Thoughtful Moments

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 8, Issue 53, 2 March 1945, Page 2

Thoughtful Moments

(Supplied by the Wliakatnae Minsters' Association).

LEARNING THROUGH SUFFERING

SOMEONE HAD PRAYED

This is the title of n booklet written by a man who lives in Bel l ast. The writer tells u.s that the pages were written after four months of exhausting il:ne.ss'. He says:— "I do not pretend that during that time I myself lived up to the standards here set forth. I honestly tried, though I often and God stooped down in the darkness and strengthened me ) not as a reward for my efforts, but because of my need and His surpassing love . . . "These uages are not addressed only to very religious people. They are for anyone who is ill, who will use them. They may fall into the hands of some under ordinary conditions do not think much or often about God, or act as; if He might, make a serious difference. If you are one of these you are invited, while you are ill, to make an experiment. It may lead to a strange new which will change life into a far more satisfying affair than it has been heretofore. "Health is the Will of God. Sometimes illness is spoken of as if il were the 'will of God,' and consequently as something not to be fought and struggled but accepted and borne, with passive resignation. Illness is the 'will of God,' in the sense that He permits it. So does He permit, our making mistakes and falling into sin. But no one suggests that God approves of and desires error and sin j still less that He is the direct cause, and that therefore we should simply accept them as inevitable, and do nothing to rid ourselves of them. No more does God approve of and desire and cause illness. His will is that our bodies and minds should be kept fit instruments for His service; and that when we get out of order, we should use every means at our disposal for their speedy recovery. ... "Too 111 to Pray. There are times when we are so ill that wc cannot think connectedly. Under such conditions . . . anything like long and concentrated prayer is a sheer impossibility. And yet it is. just in moments' of utter weakness and weariness that most of us feel acutely our need of God, and find, when we look up ' that He is our refuge and strength a very present help in time of trouble. What then are we to do under these circumstances? "Relax. Stop forcing yourself to be unnatural. Lie back and relax both the muscles of your body and the sinews of your mind. Commit yourself with perfect to God's, keeping. "Commit thy way unto the Lord. . . "To relax yourself at night } even if sleep does not come, will rest and refresh both body and mind. "Select for yourself two or three short sentences of prayer. Repeat

OUR SUNDAY MESSAGE

them over and over again . . . Here are examples : "Father into Thy hands I commend mj r spirit. "Lord I trust Thee; . . . help me to trust Thee more. "Pray in short sentences like these, over and over again, till they bei come, like your breathing almost automatic. "In the same way steady your mind with helpful verses of Scripture. 'The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.' 'Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Thee, because lie trusted in Thee.' Live if need be, on one verse for two or three days at a time. "Morning and Evening. As you grow stronger, you will become capable of more than this. ... If you have enjoyed a good night's* rest, let the first act on waking be to lift up your heart in thanks for the gift of sleep. . . . Dedicate the day to the glory of God. . . . "In the evening, your thoughts will naturaliy travel to dear ones, particularly if you aro in hospital. . . . Remember them,before one by one pausing for a little after each name. end your evening prayer by committing yourself to God's keeping. . . . "If 3 r ou suffer from incessant anxieties, fears and depressions remember that if you are to be helped, you must co-operate. Your besetting temptation which you must acknowledge without, reservation to yourself, is self-centredn.ess . and if your friends sometimes seem unsympathetic you must credit them with doing their best to help you. Sometimes- perhaps they may N be right, and you Avrong! Try strenuously to cultivate an interest in others and in the outside world . . . "Keep Human. Do not let yourself grow too deadly serious or sentimentally pious. It is thoroughly unhealthy, and does much harm. Be human. Use every available hobby— reading of all sorts., if you have a taste for books; indoor games; a litt;e gardening if you are fit for it. . . . Do not let your spirit grow stale. And remember—religion is meant to be the salt flavouring of life, but it can only flavour as much of life as you live. Therefore live your life as fully as you can."

; By G race N. Crowell. I The day was the burden I 1 had borne Seemed heavier than I could 'onger bear And then it lifted—but I did not know Someone had knelt in prayer— Had taken me to God that very hour And asked the easing of the load, and He, In infinite compassion had stooped down And taken it from me.