GOD & VICTORY

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2508, 8 July 1915, Page 7

GOD & VICTORY

A CALL TO PRAYER. Where are the praying Christian people of Wellington at this time? If there be faith still"in.exercise;here should not God bo waited oh, prayed to, and trusted for victory in this great and epooh-making struggle? Surely a lamentable change has come over British men and women when at a time of crisis such as the present there is hot a public recognition of Divine power and of faith in a living God. Tho writer remembers about- thirty-five years ago a neighbouring State being faced with the peril of a terribl : e drought and the praying people at once, advocated the advisability of waiting upon God, biit a; small and noisy section silenced their voices by urging the Government to' ad-opt the latest scientific devices to produce rain artificially, which was attemptedi .to no purpose. Tinen wonderful to relate the Government did set'apart-a day when all business was suspended and-a service was arrangeS for humiliation and; prayer in one of the largest buildings of the capital city. The very night that thjs service, was, held rains commenced in Victoria and spread right through the States of Australia., -, • ' The attitrtde of many Christians with regard to this war does not seem to be quito :rigih,t or Scriptural, 'inasmuch as tliey join with the State in depending so. largely on the "big battalions" and: their equipment. There seems to be an invincible belief that God is on the, side of the big battalions/' though hietory has over .and. over again-: falsified this : notioh. Mor«\than half , the great decisive battles of th,o world, havo been won by minority battalions over majority forces; The teaching of Scripture is "The Lord not by sword and spear, for the battle is the Lord's.". Some trust in chariots, and some in horses, but we v..i1l remember the name of the Lord our God, "Woe to them that . .. trust in chariots, bocause they are many, and in horsemen, because they are "very strong." . To men of tho world till,is . teaching is absurd. Yet it is -the, consistent, toacJhing of Scripture, and history has, proved it trne. On what then does victory depend? I believe it depends on tho praying mon and women in a nation and their faith in God. i It is true, thero is a half-hour's servico every Friday afternoon in ' St. John's Church, but this seems a, very weak effort. Let there be some real earnest waiting npon God in fasting humiliation arid prayer, and without doubt a speedy change in the whole of tho present outlook will soon take place. . Th-e Word of God says: "The eyes of tho Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth to show Himself strong in tho "behalf of them wlioso heart is perfect toward Him." With our hands full—in Flanders, the Dardanelles, Persia, Egypt, Africa—we shall never, conquer unless the Lord fights for us!—(Published by arrangement.)