DEVOTIONAL COLUMN

Manawatu Standard, Volume LII, Issue 51, 30 January 1932, Page 9

DEVOTIONAL COLUMN

PRAYER. O God, what are we that Thou are mindful of us ? What' are the children of men that Thou visitest them? Thou hast given us spiritual hunger for Thyself. Thou wilt satisfy, our longing souls. Thou in love hast esteemed us more precious than the things that are temporal. At the great cost of the precious blood of Christ, Thou hast redeemed us. Help us to live and serve as those who have been bought at such a price, since we are no longer our own. Bring. our every thought into captivity to Christ and His obedience, for His sake. Amen. Scripture Psalm 144: Heb. 2.

CHRIST HATH COME. “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you”—John 14: 27. Christ hath come to bring us peace; Peace this world could never give: Come to bid all tumult cease ; Henceforth all in peace may live, Peace with man, and peace with God, Reconciled by. His own blood.

“These words have I spoken unto you that My joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full” — John 3: 11.

Christ hath come to bring us joy; Joy which passes not away, Nothing can our bliss destroy: All God’s gifts endure for aye, All are given for Jesu’s sake; None from us this joy can take. “Thou lias received gifts for men”— Psa. 68: 18.

Christ hath come to bring to all, — Wondrous gifts that- make life sweet, All we lost through Adam’s fell, He restores to us complete. All may now such gifts receive Who will in His word believe. —Fairelie Thornton.

AT THE THRONE OF GRACE. “Tins is the boldness which wo have toward Him, that, if we ask anything according to His Will, lie heareth us. And if we know that Ho hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions which we have asked of Him.” 1 John 5. 14, 15.

“Downward and ever downward the love of God longs to come with its quickening and refreshening streams. But He has left it to prayer , to say where the blessing is to come. He has committed it to His believing people to bring the living water to the desert places: the will of God to bless is dependent upon the will of man to say where the blessing . must descend. ‘Such honour have His saints’.” Dr. Andrew Murray. GOD GIVETH SEED TO THE SOWER. (2 Cor. ix. 10.) “The seed is the Word of God.”— St. Luke viii. 11. “The soil is tho heart.”—St. Luke viii. 15. “Tho fruit is seen in the life.”—St, Luke viii. 15. The fruit of humility—gentleness, kindness, thoughtfulness, purity, peace and Love. “But that on the good ground are they which in an honest and good heart, having heard the Word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.” —St. Luke viii. 15. Teach me Thy patience; still with. Thee In closer, dearer company, In work that keeps faith sweet and strong, In hove' that triumphs over wrong, In peace' that only Thou canst give; With Thee, O Master, let me live. H.C.F.

PRAY THROUGH. “And He spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint.”—Luke xviii. 1. I. Poor Hannah was tempted, and sorely tried, And oppressed with deep sorrow, too; But she poured out her grief in the Fatner’s ear, When she made up her mind to pray through.

Chorus. Have you come to the end of your last resource? Does the way through the mist look blue? Then it’s time to rely on the living God! And to come, with fresh heart, and pray through. 'II. .The king Hezekiah was doomed to die, And his days were all told he knew; But the Lord gave him fifteen more years to live, When in anguish he turned to pray through.

St. Peter was cast in the prison cell, But his friends knew the thing to do; So they lifted their voices with one accord Unto God, in their zeal to pray through.

Whatever your trouble, or grief, or

pain, There’s a dootr of good hope for you 1 We’ve a God who has promised to answer prayer, Let us prove Him, and come and pray through! Edith L. Hennessay. “CL Jesus, I have promised To serve Thee to the end; Be Thou for ever near me,-. My Saviour, and my Friend.”

“They beckoned unto their partners which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they c»me.”—Luke v. 7.

Our “partners” in the land of Egypt are calling—do we hear them? All the long dark night they have been toiling, toiling, with oh, so little result! The morning is here. Christ himself has given the command, “Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught.” They are ready, nay eager, to obey. But what of ourselves, their partners? Shall we be merely “sleeping partners?” Shall we stay on shore, like James and John, watching the experiment with interest? Or shall we not rather strain every nerve to fo to their help, lest the net should reak, and the “great multitude of fishes” be lost?

listen! Do you not hear the call, the call to prayer from o(ur brethren overseas? They are in the thick of the conflict. Prayer alone can win against the massed spiritual forces of the enemy in this land “where Satan’s seat is.” Principalities' and power, world rulers of this darkness and spiritual hosts of wickedness are ranged against us. The victory is “not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, saith the Lord of hosts,” and every battle must be fought and won upon our knees. And because of this fact, the privilege is ours of taking part in this warfare, and of putting the enemy to rout. For as we pray here

at home, the hands of our “partners” are strengthened, barriers are broken down, souls are .set free, and victories won. for the Cross of Christ.; May it not be that some of the failures in the past have been due to our failure to realise our responsibility and our part in this great campaign- against the forces of evil?