Prayer's Part In Field Of Human Relationships

Chronicle (Levin), 18 May 1948, Page 4

Prayer's Part In Field Of Human Relationships

Men had developed the art of making an endless number of things together. They were losing' the finer skill of living together creatiyely. These comments were made by Rev. A. Salmond, preaching in St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church on Sunday evening. A brief description of much of the life of our time was: "Possessions end-| less; human relationships 'chaotic. and disastrous." i Sometimes the methods and 1 tgchniques necessary and suecessful in producing a multitude of thingS] did not transfer well to the realm of human relationships, where the true battles of life were lost and won, continued Mr. Salmond. - The human relationships a man experienced in his lifetime proved: in the end to be of much more I vital importance than the number of possessions he accumulated. Prayer was a key to creative rela-| tionships our werl'd had lost. The events of recent years in world affairs had severely shaken the easy confidence of many decent, well-intentioned people that meeting round a conferen.ce table and discussing problems could answer the fundamental questions our age was being faced with. "The free discussion method and human relationships aoes not clear UP misunderstandings and does help the human situation involved, - but only if the persons cancerned. stan'd on an accepted common ground. Unless there is the solid rock of an underlying common , faith, discussion in many circum- ; stances merely intensified resent- ' ments and' division. That is what British foreign policy siowly learn-i ed in its dealings with a Nazi- ! dominate-d Europe, and that is what ' is making the hopes of the United Nations so slow of fulfilment. j "There are times when silence is more construotive than speech, | and'in human relationships prayer' can achieve where discussion 1 fails. Prayer deinands what dis-j cussion does not demand. Prayer demands concern for God and 1 God's truth and God's 'will. It demands. from my disagreeing brother, and from me, an openness Which is absolute and a standard of honesty which is fipal."