The Lord’s Prayer

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This calls for personal work for the needy and oppressed, not merely for a donation, even though it be liberal. It calls for social justice and the breaking of every yoke. Most of all, God wants His people to get in personal contact with the needs of the world. It is not enough to abstain from foods when the larders are full. It is rather to empty the larders and give to the needy so that nothing is left for the giver himself. God delights in that fast. There is no virtue in going without food when there is an abundance in the house. However, to give “thy bread to the hungry” – that is real fasting.

If we do this, God promises many blessings. God will hear our prayers. “Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer…. If thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noonday: thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.” Isaiah 58: 9-11.

In these verses, God reveals some reasons why prayers are not answered. We have not considered the needs of others, as we should. We have prided ourselves on what we have done, and cannot understand why God does not hear our prayers. Why does God not give more signal answers to our prayers? Why does He not hear our prayers for healing? Why does He not hear our prayers for conversations? Why are so many of our young people slipping away? Why are there so many divorces? Why is there such small attendance at the prayer meetings?

Why, why, why, why? We have given, we have worked, we have prayed. Why does God not hear? It would be well to study carefully and playfully the fifty-eighth chapter of Isaiah. In that chapter, there is light for God’s people at this time. There is more religion in a loaf of bread and a bottle of milk than in the most profound lecture on predestination or in a discussion of the identity of the king of the north.

Christ mixed religion and practical Christianity. He preached to the people, and He fed the multitude. He did not prepare a banquet for them; He just gave them what was on hand, loaves and fishes. However, they had enough and to spare. Matthew 15:32-39; 15:21. It may be supposed that many of those He fed were unworthy. They were more interested in the loaves and the fishes than the preaching. John 6:26. However, this did not deter Christ from feeding them; He ministered to the body as well as the soul.

Some will wonder why we should ask God for bread, when others do not ask and yet have as much as those who ask. In fact, some of those who do not ask have more than those who pray. Why, then, ask?

In asking for bread, we recognize our dependence upon God, not only for bread, but also for our very existence. It is customary in accepting an invitation of hospitality to express our thanks to the host. Can we do less to God, the Giver of all good things? All may not thank God; but whether they do or not, God will send sunshine and rain, and through His divine alchemy transform the life of the seed into the life of a soul, capable of thinking, of willing, of doing, a candidate for immortality. Shall such bountiful liberality go unrecognized? If it is crude and boorish to neglect to thank a host, can it be any less to fail to thank God? However we treat Him, He will still provide for us. However, He would appreciate being recognized as the Giver.

As it is necessary to have food for the body, so also is it necessary to have food for the mind. Without physical food the body would shrivel up and death, ensue. So with the mind. It needs proper food to prosper.

The human mind is a wonderful instrument. We need to consider the inventions of the last few decades to have this demonstrated. Time and again men have wondered if the human race would not arrive at the ultimate, where there would be no new fields to explore, no more knowledge to be gained, no more things to be invented. That outlook has entirely changed. Men have come to the point where they see unlimited work before them, vast fields that are calling for exploration. Their work is only well begun. With the conquering of Mount Everest, men began to look still higher and are seriously considering communications with other worlds, and even visits to them. As in the days of the Flood, when men decided to build a tower that would reach to heaven, so men are having great celestial projects in mind. Why not create a few satellites and set them encircling the earth, constituting bases from which expeditions might be launched to reach some other planets?

Will God permit men to go just so far, as He did in the days of the Tower of Babel, and then bring about confusion at the time when men are ready to climb to heaven? Genesis 11:1-9.

As science marches on and reveals the capacity of the human mind, the evil one is at work, turning much of the knowledge gained into destructive channels. Some scientist have been perverted so as to destroy faith in a Creator, have substituted evolution for creation, and have made both the Creator and the Savior seem unnecessary.

Some men are making weapons to destroy mankind; others are propounding theories that destroy belief in God. It would seem that mankind is nearing the end of the road and that soon God will step in and take charge. It is high time for God to work.

Through the three great agencies of the press, radio and television, the information and knowledge are now being disseminated at an unprecedented pace. Their possibilities for good are almost unlimited, and the future may see even greater progress.

There are serious doubts, however, that present developments warrant an optimistic appraisal of their eventual value to society. A drastic change must take place. Can the coming generations, the children of today and the leaders of tomorrow, remain unaffected by the persistent portrayal of crime, lust, and murder? Can their intellectual diet of pulp magazines; cheap pornographic literature, corrupting novels, Sunday “funnies,” and sex exposures develop the kinds of fathers and mothers or leaders that the world needs? Is the screen justifying its existence as a builder of manhood and a trainer of citizens? The “legitimate” stage had this redeeming feature: The admission price was too high for children. However, the screen has no such impediment. Therefore, we may see queues of children of tender age, waiting to be admitted to shows that should never see the light of day. Garbage is not good food for growing children, nor for adults.

It seems quite inconsistent for a government to enforce strict supervision over the food supply of a nation, by means of pure food and drug departments and then permit men to fill the minds of the children with filth, swill from unclean reservoirs.

Has God given the church the means to counteract this evil, at least as far as its own children are concerned, or are we helpless against these corrupting practices? Unless the church becomes fully awake to the danger of these modern inventions and takes adequate measures to save our children, the loss will be great. A world conflagration demands heroic countermeasures. To a prophet of old, sensing a crisis came the message, “Let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy people, O Lord, and give not Thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God?” Joel 2:17.

The enemy has entered our homes; he is enthroned in the living rooms; he gathers the whole family together and shows them alluring pictures. He adapts his pictures to the mental capacities of the little ones, nor does he forget the older members. Mealtime is changed; bedtime is changed; the worship hour is adjusted; children refuse to go to bed until they have seen their favorite production. All are entranced. A telephone call is an unwanted interruption; a visitor is a disturbance; all are immoveable until the hour is past. And by the time, all are unfitted for worship. Never before has such corruption been permitted in the homes, and never before has the danger to the young been so great. The time has come to weep between the porch and the altar, and do something. Who will show the way?

“Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” Matthew 4:4. Man needs daily bread to sustain life; he needs food for his mind; but most of all he needs spiritual food for his soul. He needs “the true bread from heaven.” John 6:32.

The Jews to whom Christ was speaking did not comprehend what He was saying; so, He explained further: “The Bread of God is He which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.” “I am the Bread of Life: he that cometh to Me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on Me shall never thirst.” John 6: 33,35. It is that bread on which Job says, “I have esteemed the words of His mouth more than my necessary food.” Job 23:12.

The Jews still did not understand, so Christ explained further, “I am the living Bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever: and the bread that I will give is My flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” John 6:51. “Many therefore of His disciples, when they had heard this, said, this is a hard saying; who can hear it?” “From that time many of His disciples went back, and walked no more with Him.” Verses 60,66.

It seems strange that many of His disciples had so little spiritual conception of Christ’s word that they should become offended and walk no more with Him. Yet, many today seem equally dull of perception. They are so engrossed in the things of this world that spiritual things are a closed book to them. Whether they know it or not, they need food for the soul even more than they need food for the body.

The Bible is our chief source of spiritual food. There are green pastures and the still waters. There our soul may be restored. There the table is spread in the presence of enemies. There we may safely rest, and we will have no want.

We may find spiritual food at the Communion table, in the hour of divine worship, in quiet meditation and prayer. We may find it in the family circle as in morning and evening worship the incense of Christ’s righteousness ascends with the prayer to the throne of God; we find it in the devotional books indited by God; we find it in reverent contemplation of God’s handiwork in nature, in the heavens above and in the earth beneath. We find it in the communion of the saints, in the ministry of the needy, at the bedside of a loved one. We find it as we face life’s dark moments, as we give spiritual consolation to one entering the valley of the shadow of death.

For the devout soul, there are spiritual values everywhere. And we may have them if we ask for them in the name of Him who taught us to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread.”

The Bible is the most wonderful textbook in the world, adapted to all classes of people everywhere. The untutored aborigines and the learned scholar can there find spiritual food and consolation. In it can be found the A B C of godliness and the deepest and most profound problems of existence. It is a textbook that can never be exhausted. In school, we may graduate from one class to another and find a little harder textbook as we advance.

In the Bible we also advance, but the textbook is the same, miraculously adapted to every man, whatever his standing or attainment. While the practice of some to read the Bible through as often as possible is commendable and much good may be gained, this should not be the ordinary or only procedure. It is like going through the country in an automobile at sixty miles an hour and viewing the landscape. This is good, and a general bird’s-eye view may be had and much of beauty seen. However, it is well to stop once in a while, get out, and look at the flowers, a waterfall, a Grand Canyon, a cliff dwelling, a dam, a secluded valley or the “Great White Throne.” It is well to rest awhile in the cool shade of the majestic trees from of old, or delight in the bloom of the desert.

We are not depreciating the practice of reading the Bible through even many times. However, neither must we miss the joy of finding a rose in the desert, or the beauty of heaven in a little lake, or the sweet companionship of saints as we journey along.

In Paul’s letter to the Hebrews, he took the believers to task for not studying, as they ought. “When for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.” Hebrews 5:12.

This was a serious rebuke to the church. “Ye ought to be teachers.” This may be true of many today. They have not improved their talent; have not advanced in the truth, as they ought. They have need of milk, when they should be ready for more solid food. 

“Everyone that useth milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness.” Verse 13. There is indeed a “sincere milk of the word;” but it is for babes, “that ye may grow thereby.” 1 Peter 2:2. A little babe is wonderful, but a sixty-two-year-old babe is not. Such a one needs to be weaned and learn to feed himself and masticate his food, not depending on others to do it for him. If he is ever to grow up, he must learn to tackle hard problems in his study. Note these instructions:

The study of the Bible demands our most diligent effort and persevering thought. As the miner digs for the golden treasure in the earth, so earnestly, persistently, must we seek for the treasure of God’s word.

In daily study the verse-by-verse method is often most helpful. Let the student take one verse, concentrate the mind on ascertaining the thought that God has put into the verse for him, and then dwell upon the thought until it becomes his own. One passage thus studied until its significance is clear is of more value than the perusal of many chapters with no definite purpose in view and no positive instruction gained.

Everyone should seek to understand the great truths of the plan of salvation, that he may be ready to give an answer to everyone who asks the reason for his hope. You should know what caused the fall of Adam, so that you may not commit the same error, and lose heaven as he lost Paradise. You should study the lives of the patriarchs and prophets, and the history of God’s dealing with men in the past; for these things were ‘written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.’ We should study the divine precepts, and seek to comprehend their depth. We should meditate upon them until we discern their importance and immutability. We should study the life of the Redeemer, for He is the only perfect example for men. We should contemplate the infinite sacrifice of Calvary, and behold the exceedingly sinfulness of sin and the righteousness of the law. You will come from a concentrated study of the theme of redemption strengthened and ennobled. Your comprehension of the character of God will be deepened; and the whole plan of salvation clearly defined in your mind, you will be better able to fulfill your divine commission.      

“Forgive Us Our Debts”

When Christ took our sins upon Himself, died, and thus paid our debt, we became indebted to Him. The price He paid for our redemption was so great that we can never repay it. In addition, He does not expect us to. However, He does expect us to recognize it and express our willingness to do all we can to show our appreciation. Moreover, on some of the gifts He has given us He requires that we pay interest.

In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul enunciated a principle according to which God works, and which is most comforting. He said, “If there be a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not.” 2 Corinthians 8:12.

Paul had been collecting money for the poor in Jerusalem. A year had passed, and some of the pledges were not yet paid. He encouraged them to finish the task, saying, “Now therefore perform the doing of it;” that is, pay up, “that as there was a readiness to will, so there may be a performance also out of that which we have.”  Verse 11.

They had been slow in paying, and even now some were unable to pay all they had promised; but, he said, pay “out of that which ye have;” that is: If you cannot pay the whole sum now, pay what you can, and it will be “accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not.”  This was most liberal and gracious.

In harmony with this statement is the following quotation, given also elsewhere: “when it is in the heart to obey God, when efforts are put forth to this end, Jesus accepts this disposition and effort as man’s best service, and He makes up for the deficiency with His own divine merit.” E.G. White, Signs of the Times, June 16, 1890.

While we can never pay the debt we owe, we can recognize it and make known to the world that the debt is paid for us and for them, “that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. For He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.” 2 Corinthians 5:19-21.

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