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Signs of the Times, Vol. 10, No. 32.

Conditions of Prevailing Prayer

Signs of the Times

Aug 21, 1884

International Tract and Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Aug 21, 1884

Conditions of Prevailing Prayer.

By Mrs. E. G. White

WHEN Jesus was upon earth, he taught his disciples how to pray. He directed them to present their daily needs before God, and to cast all their care upon him. And the assurance he gave them that their petitions should be heard, is assurance also to us.
One of the first things necessary in order to have our prayers answered, is to feel our need of help from God. We may come to him just as we are, helpless, destitute, needy, and he will not send us empty away. The riches of the universe belong to God; his are all temporal and spiritual treasures. He can supply all our needs out of his abundant fullness. We receive our breath from him; every blessing in nature that we enjoy is an expression of his love. We are likewise dependent upon him for spiritual blessings, for grace and wisdom and strength to do the will of God. And he is more willing to give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him than parents are to give good gifts to their children.
Our great need is itself an argument, and pleads most eloquently in our behalf. But the Lord is to be sought unto to do for us those things that we desire. Oh how shamefully has Jesus been treated! He is inviting, urging us to come to him and receive the very help we need; yet too often his invitations are slighted, his proffered aid refused.
We are sinful by nature, and so are commanded to be zealous and repent. If we regard iniquity in our hearts, the Lord will not hear us; but the prayer of the penitent, contrite soul is always accepted. When all known wrongs are righted, we may believe that God will answer our petitions. We must do what we can on our part; but our own merit will never commend us to the favor of God. It is the worthiness of Jesus that will save us, his blood that will cleanse us.
Another element of prevailing prayer is faith. “He that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” Jesus said to his disciples, “All things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.” “What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.” Jesus said to the man who brought to him his son that was grievously afflicted with an evil spirit, “If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.” Christ commands and encourages the prayer of faith; do we take him at his word? If we ask doubting and distrusting, that prayer is not of faith; and “whatsoever is not of faith is sin.”
“Ask, and ye shall receive.” The assurance is broad and unlimited, and He is faithful who has promised. We sometimes fail in faith because Infinite Wisdom does not come to our terms. When for any reason we do not receive the very things we ask for at the time we ask, we are still to believe that the Lord hears, and that he will give us those things that are best for us. His own glory is a sufficient reason for sometimes withholding what we ask for, and answering our prayers in a manner that we did not expect. But we are to cling to the promise; for the time of answering will come, and we shall receive the blessings we need most.
We must examine our hearts as a preparation for coming before God in prayer, that we may know what manner of spirit we are of. If we do not forgive those who have trespassed against us, our prayers for forgiveness will not be heard. “Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.” When as sinners we approach the mercy-seat, we cannot express the sentiment of this petition without forgiveness in our hearts for all who have done us an injury. Upon this petition Jesus makes a comment: “For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; but if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”
On another occasion Jesus enforced the duty of forgiveness still more earnestly. Peter asked, “How oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him?” In reply, Jesus related a parable of a certain king who forgave his servant a debt of ten thousand talents, but who revoked the pardon, and commanded this servant to be delivered to the tormentors, because in his dealings with his fellow-servants he did not carry out the same righteous principles that had been manifested in dealing with him. After he had received so great mercy, he would not, in his turn, forgive a small debt of a hundred pence, but, on the contrary, treated his debtor with great severity. Our Lord concludes in these impressive words: “So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.”
“Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer.” We must cherish a kind, forbearing spirit. It is solemn mockery to engage in acts of religious worship with hearts full of envy, malice, and bitterness toward our fellow-men. The God who sees every action and understands every motive of the soul, a Being of infinite purity and exhaustless goodness, mercy, and truth, regards the prayers of such persons with abhorrence.
Persevering prayer has been made a condition of receiving. We must pray always if we would grow in faith and experience. We are to be instant in prayer,—“to continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving.” Peter exhorts believers to be “sober, and watch unto prayer.” Paul directs: “In everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God.” “But ye, beloved,” says Jude, “praying in the Holy Ghost, keep yourselves in the love of God.” Unceasing prayer is the unbroken union of the soul with God, so that life from God flows into our life, and from our life purity and holiness flow back to God.
There is necessity of diligence in prayer; let nothing hinder you. You will obtain the blessing you desire if you faint not. Keep your wants, your joys, your sorrows, your cares, and your fears before God. You cannot burden him; you cannot weary him. He who numbers the hairs of your head, who notices the fall of a sparrow, is not indifferent to the wants of his people. “The Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.” He is affected by our sorrows, and even by our utterance of them. Take everything to him that perplexes the mind. Nothing is too great for him to bear; for he holds up worlds; he rules over all the affairs of the universe. Nothing is too small for him to notice that in any way disturbs our peace. There is no chapter in our experience too dark for him to read; there is no perplexity too sore for him to unravel. No calamity can befall the least of his people, no anxiety harass the soul, no joy cheer, no sincere, contrite prayer escape the lips, of which our heavenly Father is unobservant, or in which he takes no immediate interest. “He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.”
There is an individual work for each one to do. The relations between God and each soul are as distinct and full as though there were not another soul upon earth to share the watchful care of our heavenly Father, not another soul for whom he gave his beloved Son. “Thou understandest my thought afar off,” says the psalmist. “Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether.” “Thou tellest my wanderings. Put thou my tears in thy bottle; are they not in thy book?” Here we have a representation of the unsearchable greatness of God, while we can but be impressed with his intimate knowledge of all our ways, and with the great tenderness expressed for the objects of his creation.
Jesus has given us his name, above every name. “Whatsoever ye shall ask in my name,” says Christ, “that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask anything in my name, I will do it. If ye love me, keep my commandments.” “I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain; that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.”“Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name; ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.” “At that day ye shall ask in my name; and I say not unto you that I will pray the Father for you; for the Father himself loveth you, because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from God.” We have a string of precious pearls in the promises, if we will but comply with the conditions. But to pray in the name of Jesus is something more than a mere mention of that name at the beginning and ending of a prayer. It is to pray in the mind and Spirit of Jesus, while we work his works, believe his promises, and rely on his matchless grace.
God does not mean that any of us shall become hermits or monks, and retire from the world to devote ourselves to acts of worship. The life must be like Christ's life,—between the mountain and the multitude. He who does nothing but pray will soon cease to pray, or his prayers will become a formal routine. When men take themselves out of social life, away from the sphere of Christian duty and cross-bearing; when they cease to work earnestly for the Master, who worked earnestly for them, they lose the subject matter of prayer, and have no incentive to devotion. Their prayers become personal and selfish. They cannot pray in regard to the wants of humanity or the upbuilding of Christ's kingdom, pleading for strength wherewith to work.
Let us maintain the habit of close intercourse with God. Let us lay all parts of our lives open before him in gratitude for his long forbearance, penitence for sin, and earnest faith in the promises. The prayer of Jesus just before his crucifixion should be intensely interesting to us; let us read it, and enter into its spirit.

A BRUISED REED.

By Mrs. M. E. H. Everett

LORD, all thy wondering saints have told Thy faithfulness from years of old; Yea and amen, thy word shall be, Though flame devoureth land and sea. That changeless word my trust I make, “A bruised reed he will not break.”
When tempests sweep the noon-day sky And bow the forests with a cry, Though trembling in the rush I wait, So weak, so lone, so desolate, Sure shelter still this rock doth make, “A bruised reed he will not break.”
When in the midnight gloom I fear The nameless terror prowling near, Out of the night’s immensity, This star of promise shines for me; My refuge in this word I take, “The bruised reed he will not break.”
A bruised reed! a worthless thing, With every light breeze shivering! By earth forgotten or unknown, Yet sheltered by the heavenly throne, His promise all my trust I make— “A bruised reed he will not break.” —Mrs. M. E. H. Everett.

Excellence of the Divine Law.

1. THE excellency of the law is seen in its very nature. Generally, we mean by the law that which is commonly called "the moral law," presented to us in the shape of distinct commandments, ten in number, prescribing to each one of us concerning God in the first place, and then concerning our deportment to all our fellow-creatures. These are illustrated, and their extensive bearing shown, by many other precepts which are scattered through the Scriptures. But there is not a single injunction or prohibition (of a moral kind we mean, of course, not referring now to the ceremonial law given to the Israelites, which has another explanation) which is not referable to one or other of these commandments, and included in it.
If, however, without any amplification, we wish to have the whole law in a closely condensed form, so that we may bring it under the eye in one view in all its entireness, we can do so. It lies in a small compass as summed up for us by its divine interpreter, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbor as thyself." Thus it consists of two parts. Let us examine it in both its branches, and see if it be not "holy, and just, and good."
As to the first part, is it not well to call on the creature to love, and reverence, and worship, and obey his all-wise and kind Creator, Preserver, and Benefactor, to whom he owes life, and breath, and all things, and on whom he entirely depends? Must it not be right to love perfect excellence and goodness—to submit to perfect wisdom—to manifest gratitude for kindness? Must it not be right to worship God? and if so, right to worship him in the way which he may see fit to prescribe? And if all this be right, is it not of course right to require it? And if so, would it not therefore be wrong to dispense with it? Then this first part of the law cannot be excepted against.
The second branch is drawn out for us into six particulars, the admirable propriety of which will be the more readily recognized if we consider ourselves the objects on whose behalf the law is made, rather than the subjects to whom it is given. In the first of these God very wisely and kindly confirms parental authority, and dictates to children as to their behavior towards those who gave them birth. They are to love and respect and obey them, kindly cherishing them in old age, if need require, tending them and soothing them to life's latest hour. All parents must approve this requirement; and if, in any case the young were disposed to murmur at it, feeling it an irksome yoke, we should appeal from their present to their future selves, when they also shall sustain the parental character, and will be quite prepared to approve it.
The second cannot require any comment, "Thou shalt not kill." Who does not feel that his life ought to be inviolate, and the life of those he loves? Who does not decide that if any man should invade his dwelling, and murder his wife, his parent, or his child, severe punishment ought to follow? See, then, with grateful admiration, how, by an express prohibition to all men, God has guarded your life and the precious lives of all who are dear to you.
Similar is the third: "Thou shalt not commit adultery," including in the prohibition every kind and degree of impurity. But to whom shall we appeal? Assuredly not to the violators of this commandment in any form; not to those who would, at any cost, throw the reins upon the neck of their passions, and with base selfishness seek only their own gratification, no matter at what expense to others. From such we turn away, as utterly incapacitated to judge; or we appeal to them in the other characters they may sustain, and as to the relationships of life which they rejoice to own. Who does not wish, above his wish for life, that the sanctity of his own dwelling may ever be most sacredly preserved? Does not every one who answers to the name of brother, husband, father, with a knit brow and a flushed cheek, and in a tone of deepest emotion, assert that his own beloved relatives ought, by every means possible to devise, to be most sacredly guarded from even the slightest harm? Would he not have them protected by the strongest sanctions law can give, shielded as by triple brass, from the faintest breath of the spoiler? How benevolent, then, the law which forbids, under penalty of God's displeasure, every one from blighting the fair blossoms you so sensitively cherish. God himself puts a fence around your dwelling; and in a tone of command that will not be slighted with impunity, warns off every profane intruder, and forbids even the faintest wish to wrong you. Thus is he by this law the kind guardian of your domestic peace.
Similar is the fourth: "Thou shalt not steal." Again consider yourself the object in whose favor the law is made, and you will recognize that hereby God sets a hedge about all you have; your possessions are to be your own entirely, and no one is to deprive you of the least portion, or to defraud you in any transaction. So with the fifth. All persons are forbidden to meddle with your fair fame; your character is to be as sacred as your life; God will not hold that individual guiltless who misrepresents you in any way. And knowing that all outward improprieties and positive wrongs begin in the heart, in the sixth he prohibits all persons from wishing to wrong you in the least degree, or to gratify themselves at your expense.
Thus God decides how all persons shall behave to you; thus kindly does he guard you on every hand. While in other parts of Scripture, these requirements are explained to be positive in their real meaning, as well as negative, so that persons are not to be content with simply abstaining from doing you harm, they are to do you good as occasion may require; they are to embrace all opportunities of increasing your comfort and happiness, and are to love you as they love themselves. Thus extensively has God cared for your welfare; thus strict is the charge he has given to all men concerning you.
Is not the law, then, holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good? And then is it not quite as excellent when you are the subject, as when you are the object of it? when it is law to you concerning all your conduct towards others, as when it is law to others concerning you?
2. But observe its excellency in its tendency to make the observer of it happy.
And it has this tendency in many ways. There would be in one who should perfectly keep the law a perfect satisfaction with himself. Conscience would never speak in an accusing tone, but always the language of approval. There would be a sense of God's approbation, which would fill the heart with joy.
It will be admitted by every reflecting person that happiness does not depend so much on external circumstances as upon the state of our own minds. We are dependent on ourselves rather than upon others. Take an ambitious, restless, dissatisfied man, and load him with riches, honors, authority; will he be happy? You unhesitatingly answer, No. But why not? Because, you reply, his own disposition will prevent. Take another—a suspicious, jealous, irritable, and revengeful man; place him amongst the peaceful and amiable; will he be happy? No; his wretched temper will be a perpetual preventive of enjoyment, and if he does not find sources of disquietude, he will make them. On the contrary, let a man of a cheerful, contented, grateful, and benevolent disposition, be brought into painful circumstances, and his situation, though trying, will not deprive him of peace and happiness. Or let a meek and gentle spirit, though sensitive, be exposed to unkindness, still, though grieved, the mind is not robbed of its peace. We have a beautiful illustration in the psalmist—"Princes did sit and speak against me, but thy servant did meditate on thy statutes."
We can easily conceive that were an angel to become incarnate, and to dwell amongst us for a time, exposed to hardship, neglect, and insult, none of these things would destroy his peace. His well-regulated mind would prevent external things, mere accidents, from affecting his inner self. And so our happiness is not placed at the mercy of outward circumstances, over which we have no control; it is made to depend much more intimately upon ourselves, and the state of our own minds. "A good man is satisfied from himself;" "Great peace have all they that love thy law, and nothing shall offend them."
The law of God is such as, if observed in its spirit as well as its letter, would make us happy in our conformity. It prohibits nothing that is not injurious; it requires nothing that is not advantageous. We know how pleasant to one's self are the feelings of kindness and benevolence. I can confidently appeal to the reader, whether he has not felt an exquisite glow of delight, when, on some happy occasion, his breast has been full of good-will to all around him. Oh yes, if we know what it is to look abroad on creation with a kindly eye, to be glad in the joy that was felt by others, and to wish happiness to the universe, embracing in our benevolence all ranks of creatures, we can bear witness to the fact that such feelings of expansive benevolence to others, when self was for a time lost sight of, have produced a gush of rapturous enjoyment which language is too poor to describe.
Happiness, then, depends on the state of our own minds, and the feelings which are prevalent there. Now the law of God prescribes exactly that class of affections, and that only, which invariably and necessarily produces enjoyment in the existence and exercise of them—love. "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbor as thyself." And so "love is the fulfilling of the law."
Allow the imagination to bring such a state of mind before you as your own; just try the experiment of imagining how you would feel if every selfish, unlovely emotion had become utterly extinct, leaving no trace behind, and pure love to all beings animated your breast, the heart filled with holy love and reverence for God, so that you exulted in your relation to him, and delighted in all his will—love to God supremely, and to all his creatures subordinately. Why, your cup would be full to overflowing, and you would be ready to shout aloud for joy! Thus admirably is God's law adapted to secure the perfect happiness of every one that observes it. Thanks be to God for such a law!—H. H. Dobney (Baptist), in "Future Punishment."
(To be concluded.)

Dangers Surrounding the Truth.

By W. N. Glenn

THE idea of danger being connected with the truth may seem anomalous to some, but it is by no means fallacious or unreasonable. The danger, however, is not in the truth itself, but rather in the manner of its use. What is the truth? The answer is found in the Saviour’s own words addressed to his Father—“Thy word is truth.” Is there anything dangerous about the word of God? Not if it be properly appreciated and obeyed. But the examples of the antediluvians, the Sodomites, the Egyptians, and ancient Israel, all show the extreme danger of knowing the truth and not obeying it. Men sometimes shrink from obedience on account of the crosses involved, and the persecutions to which those who will “live godly in Christ Jesus” are liable; while if they would duly weigh the more dire consequences of disobedience, they might see that here is where the real danger lies.
There is danger in making improper use of the truth. In the time of Eli, the Israelites fought with the Philistines and the battle was against Israel; so they sent for the ark of the covenant, hoping that it would save them from their enemies. But they had the humiliation of seeing the ark taken by their opponents, themselves defeated, and the two sons of Eli slain—the news of which caused the death of the high priest himself. And when the Philistines took the ark to their cities, it caused disaster and death in every place where they carried it. Was it wrong for them to have the law in their possession? No; but it was wrong for them to handle it in an unsanctified manner, and make an unholy use of it. They had unlawful possession of the ark, and were holding the law as a trophy of victory over its Author.
Again, when they had sent it away, and it came to Beth-shemesh, the people received it with rejoicing, and offered sacrifice in its honor. This was all right so far; but they had the temerity to look into it, just to gratify idle curiosity; and for this over fifty thousand of them were slain. Then the ark was taken to Kirjath-jearim and kept in the house of Abinadab, and his son Eleazar was sanctified to keep it. When twenty years had elapsed, King David went with thirty thousand men to remove the ark to his own place. Contrary to the law (Num. 7: 9) they placed it upon a cart drawn by oxen. The cart was put in charge of Ahio and Uzzah, sons of Abinadab. The ark had been in their father’s house a long time, and their brother had been sanctified to keep it; of course they were perfectly familiar with it, and no doubt felt a great interest in it. So when the oxen stumbled and the ark was apparently about to fall, Uzzah deemed it quite proper, even necessary, to put forth his hand to steady it. But his acquaintance with it did not warrant a forbidden act, and he was slain for his presumption.
There is danger in compromising the truth with error. Adulterated truth is simply falsehood. “What fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness?” “Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” “He that is not for me is against me.” “He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me.” “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers.”
There is danger in stifling conviction, or deferring action when convinced of duty. God’s Spirit will not always strive with man, and many instances are given in the Scriptures which testify to the fact. “The carnal mind is enmity against God,” and no man can come to Christ except the Father by his Spirit draw him. Then when there is an impression of duty upon the mind, or a faithful warning by a servant of God, it is of the Spirit, and to disregard such invitation is dangerous in the extreme. For all these opportunities and mercies there will be an account to render. Felix “trembled” under conviction, and Agrippa was “almost persuaded” to be a Christian, but the truth in these instances was but “the savor of death unto death.” So it was also to the rich young ruler who knew his duty but could not part with his possessions; he was sorry, but his sorrow did him no good, for it was not of the right kind. There is still another sorrow in store for him.
But there is a danger in holding the truth that experience brings vividly to my mind. It is in being so intimately connected with it that it becomes common from being handled in a mechanical or business manner. Constant connection may restrain one to a certain extent from overt acts of disobedience, but contact alone will not build up and fortify the soul against the natural desires of an unregenerate heart. The heart must be engaged to insure safety. Where the work of the Lord is specially performed, there the most ingenious arts of the adversary are plied. There one may be lulled to sleep in fancied security, and be made to believe that he is standing, while in reality he is but leaning on his surroundings.
Furthermore, one may be deceived in imagining that a firm belief of the truth makes him a Christian. But belief is not obedience—“the devils believe and tremble.” Nothing could convince me that the coming of the Lord is not near; that the Judgment is not at hand; that it is not my duty to overcome my faults; but the danger lies in not fully practicing the belief. He that knows his Master’s will and does not perform it, “shall be beaten with many stripes.” Then there is danger in merely knowing the truth, for the very knowledge brings responsibility which may not be slighted or neglected with impunity.
W. N. GLENN.

Counterfeits.

I ASKED a man on the bank of the Illinois River, a swearing, Sabbath-hating man from New England, something concerning his observance of Bible precepts. He raised his broad face with a satisfied grin, and asked me which Bible. He stated that the Mormons had a Bible, and that being a poor, illiterate man, he was unable to decide which was the word of God. The exultation within him seemed to say: “I have at last found out how to cast away that thirty years of preaching which I was compelled to hear in the land of the Pilgrims.”
The following are some of the facts which I was able to see plainly before me at that time:
1. This man is very capable, when it is necessary to distinguish between a valuable horse and one that is inferior. He can tell a dollar of real silver from one of copper, only plated with silver, as speedily as many a chemist.
2. He is a better judge of a good or a bad bargain than many of the most able arithmeticians of the nation. It would be easier to cheat many a profound mathematician than to overreach him. He has labored to qualify himself in many things, and has succeeded so far that his knowledge in these matters surpasses that of millions of his race.
3. He has not striven to acquaint himself with the Bible; for, although reared in a land of Bibles and of schools, he is not able to tell the most common incidents on the holy page. Of the chronology of scriptural events, he is perfectly ignorant. He does not know whether Abraham or Cyrus of Persia lived first. You might tell him that Pilate and Cæsar were Israelites, and he would know no better.
4. If he had put forth one-half of the vigorous research after Bible knowledge which he has expended after skill in gainful pursuits, he would not have been ignorant; yet his ignorance is now his excuse why he is unable to judge concerning revelation.
If we were to receive a kind letter from some powerful earthly monarch, some splendid king, making us many very rich offers, and proposing to us honor and wealth, telling the terms over and over, that we might not mistake, it would be expected of us that we should inform ourselves perfectly as to who brought it, its contents, its authenticity, etc. If we were to have it a full year, and never read it at all, it would be deemed strange indeed.
5. Most unbelievers, like this man, do not know one-fortieth part of the great King’s letter, nor one-fortieth part of the evidence of its genuineness, nor one-fortieth part of its beauties, its grandeur, its proposals, promises, or threatenings; while one-half the time they waste in wickedness, or at least in nonsense and frivolity, would be enough to furnish them with that knowledge the want of which aids in their ruin.
Finally, the decisive characteristics and distinguishing marks between the true and false religions in the world, are more numerous and more notorious than are the marks between counterfeit coin and pure gold or silver; yet men become judges in the last case, and remain uninformed in the other.
If a young man were to hold up an article formed of brass, but made to resemble gold, and were to exclaim: “I can see but little difference between this and gold; I do not know that there is any; this seems as bright, and as smooth, and as beautiful as any I have seen,” his friends would tell him that there was a difference between pure and pretended gold—that they were to be distinguished by the sight, and by the ring, and by trial or chemical tests. They would tell him that unless he should inform himself in this matter, he must suffer; but that by noting two or three signs scrupulously, he might decide without danger.—Nelson on Infidelity.

Defects in the Living Temple

In the service of the temple the priest was required to be physically without blemish. In the service of the living temple every Christian is called to priestly perfection of beauty. Some are crook-backed, and so lack the strength which a strong, well-built backbone gives to a man’s body—or character. With others, the defect is one of sight, and so the light of truth is somehow lost upon us, or, perchance, is too strong for our feeble vision. In the case of others the malady is lameness, and so the movement upward is a slow and painful effort. In some the malady is general prostration, resulting from the loss of vital force, and producing what may be fitly described as a complication of diseases.—Sel.

Beware of Vain Philosophy

"BEWARE lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the elements of the world, and not after Christ."
Continue reading: Why Watch and Wait?