Tomorrow's collect (the 12th Sunday after Trinity)—which reads "Almighty and everlasting God, who art always more ready to hear than we to pray, and art wont to give more than either we desire, or deserve"—has brought io my mind the extraordinary speech made by Lord Halifax on July 22. In that great utterance the Foreign Secretary sounded a clarion call to prayer. "Those of us," said he, "who cannot serve in the armed forces must all do our best in other ways to help them. There is one thing we can all do which may be much more powerful than we know. And this is to pray.'
Two considerations may be pointed out about the reasonableness of prayer in a time of national crisis.
(1) The practice of countless races of mankind throughout countless generations is not likely to be based upon a complete delusion. Untold millions of human beings, including a majority of the most enlightened and gifted, have prayed and continue to pray, because they believe that experience has taught them that prayer is efficacious, (2) We have been placed in a world that is full of good things which are suitable to our needs. Yet it is apparent that the world is so ordered that few of these gocd things can be enjoyed by us, unless we take the trouble to appropriate them. There is, therefore, nothing unreasonable in believing that the world has been so ordered that some of the blessings whith are within our reach cannot be enjoyed unless we pray for them. In the laws which govern the Universe, provision has certainly been made for the operation of men's wills. Consequently there is nothing unscientific in believing that in those laws provision has been made {or the operation of men's prayers. There is no necessary antagonism between knowledge of the reign of law and belief in the efficacy of prayer:
Unfortunately during the last twenty years there has grown up a feeling that to pray is not quite a man's job; or only the weak man's job—the task of the man who is beaten to his knees. Whereas, in very truth, it is the chief secret of the strength of the strong, it is the Key to victory. There cannot be the slightest doubt that prayer is the very heart and centre of all religion. "To pray is to anchor the infinite will in the will of God."
The parable of the Pharisee and the Publican, which is recorded by St. Luke (Luke 18: 19-14) teaches the frame of mind in which God should be approached—a deep sense not only of our need but of our unworthiness. Before Him we have no claim to merit. There should be dow cast eyes and beating of the breast in recognition of our transgressions. The publican was overwhelmed by the sense of his worthlessness, and rightly so. He was a moral failure; and he knew it. But the comment of Jesus was that "he went home accepted by God." Why did he go down justified rather than the Pharisee? The answer is that the decisive thing is not the past record, whether good or bad, but the present attitude towards God. Every moment is an opportunity to have life determined by the future rather than the past. The one thing against the Pharisee is that he is satisfied with life and with himself. God can do nothing for him because he lacks nothing. The publican has one point, and only one, in his favour; he is not satisfied. Where there is this heaven-born discontent, there is hope. This heaven-born discontent is seen in England today.
More things are wrought by prayer Than this world dreams of. Wherefore, let thy voice Rise like a fountain for me night and day. For what are men better than sheep or goats That nourish a blind life within the brain, If, knowing God, they lift not hands of prayer Both for themselves and those who call them friend?
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.