The wonders of prayer : $b A record of well authenticated and wonderful answers to prayer
Religion
The wonders of prayer : $b A record of well authenticated and wonderful answers to prayer
Prayer
It must result in _presumptions_ faith, if obedience is neglected, and
the results only promised to obedience are expected. That God _can_ give
blessing, without the use of the ordinary means, on man's part, there is
no question. That he _has_ done so is a matter of record. Yet we should
remember that there were but _two_ miraculous draughts of fishes, and
_only twice_ did our Lord make bread without the use of seed-time,
harvest, grinding and baking. The _rule_ of Christ in his earthly
ministry was, most certainly, to receive the supply of his physical
wants from His Heavenly Father, in the use of means to secure the
results offered in the ordinary operation of the laws of God. He went
into the corn-field at autumn and visited the olive tree for sustenance
as did other men. And the question for his disciples is not what God
_can_ do, and not what he _has_ done (that he may be known as God over
all creation, blessed for evermore) in the suspension of natural laws,
but what has he revealed to us as his will during the time of the
present dispensation of the church on this earth, as to his children
using means for the avoidance of evil and securing of good, or depending
entirely upon miraculous interference in answer to the prayer of faith
for all need without reference to use of means.
Does the prayer, "Give us this day our daily bread," mean that we are to
do nothing to secure our bread, lest we show no faith in God, and simply
wait in idleness for God to repeat the miracle of sending it by a
raven? or, does it mean that with thankful hearts to God for the ability
he has given us to work, that we go forth diligently fulfilling our task
in the use of all appropriate means to secure that which his loving
bounty has made possible for us in the fruitful seasons of the earth,
and return with devout recognition that He is the Creator, Upholder and
Giver of all, bringing our sheaves with us. When seed-time and harvest
fail and death is on the land, when corn fails in Egypt and there is no
bread, when _we have obeyed him_ and sought to toil with our hands and
no man has given unto us, then we will expect his interposition and will
have faith that he who has fed us by use of means, will supply us
without means, and that He alone is the living God.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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