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T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
Now he was back to stay. He did not win all of his races. In fact, Gil has achieved much of his fame from being a second-place star, first to famed Greg Rice and'then to Gunder Hagg. Sports writers remembered him not for his pleasantness in winning, but for his graciousness in losing. In 1943, he was nearing the peak. He won most of the races in the win ter circuit of nine meets, but was not far ahead of two other aces—Frank Dixon and Bill Hulse. In 1944, how ever, he won every race in which he competed, and broke the world record for the mile event twice within seven days. The Secret of Victory Gil never enters a race without praying. His wife is with him in prayer every time he runs, and throughout the country he has prayer warriors who bring him before the Throne o f Grace each time he is to run a race. Headlines such as, “I prayed as I ran,” have filled newspapers all over the country. Before each race •starts, in that momentary lull before the gun goes off, a silent prayer goes up to God for strength and help. Not strength and help to win, but strength and help to do his best! Many have been the times, in losing, when fans have taunted him with, “What hap pened to your prayers tonight, Dodds?” to which he always has replied, “ I didn’t pray to' God that He would let me win, but just that He would let- me do my best. And I think He an swered that prayer.” One enterprising New York sports writer asked Gil what prayer he prayed so he could pass it on to prom ising youngsters. Gil answered, “ I don’t pray any special prayer; I just speak from the heart, and if anyone does that ,I know that God will hear and answer.” increasing at an appalling rate. Here in our nation’s capital we hold the tragic distinction of consuming more liquor per capita than any other great city in the land! Paganism is on the march in our beloved country. What can be done to stem the tide? What is the way out? What can we do? Long ago, the answer to these ques tions was given. It is recorded in 2 Chronicles 7:14: “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then w ill I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their lanu.” Sincere, penitent prayer is the answerl
Once, and only once, did Gil run a race without praying. He won it, but for two days after that he was com pletely exhausted, with no explana tion for it inasmuch as the race had not been too grueling or hard. God, however, had a lesson to teach one of His children, and Gil learned it. Where he goes and what he does in the future is entirely in the Lord’s hands. In all of his record-seULig and trophy-collecting, Gil always has been more interested in preaching and teaching the Word of God than in win ning races. After the mark-breaking attempt in Chicago he told reporters that he was more excited about preaching the next day in Goshen, In diana, than he was in winning the Banker’s mile event that night and setting the world record! “Preach the gospei is his burning compassion. After spanning the country in the summer of 19 44, speaking 158 times in sixteen states and before thousands of servicemen, Gil concluded that much of the United States has been reached with the gospel, or people have at least had the opportunity to hear it, so he has felt the tug at his heart to go to the regions beyond as a foreign missionary. Where that will be he does not know, but God does. Wherever God puts Gil Dodds, he will work endlessly and tirelessly to win precious souls to a saving faith in the Lord Jesus. His winsome, hum ble personality will do much to show Christ to people wherever he goes. Through his years of running Gil has been able to say without apology, “I run for Christ.” His aim in life is to win souls to the Lord. He often has asked himself the challenging ques tion “Do people want what I have? And am I giving it to them?” These are the questions all must face who desire to run the race for Christ. Conditions in the Church Consider the conditions in the aver age church today. Usually less than one-third of its membership is active in any measure at all. Attendance at the worship services often is pitifully small. Comparatively few people make a public profession of faith. Many churches depend upon an annual se ries of evangelistic services for their increase in membership. Personal soul-winning is so rare as to be un usual. Worldliness characterizes the lives of many leading officers and members. The world in the church is keeping the churclwfrom going into the world with a viuil, appealing, im pelling message.
There can be no change in condi tions in general unless individual hearts and lives are changed. If any change comes at all, it must comb through the churches. There will be no revival, far-reaching and mighty, unless there comes, first of all, a change in the churches themselves. We waste our time trying to change insti tutions and movements so long as human hearts are unregenerate and unsurrendered. With paganism all about us on the outsfde; with worldliness stifling our testimony and throttling our spirit on the inside, what can be done? The answer is that we must turn again to repentant, wholehearted, e a r n e s t , united, prevailing prayer. God is still on the throne! The gospel of Christ is still the power of God unto salva tion! The Holy Spirit is,still the source of spiritual power! The churches are still the agencies through which God purposes to reveal Himself to men! Where is our passion for the lost? Where is our zeal for Christ? Where is our loyalty to “him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood” ? Where is our burden in prayer? The fact is, that either we never had this burden or we have lost it. What Happens When the Church Prays? What happened in New Testament days when they prayed? The answer stands clear and forceful upon the glorious pages of the Book of Acts. “And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assem bled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spake the word of God with boldness” (Acts 4:31). What happened when the members of the early church prayed? God re vealed His presence. The believers faced wealthy, influential, and power ful foes. They faced persecution, dan ger, and death. They faced problems insurmountable a n d immeasurable. They faced a task gigantic and breath taking. Human wisdom was insuffi cient; human resources were incapa ble of meeting it; human courage was not enough. Faith and vision and con secration were sorely tested, but in every hour of challenge the Christians’ first weapon was united prayer, and when they had prayed “ the place was shaken.” They accepted this as the token of the presence of the living God. Unbelieving liberalism would scorn fully attribute this phenomenon to an accidental earthquake. We who be lieve the Word accept it as a mani festation of the presence and power of Him who had said, “The works that I do shall [ye] do arso; and greater [ Continued on Page 65]
A Church at Prayer [ Continued from Page 43]
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