"Devotional Period"

White Ribbon, Volume 21, Issue 8, 1 September 1949, Page 3

"Devotional Period"

" Prayer is the soul s sincere desne Uttered or unexpressed; The motion of a hidden fire That trembles in the breast. “Prayer is the Christian’s vital breath The Christian's native air; His watchword at the gates of death; He enters Heaven by prayer. There cannot be the faintest doubt that prayer is the heart and centre of all religion. Religion and prayer arc not identical, but are related to each other as lib* and breathing, as thought and speech. Just a> there can be no true religion without the idea of God a.sd the Eternal, so there can be no genuine religious life without the life of prayer. Our Lord built His earthly life on this foundation. Read Mark, Ch. 1, v erses 29 to 35. After a very heavy day, and an evening filled with wonderful manifestations of His Divine power and love, “ fie rose up a great while before day.” In that hour of breathless silence and wonder which so often pre-

cedes the dawn, when the stars, strangely placed now, in the sky, and looking unfamiliar, still shine gently, awaiting the breaking of day which w'ill quench their light; when all nature seems to wait for something. He found a time of quiet. He needed it. Is there a single worker tor God who does not need it? The fact that even into the sacred solitude which meant so much to Hun in the restoraiion of His powers, Simon and they that were with him followed Him, shows how difficult it was to have that time alone with His Father. But He found time somehow, knowing His own need. Lord, what a change within u* one short hour Spent in Thy presence will avad to make! What heavy burdens from our bosoms take! VYhat parched grounds refresh as with a shower! We kneel, and all around us seems to low cr; We rise, and all, the distant and the near, Stands forth in sunny outline, brave and clear: We kneel, how weak! we rise, how full of power! Why therefore, should we do ourselves this wrong, Or others —that we are not alvva.v s strong — That we are sometimes overborne with care — That we should e'er weak or heartless be, Anxious or troubled —when with u> is prayer. And joy and strength and courage are with Thee ? —R C. Trench. Let us pray for taith to belie.e that if we cast all our care upon God, Who careth for us, the burden will be lifted in very truth; for strength to make time for the communion with Him that is the essence of prayer; realising that it is not only for ourselves, but for our families and friends, and others who may need help from us, that we have need of the renewing of our spiritual and physical powers.