“DEVOTIONAL PERIOD”

White Ribbon, Volume 20, Issue 10, 1 November 1948, Page 3

“DEVOTIONAL PERIOD”

Hymn 128 Scripture Reading, Matthew 5. v» 21-24 In this passage, Our Lord touches on a matter which is of vital importance, and gives, in so doing, one of the manv revelations of His own enormous understanding of the human heart. No modern psychologist could lay his finger on the trouble spot with more complete accuracy than Jesus did. V/c cannot read the gospel story without being filled with amazement at the marvellous insight shown in His dealings with troubled, questing humanity. And this particular trouble! Some little difficulty, in all probability a mere misunderstanding, is insidiously, silently, but with devastating insistence, wrecking our peace, undermining our sense of security, and obtruding itself into our most sacred moments. We have tried to ignore it in the hope that it will pass away, but the longer it is allowed to fester in the depths of the heart, the greater becomes its power to distress and harass the soul in its search for clear vision and ready access to the deeper things of its inner life. It may be a memory of a sharp word spoken in haste or the puzzled wonderment as to the changed demeanour of a loved friend; or again, the sharp sense of hurt anger because of something said or done, which was undeserved. And it may be, and this is the bitterest of all, some unacknowledged cause in ourselves of pain inflicted on another. Whatever it is, it is doing harm, because it is not being brought out into the open. The tu \e comes when it must be faced and grappled with. And, at the Altar of prayer and sacrifice, at last, al! defences down, the realisation comes that only in openly seeking to bring about explanation of the position, in bravely laying bare the hidden problem, can peace be regained. \nd, how often, when the coverings have been put a.ide, the whole thing has turned out to mere imagination, or capable of so simple an explanation that one wonders how much suffering and turmoil could possible have arisen from it. bring it out into the open. Don’t lef ii coil it.elf round your secret heart and deaden your joy in spiritual living. It will perish in the sunlight but flourish in the dark. Whether the fault has been in you or in your “brother" (who ;m*y be your sister) once it is met fairly and squarely, Peace will return and the Altar will become the place of joy again. PRAYER O our Father, Who seest the heart of each one of us, grant to us Thy grace that we may understand the things that would hide Thy face from our sight. Forgive us if we have given place to dark doubt and fear in regard to our friends or relatives. Give to us

more love that we may not misunderstand, and more desire to overlook small grievances because we know it is not Thy will for these to shut out the vision of Thyself. Help us to keep the clear light of love burning within our innermost hearts a id to reject all thoughts of suspicion and resentment as soon as they seek entrance. So may our lives be lived close to Thee and our service be more worthy of Thy great love and sacrifice for all men. For Jesus Christ’s sake, Amen