the unnumbered blessings which He pours upon us, and is this not one of the evils in our lives which is cured by prayer? “ Ye have not, because ye ask not.” END.
I cannot overstress the duty of thanksgiving. I say this because I am trying to show how God an swers prayer. He answers prayer by working changes in us, among other things, and these changes which He works in us are not chance happenings but are wrought in accordance with the laws by which He governs the material and spiritual world. The soul which adores, which confesses failure, which offers up its submissions and which makes its requests to God, will have abundant occasions for thanksgiving and will be enabled to give thanks. “Nor is the least a thankful heart, Which takes those gifts with joy.” Indeed, this is one of the great gifts of God — a thankful heart. How many times have you heard a person pray for grace to be grate ful? How many times have you prayed for power to sympathize? How many times have you prayed for a praiseful heart? Sam Jones used to say that there were two parts to man’s relation to God —- man’s part and God’s part. He said men are all the while as suming that their part is well done and they are very much afraid that God will fail in His. I heard a brother minister at the funeral of a little child say: “ Lord, teach us to sympathize.” It was a helpful word to me. I saw that I did not know. I knew a dear saint who lived a long life under circum stances of great tribulation, whose habit it was to begin her testimony in the prayer meeting with the words: “ I pray for strength to praise my God.” These are wise words and it would be eminently wise if we would pray more than we do for thankful hearts and for the gift of expressing our thankful ness, and while this duty is pre eminently one which we owe to God, it is also a duty to the many
Scmg for bereavement
Sometimes it takes the darkness T o help the eye to see How, closer than a brother The Friend of Friends can be. N o heart has worn new sorrow, Nor bowed beneath old care, But Christ, the burden-bearer, Has lifted up His share. When God looked down from heaven And saw man lost, undone,, There was no hesitation — He gave His Only Son. And shall we shrink from giving, Or say we sacrificed, If God should take our loved ones And leave us Jesus Christ?
— Helen Frazee-Bower
lt~Le remembers not
When loneliness abounds and we are caught Within a tangled web of old regrets, The heart takes comfort in this simple thought: “Jesus remembers — when the world forgets." But better yet— when, weighted down with shame And sense of sin, we scan each sorry spot— It is to know that we are free from blame: Our Lord,# our blessed Lord, remem bers not. Because He died, the sinner is made free: The Veil is rent and we may enter in. Henceforth, for time and for eternity, Our Lord remembers us— but not our sin. — Helen Frazee-Bower
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