encourage you to tell God everything? You may be quite sure He will never be tired of hearing your own prayers in your own words. And what He hears, He will answer. He may not, as I said, always give the very thing you ask for. He is too wise to do that. Whenever, indeed, you can plead a special promise written in His Book, you will find that promise will be fulfilled to you in His way and time. But if there is no special promise-if you are only able to ask according to your own wisdom and thought of what is best-and sometimes we know not what to ask for as we oughtthen you have God's wisdom, as well as His love and power, to rely upon: and you may be sure that He will answer your prayer; not perhaps in your way, but exactly in the way in which you would have Him answer it, if you could see what He sees, and were as wise as He is wise. You know how much your parents love you. You know they would never willingly withhold from you any good gift they could bestow. Their love is great; no human love can equal theirs :-but God's love is greater still: and if your earthly parents are always ready to give you good gifts, HOW MUCH MORE will your Heavenly Father give His Holy Spirit to them that ask Him?" 66 Jesus asked this question, and we can never answer it we cannot tell How ready our Heavenly Father is to give us : His Holy Spirit: but a stronger and more encouraging motive to "EARLY PRAYER" could not possibly be imagined, "No fondest parent's melting heart Yearns like thy God's to make thee blest." + JUR Father, which art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy Name. Thy Kingdom come. Thy Will be done in earth, as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil: for Thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen. |