THE KI NG' S BUS I NESS 1027 how in our extremity we cried to God, and are attributing our successes to the masterly generalship of Foch and those associated with him, and to the splendid army that the United States of America was able to assemble and send to the help of the Entente Allies in the days when they were on the verge of utter defeat. We have no desire to detract at all from the admira tion of the generalship of General Foch, and even less to detract from the splendid record made by our own troops, but it will be gross ingratitude not to give to the One to whom the real credit is due that honor which belongs to Him. It is not General Foch, and it is not the American soldiers, and it is not the splendid generals and subordinate officers and soldiers of any of the armies to whom the credit is due for our victories, the credit is due to the One to whom we went in our extremity, the Lord God Almighty, the God of Hosts, the God and Father of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. T h e w e e k o f p r a t e r . We are giving below the program of the World’s Evangelical Alliance for the Annual Universal Week of Prayer, beginning Sunday, January 5th, and closing Saturday, January 11th. We give it thus early, for we feel that it was never more'important than this year. Let the Week of Prayer be observed by all Christians everywhere. The World’s Evangelical Alliance in sending out the program of prayer topics prefaces it by saying in part: “ It was surely never before so natural to pray and never before so difficult. Prayer in these days is instinctive. The forces that have beén released are too vast for any man or nation to compass. We are driven to appeal to God. Yet prayer was never so difficult. Deep is our ignorance. Less than ever can we read the scroll of the future. In much obscurity of outlook and deep confusion of mind, we cast ourselves upon the Father of spirits. With part of this we are in hearty agreement. It certainly was never more natural to pray than at present. It is true that “ we are driven to appeal to God,” but it is not our experience that prayer is peculiarly diffi cult at this present time. With an open Bible we can “ read the scroll of the future ’ ’ as well as ever, and we do not feel that there is any ‘ ‘ obscurity of outlook,” and certainly we feel no “ deep confusion of mind” at the pres ent time. The present awful catastrophies that are overtaking the earth are just what the Word of God has told us to expect. We can see nothing at all inexplicable in God’s dealings with,men at the present time, and it was never more certain that God answers prayer than in these days. The Presi dent of the United States, upon the earnest suggestion of the United States Senate and United States Congress, set apart the 30th day of May as a day of fasting and prayer for victory for our arms. When the day of prayer came we were at the darkest period of. the war; things did look black indeed, but from that very day things have changed, and victory after victory has come, and each, day is brighter with hope than the day that preceded. We have had a marvellous world-wide illustration that God still lives and that God answers prayer. It was never easier to pray than today. The program for the week of prayer appears on another page.
Made with FlippingBook - Online catalogs