Covenanter Witness Vol. 53 - Rparchives.org

Lesson Helps for the Week of August 15, 1954C.Y.P.TJ.TOPICfor August 15, 1954Rev. Luther McFarlandAids to Christian Growth, PrayerJohn 17Of the three institutions which have avital interest in the training of youth,the home, the state and the church,the home is the first in importance.It is there the most lasting impressionsof life are formed. No matter how farchildren maywander from the scenesof childhood, they never altogether losethe imprint of their homes on theircharacters and habits. It is in the homethat the child learns to pray.There is a certain church in Romewhere the visitor is shown a marble slabwith two indentations in it."These,"'the guide says, pointing to the depressions in the stone, "are the footprintsofJesus."The marks are ofcoursefalse, the product of Mediaeval mythology. But there are footsteps of ourLord in which we may walk. They arefound on almost everypage of theGospels. One of the most striking ofthese footsteps of Jesus isthat leftby His Prayer life. It is well worthyof our careful study.Prayer with Jesus came naturally. ToHim prayer was a self evident fact thatrequired no explanation.There are four paths to prayer thatJesus traveled that we may follow aswe seek to grow in His likeness. Firstthere was His prayer at the Jordanat the time of His baptism. We are toldthat when He prayed the heavens wereopened, and He heard the voice of God.Sometimes we go home in the evening when we are very tired and weary.Because of the sounds which come toourears from this busyworld aboutus. We turn a switch in the wall, andalmost instantly there comes throughthat strange instrument which, for thewant of a better name, we call theradio, the sound of music coming fromfar away that brings comfort and restto our troubled mind.At the Jordan that day Jesus wasweary. He prayed and there came toHim from afar the sound of HisFather's voice bringing comfort to Histroubled spirit.The second path of prayer in whichwe may follow Jesus isthat prayerwhich had to do with the choice ofHis disciples. We read that He spenta whole night in prayer to God.whole night! This does not mean thatHe continued all those hours in speech.We are not heard for our much speaking. How often we ask God for counsel,July 28, 1954Aand then hurry away before he hastime to answer. This prayer of Jesuswas for wisdom in the choice of Hisdisciples. If Jesus needed to pray before choosing His disciples, how muchmore should we seek God"s counselbefore taking a close friend into ourlife. Nothing in life is more importantthan the choosing of friends. Manyyoung people have made wrong choicesin this respect, taking into their lifethose who by their influence drag themdown. Many fatal mistakes in the choosing of friends came from undue haste.It was at least a year after the beginning of his public ministry that hechose the Twelve.The third prayer of Jesus, was thatprayer He uttered upon the Mount ofTransfiguration. Only a little while before this He had told the multitudesthat followed Him that the way He tookwould end not as they had fondlydreamed at a throne, but on a Cross.Many of them,went awaydisappointed in Him,and left Him and He sawthem no more. There were twelve whoremained with Him, but even they werediscouraged.In the spiritual darkness of thathour He took Peter, James and Johnwith Him up into the Mount to pray.It isnot hard to imagine what Heprayed for there. He wanted the Fatherto make known to Him, and his threedisciples there on the Mount that Hewas truly His Son. And while He prayedthe answer came. That was Jesus' wayof meeting doubt and discouragement.With most of us, when doubts begin toperplex us, we go down into the valley of our own speculations, and ourown conclusions,or the uncertain counsel of others, instead of going to thesecret place of prayer. Doubt is something that can never be reasoned away,but it may be removed by prayer. Thatwas Jesus' way.This brings us to the fourth prayerof our Lord, that prayer He uttered inthe Garden of Gethsemane the night ofthe betrayal. This experience of Jesusbrings before us in very clear form oneof the problems of prayer. A commonpopular conception of prayer is, that itis the means bywhich the desire ofman determines the will of God. If thiswere prayer then it would be man andnot God who rules the universe. Prayeris not so much to bring God's will downto ours. It is the bringingof our willup to God's. In the Garden Christ prayed, "Nevertheless, not mythine be done."will butThis is the end and aim of all prayer.God will not answer any man'spetitions until they are in harmony withHis revealed will. Anything but God'swill would be a mistake.Psalms:19:5, 6. 9, page 4261:1-4, page 150143:4, 5, page 347119:1-4, page 312References:Luke 22:41, 42; James 5:16; Psalms66:18; Jer. 29:12, 13; John 14:13, 14:I John 5:14, 15; I Tim. 2:1; Heb. 4:16;Rom. 15:30; Luke 11:9, 10.1. Why is prayer important in thelife of a Christian?2. What is meant by IntercessoryPrayer?3. Who can Pray so as to receivewhat they ask? I John 3:224. What are some hindrances toprayer? James 4:2, 3JUNIOR TOPICAugust 15, 1954THE CALL OF ABRAHAMMrs. M. K. Carson.Scripture: Genesis 12:1-9.MemoryPsalms:Verse: Genesis 12:2.105:4, 5, 6, 7, page 257 This is ourPsalm-of-the-month. This week we areomitting two of the verses we had before and adding two new ones.Psalm 105:25, page 259Psalm 100:1-2, page 237.References: Answer the following questions.1. Who was father of Abraham? Gen.11:26.2. How many brothers did Abrahamhave? Gen. 11:26.3. Who was the wife of Abraham?Gen. 11:29.4. How many of his family did Terahtake from Ur? Gen. 11:31.5. To what land were they going?Gen. 11:31.6. From which of the sons of Noahwere the Canaanites descended? Gen.10:19-20.7. From which of the sons of Noahwas Abraham descended? Gen. 10:10,26.8. What did God want Abraham todo? II Cor. 6:17.9. Did Terah ever live in the landof Canaan? Gen. 11:32.10. Did Abraham's father worshipGod or idols? Joshua 24:2.We learned in our last lesson thateven after the Flood, when the worldhad a new beginning, people began againto forget God and to do wrong. In-59