Re: Gems From My Reading

Gems From My Reading Be of good cheer. FAITH AND PRAYER And Saul . . . as he journeyed . . . suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: and he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou Me?  And he said, Who art Thou, Lord? . . . And there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias; and to him said the Lord . . . arise and go into the street and enquire in the house of Judas . . . for one called, Saul, of Tarsus: for, behold he prayeth.  Acts 9:1-11  True faith is prayerful; prayer is the child of faith. As the creature cannot pray without faith, so with faith he cannot but pray.  The new creature (like our infants in their natural birth) comes crying into the world: and therefore Christ tells it for great news of Ananias of Saul, a new-born believer, "Behold, he prayeth!" Faith enables the soul to persevere in prayer.  The sincere believer hath that in him which makes it impossible he should quite give over praying.  Prayer is the very breath of faith; stop a man's breath, and where is he then? Faith may live in a storm, but it will not suffer a storm to live in it.  As faith rises, so the blustering wind of the discontented troublesome thoughts go down.  Faith relieves the soul in prayer of that which oppresses it; whereas the unbelieving soul still carries about it the cause of its troubles, because it had not strength to cast forth its sorrows and roll its cares upon God.  William Gurnall - 1617 - 1679 I must tell Jesus all of my troubles, He is a kind and compassionate friend; If I but ask Him, He will deliver, Make of my troubles quickly an end. I must tell Jesus, Jesus can help me. Jesus alone.  Elisha Hoffman N.J. Hiebert