| The Golden Gate of Prayer |
Chapter 1 |
Page 5 |
The same truth is taught in that wonderful summary of duty, in which our Lord says, ‘Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” Our prayers are ever to be for the things of God, and then God himself will look after our earthly need.
“We, ignorant of ourselves,
Beg often our own harms, which the wise powers
Deny us for our good; so find we profit
By losing of our prayers.”
The Lord’s Prayer calls us to reality and sincerity when we appear before God. Perhaps there is more unreality in our praying than we think there is. How many of us go over the same petitions every time we pray? Probably we have used the same forms for years, with almost the identical words. Is it possible that our wants never vary from day to day? Can it be that we never have any new needs arising from our new conditions and experiences? Then do we really desire all the things we put into our daily prayers? Or how much of what we say is mere rote, a sort of memoriter and almost unconscious praying? It is worth our while to think seriously of this matter. Words without desires are not prayers.
Page 5