March 1928
T h e
K i n g ’ s
B u s i n e s s
161
therefore the petition is to forgive your trespasses as a child o f God? It does not say, ‘Give me salvation as I forgive others.’ You are already saved or you can’t say ‘Father.’ ” Jesus is here teaching us to seek Fatherly forgiveness, not that o f a Judge. A “ debt” is simply that which is due, or something which “ stands between.” There is often something due to God from a child, nor can we ever enjoy the sense o f His forgiveness while we harbor bitterness toward another. When a father forgives his own, it means mor? than the sparing o f a penalty. It means that love shall flow out unchecked to the culprit because the fault has been confessed and forgiveness sought. The kingdom is inseparable from the coming o f the King, and surely a Christian desires not only the coming of the millennial kingdom, but the advance of His spiritual kingdom. And what Christian does not pray that His will may be done on earth ? The prayer for bread is the one petition for temporal needs. We have to have something more than spiritual Bread, and God is the Supplier of all our needs, the Giver o f every good and perfect gift. W e know o f no way to prove the assertion that the petition for deliverance from the evil one, has reference to the antichrist in the Great Tribulation period. It is, to say the least, assuming a great deal, to state that God has not been pleased to have this prayer used by the Church. ate ate Dear Editor K in g ’ s B u sin e ss :— Letters to an Editor always seem to me to be an un warranted intrusion on his time; but when I see some thing in a paper that impresses me, I feel impelled to respond— and such an article I have just read in T h e K in g ’ s B u sin e ss — “ Retribution,” under “ Passages That Perplex.” It is a question I have often heard brought up— “ How can God, or Heaven, be happy, knowing the endless suffer ing o f others?”— asked sometimes sneeringly, sometimes wonderingly, or with a sorrowful incredulity. Your answer to this problem is satisfying and convinc ing; but do not think me officious for submitting to your opinion an additional argument in favor of your position: —While it is true that those who are shut out of Heaven are in a state o f misery, if they were to be admitted, they would still be in misery— not being in any sympathy or harmony with its spirit. If one finds no pleasure in God’s house, or the society o f His children here and now —how can he find pleasure in God’s House and with His children hereafterf The mere act of leaving this world does not change character. The mother who misses her son, realizes he would be no happier were he at her side—and it is his own act— not God’s — that has shut him out; he has gone to “ his own place.” I was much interested in your opinion of “ The Christ o f the Indian Road” ; the book to me seemed beautiful and helpful— showing Him a Christ o f all Roads— not alone New York and London ! ate ate Burned Out For Others Epitaph that marks the grave of Dr. Adam Clarke: “ In living for others I am burned away.” Future Retribution F rom M iss M. E. H.
Is Prayer Coaxing God ? UR Atheistic friends have the following to say in one o f their papers, in ridicule o f the Bible doctrine o f prayer: “The innumerable prayers offered daily to the deity seem to prove that the universe is indifferently managed, for to pray means to complain. It also means a doubt or fear on the part of the one offering the prayer, that many things might be overlooked or forgotten unless the deity is reminded of them, or coaxed into attending to them. Surely, if the management of human affairs were all that could be desired, prayer would be not only superfluous, but also in the nature o f a conspir acy to have the universe managed differently, that is to say, not as the Almighty is managing it, but as we would have it managed.” Again the Atheist has shown that he has no more con ception o f the Bible teaching concerning prayer than does a blind man have o f the paintings in an art gallery. Where does the Bible teach that “ to pray means to complain” ? It certainly teaches that the suppliant is not to complain but to “ rejoice in the Lord always r” and that the bulk o f his prayer will be praise. Where does the Bible teach that prayer is fear that God might overlook or forge't something and that He must be coaxed into attending to it? It distinctly teaches that “ the Lord knoweth what things we have need o f before we ask Him.” • Where does the Bible teach that prayer is for the pur pose o f changing God’s mind about the management of things ? It distinctly teaches that the primary purpose of prayer is to change the suppliant and keep him in com munion with the One who never changes. Prayer, as someone has said, “ is not conquering God’s reluctance but laying hold o f His willingness.” But if God knows before we ask, what we need, why should we trouble to ask Him? Because H e tells us to do so and because experience has proved that it is for the spiritual interests of men to do so. No intelligent Christian prays with the idea o f bringing God to his way o f thinking. He knows that fellowship with God brings him to God’s way o f thinking. He knows that prayer changes things and that blessings come to him that he would not be in a position to receive if he did not pray. How utterly impossible it is for the Atheist to under stand what the Scriptures mean by “ praying in the Spirit” ! Those who are born of the Spirit discover by vital expe rience that true prayer is something more than saying prayers. It is uttering God’s desire for us as those desires are formed within by the Holy Spirit. Prayer makes God the solution of all o f our problems. Prayer bring,«; the Infinite One into all our affairs. Our prayers are God’s opportunities. Let the Atheists rave! Those who know God will never be persuaded that prayer does not bring to pass in the lives of men what otherwise would not be possible.
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online