Morning, October 11
Go To Evening Reading
“Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens.”
Lamentations 3:41
The act of prayer teaches us our unworthiness , which is a very salutary lesson for such proud beings as we are.
If God gave us favours without constraining us to pray for them we
should never know how poor we are, but a true prayer is an inventory
of wants, a catalogue of necessities, a revelation of hidden poverty.
While it is an application to divine wealth, it is a confession of
human emptiness. The most healthy state of a Christian is to be always
empty in self and constantly depending upon the Lord for supplies;
to be always poor in self and rich in Jesus; weak as water personally,
but mighty through God to do great exploits; and hence the use of
prayer, because, while it adores God, it lays the creature where it
should be, in the very dust. Prayer is in itself, apart from the answer
which it brings, a great benefit to the Christian. As the runner gains
strength for the race by daily exercise, so for the great race of
life we acquire energy by the hallowed labour of prayer. Prayer plumes
the wings of God’s young eaglets, that they may learn to mount above the clouds. Prayer
girds the loins of God’s warriors, and sends them forth to combat with their sinews braced
and their muscles firm. An earnest pleader cometh out of his closet,
even as the sun ariseth from the chambers of the east, rejoicing like
a strong man to run his race. Prayer is that uplifted hand of Moses
which routs the Amalekites more than the sword of Joshua; it is the
arrow shot from the chamber of the prophet foreboding defeat to the
Syrians. Prayer girds human weakness with divine strength, turns human
folly into heavenly wisdom, and gives to troubled mortals the peace
of God. We know not what prayer cannot do! We thank thee, great God,
for the mercy-seat, a choice proof of thy marvellous lovingkindness.
Help us to use it aright throughout this day!