Prayer


. . . Two things make us stinted in prayer -- either little feeling of need, or little hope of supply. Two things make us very enlarged in prayer -- deep feeling of need, and enlarged and strong hope of supply. Under the pressure of felt need, many are still much straitened. They feel indeed that they want much, but they have no expectation, or no settled and high expectation of getting much. They are shut up. They do pray; they cannot help it; a feeling of need makes them that they do ask. And they ask of God earnestly, but not amply: earnestly, because they feel need; but not amply, for they think He is a niggard. They have not correspondent faith to their feeling of want. They do not rightly believe in God as "giving to all liberally, and upbraiding not." They are indeed humbled, and are content to be glad to pick up the crumbs that fall from the Master's table, but they are doubtful if they shall even get a dog's right to them. How much more is any measure of desire they might have for the children's bread repressed by the thought, 'Why, that we dare not ask.'

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