Praising Rival—See Self-estimate. PRAYER Many prayers that fail would be answered if means were used by the petitioner like those employed by Paul Kruger, the former president of the South African Republic. At one time, when game was very scarce, he went with a party to hunt the hartbeest. They scoured the veld for days without a sign for their prey. Paul Kruger announced then his purpose of going into the hills to pray for food, like a patriarch of old. He was gone for a number of hours. When he returned he announced that in three days a large herd would pass that way. The party camped. In less than the appointed time the prophecy was fulfilled, and much game was secured. The Boer hunters were much struck with wonder, and dubbed Kruger "the man of prayer." Some time after, the Kafir who accompanied Kruger on his expedition of petition told the truth of the affair. Kruger, when he left the hunting party, had struck out for a neighboring Kafir kraal, and informed the natives that his men were starving. If they, the natives, did not discover game in three days, he said, he would bring his whole party over the hill and kill every Kafir. The natives, being sore afraid of the Boer methods, all turned out, scoured the region, and drove the game to the Boer camp. Thus Kruger's "prayer" was answered.
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Stonewall Jackson never failed to invoke the Prince of Peace to preside over his battles. Old Jim, his faithful servant, said: "De gen'al is de greates' man fo' prayin' night an' mornin' an' all times. But when I sees him git up sev'al times in de night, besides, an' start in prayin', I knows dar's gwine ter be semp'n up, an' I go straight an' pack his haversack, ca'se I know he'll be callin' for it 'fo' daylight."—The Sunday Magazine.
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The tenor of Scripture is that if we are in tune with the divine mind, and so are receptive of the secret whispers and suggestions of the Spirit of God, then that Spirit will first inspire in us the prayers which our Heavenly Father can consistently answer.
Every prayer is a transaction with order.
You go home with a packet of seeds for your
little girl, and you take her out, and say:
"This little plot shall be yours. Whatever
comes of this packet of seeds shall be
yours." Now, what can come of a penny
packet of seeds in all this infinite universe,
with stars and systems whirling round?
Beauty can come of it! Life can come of it!
Why? Because your little gardener is
transacting with order. She is dealing with
law, and law will deal with her, and out of
the seed she sows there shall come beauty to
gladden her. When she kneels an hour or
two later, and breathes forth from a pure
heart a prayer to the eternal God for blessing
upon herself and you, will you say, "What
good can come of it?" Good can come of
it! Good must come of it! She comes to
where law rules, where right is triumphant.
Prayer is not a dip into a lucky bag. It is
dealing with eternal law. (Text.)
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See Earth, Cry of; Faith and Prayer;
Prejudice Disarmed.
Prayer, A Child's—See Children's Religious
Ideas.
PRAYER AND DEED
A farmer whose barns were full of corn,
was accustomed to pray that the wants of
the needy might be supplied; but when any
one in needy circumstances asked for a
little of his corn, he said he had none to
spare. One day, after hearing his father pray
for the poor and needy, his little son said to
him, "Father, I wish I had your corn." "Why,
my son, what would you do with it?" asked
the father. The child replied, "I would
answer your prayers."
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PRAYER AND EFFORT
A pastor tells of a man who had been
caught on the river in a sudden break-up
of the ice, and who himself expected to be
drowned, and whose neighbors had given
him up as lost. The man had thrown himself
on his knees on one of the pieces of
ice, and was engaged in what he supposed
was his last prayer on earth, when his
friends on shore noticed that the pieces of
ice had readjusted themselves so as to make
a safe way from where he was kneeling to
the land. They lifted their voices and shouted
to the poor man to stop praying and run
