Boston congregation." The theo logian probably would have been offended by that. Our intercession is directed to God, not to people. The purpose of prayer is to com mune with Him. The same is true with our stew ardship. We do not need to broad cast information about what we give. We do not need a publicity agent to spread the word of our benevolence! Our giving is simply for the glory of the Father (Mat thew 6:4). The totality of your life should be an open expression of the fact that you walk with God. One who is frustrated usually has such problems because he has not taken the time to hush his own soul before the Lord. A leading educator, president of a large university, was speaking on principles of administration. The last point he made was the great est of all. He declared, "It is prayer and it took an ulcer for me to learn this fact!" It seems he was in the hospital when someone brought him a little book on prayer. At first he resented it until he began read ing it and taking the thoughts ser iously. He tried it and soon discov ered a total change in his life and commitment to Jesus Christ. When he was out of the hospital, back at home, one day it dawned on him that his ulcer was not a problem anymore. There is a direct rela tionship between the health of the inner spirit of the man and his in ner physical being. Jesus has given us a model pray er (Matthew 6:7-15). This is some times called, "The Lord's Prayer," which is more properly known as "The Disciples' Prayer." I have seen people of various religions using vain repetition. I have seen
them spin the prayer wheels stacked full of thousands of pray ers. I have seen the Tibetan prayer flags waving in the breeze, each time they move supposedly send ing their prayers to their deities. We have to remember that prayer is not overcoming God's reluc tance. Rather it is laying hold on His willingness. Prayer is actually opening your life to share the will of God. When you come to the Lord you give Him the moral free dom to do what He's been want ing to do for a long time. He re spects human personality and will not force Himself upon you. He wants us to know and to do His will but He will not do this until we ask Him. We show humility before Him when we pray, "Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heav en." It is basically His Name, His will, and His program, not ours, that we are seeking. There is hope, "Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever." The beliver lives in assured anticipa tion. Faith provides necessary strength. Years ago an American tourist traveling in Russia was asked by a Communist if he read Karl Marx. The visitor responded in the affirm ative. "Well, then," the response came back, "you know how it is all going to come out!" We as re deemed men and women, to whom Scripture means everything, know how it is going to come out. This is our hope. We know what God is doing in the world. Then Jesus taught, "If ye forgive men their trespasses, your heaven ly Father will also forgive you: but
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