p. 1112 | Review and Herald, Vol. 90, No. 46. (11/13/1913)

Earlier text: (Reading for Friday, December 19)

The Call to Prayer

By Arthur G. Daniells

THAT was a wise arrangement made by our leaders a quarter of a century ago to call our people to special prayer and consecration at the close of each year. And we of today are making no mistake in continuing that arrangement. Prayer is the secret of victory in our struggle against the world, the flesh, and the devil. As another has said:—

“The greatest need is to keep in close touch with God; the greatest risk is the loss of the sense of the divine. In a world where every appeal is to the physical senses and through them, reality is in direct proportion to the power and freedom of contact. What we see, hear, taste, touch, or smell — what is material and sensible — we cannot doubt. The present and material absorb attention and appear real, solid, substantial; but the future, the immaterial, the invisible, the spiritual, seem vague, distant, illusive, imaginary.

“Practically the unseen has little or no reality and influence with the vast majority of mankind. Even the unseen God himself is to most men less a verity than the commonest object of vision; to many he, the highest verity, is really vanity, while the world's vanities are practically the highest verities. God's great corrective for this most disastrous inversion and perversion of the true relation of things is prayer.”

Prayer connects us with God, and his presence is assurance of our triumph. God's presence with Joseph was the secret of his victorious life in Egypt. Torn from his father's Christian home when but a young man, he was taken to Egypt and sold as a slave in the public market. In the house of his master he was surrounded with heathen customs and influences. But “the Lord was with Joseph,” and “the Lord blessed the Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake.” Later he was cast into prison, and still the Lord was with him, and that which he did, the Lord made it to prosper.”

“The Lord was with Joseph.” That was what he needed. That is what every human being needs, and that is the first and greatest of all human needs. We sometimes say that we need the old-time family religion, or the old-time revivals in our churches, or the old-time missionary zeal. All must admit that we greatly need all these, but really our great need is God. It was contact with God that gave our fathers the old-time family religion, revivals, and missionary zeal. God's presence will bring the same results today. And prayer, communion with God, will enthrone him in the heart. For our own personal spiritual uplift, we need this week of special prayer and intercession.

But there is another reason why we as a people should welcome and conscientiously improve this week of prayer, and that is the triumph of our glorious cause. In his matchless love and kindness, God has revealed to us his message for this generation. He has honored us with a place in his work. He has made us laborers together with himself. In this he has placed within us the brightest and most cheering hope that can come to men and women in this world of sin, and sorrow, and death. This cause calls for our united, prevailing prayers. Our gospel workers all need our prayers for success. The teachers in charge of the thousands of our children and young people need and long for our earnest prayers. Our missionaries battling with the depressing influences of heathenism need our prayers. Our brethren exposed to persecutions and imprisonment need our intercessions. And lost men and women need the prayers of those whom God has brought into the light of his love and salvation.

Surely there is reason enough why we should set apart a week for prayer, reconsecration, and full surrender to God. O that we may all be deeply impressed with the importance of this occasion, and give ourselves to earnest prayer as we never have before!

A. G. DANIELLS.

Week of Prayer and Missions Offering

By Editor

We hope that isolated believers and those not able to meet with the churches during the week of prayer will nevertheless make the appointed week one of special seeking of the Lord, and that all will join in making the annual offering to missions. Any who do not know the address of the nearest church or conference treasurer may send the gift to the General Conference treasurer, W. T. Knox, Takoma Park, Washington, D. C.

Last week Prof. J. L. Shaw, of the Education Department, left Washington to spend a little time at Union College and other Western points.

Children’s Studies for the Week of Prayer

THE children's studies for the week of prayer, appearing in this issue, were prepared by Mrs. E. W. Farnsworth.

Week of Prayer Readings Distributed

‘A COPY of this week’s Review, containing the readings for the week of prayer, has been ordered sent to all church elders, conference laborers, and isolated believers in the North American Division.

Brother Boersma to Work in Holland

WE understand that Brother D. P. Boersma, of New Jersey, sails this week for Rotterdam, to engage in the work in Holland, by invitation of the European Division, the New Jersey Conference releasing him from its Holland work for this purpose.

Special Club Rates Announced

BEGINNING December 1 of this year, and continuing until Feb. 2, 1914, the Pacific Press, Southern Publishing Association, and the Review and Herald will offer all their papers and magazines at special club rates. Clubbing prices will be announced in the next issue of the REVIEW and in early issues of all the other papers.

Brigandage in China

INFORMATION was given us by the State Department last week to the effect that despatches from China announced that brigands were burning villages in Honan, near one of our mission stations. The authorities were, however, making efforts to suppress the brigandage and protect mission properties. We rejoice in the progress of the work in China notwithstanding the unsettled conditions in the interior. Every word from the Asiatic Division is a word of courage and of rejoicing in the onward progress of the truth.

New Courage for Returning Missionaries

WRITING on shipboard, on his return voyage to South America, Elder J. W. Westphal speaks of the new courage and assurance that have come to him as he has mingled with the believers in America during his stay here since the General Conference. So would all the returning representatives from the mission fields say. The prayers and the means and the laborers which churches and conferences are devoting to the world-wide work are being blessed of God for the finishing of the work.

Circulate Liberty Against Sunday Legislation

WHEN the Church of Rome begins to emphasize the need of Sunday legislation, thus joining hands with apostate Protestantism, it is high time for Seventh-day Adventists to circulate Liberty.

In addition to strong Sunday-law resolutions passed by the American Federation of Catholic Societies in Milwaukee and by the Catholic Missionary Congress in Boston a few days ago, note the following official utterance of Archbishop Bonzano, papal delegate to the United States: “From the faithful observance of Sunday the commonwealth, as well as the individual, derives much good, both of the spiritual and of the temporal nature. And hence it is that, in view of this good, society should be greatly concerned in enacting laws for the observance of Sunday, and most careful in seeing that they are put into practise.”

Besides raising large clubs of yearly subscriptions, let our church-members everywhere tear out and circulate the petition against a national Sunday law, found in the “America” number of Liberty. A rear-admiral of the United States Navy was one of the first to circulate this petition in the city of Washington.