Paul said, “I labored more abundantly than they
all; though I be nothing.” Let us try to
give God His place—begin in our closet,
in our worship, in our prayer. The power of prayer
depends almost entirely upon our apprehension of who
it is with whom I speak. It is of the greatest
consequence, if we have but half an hour in which
to pray, that we take time to get a sight of this great
God, in His power, in His love, in His nearness, just
waiting to bless us. This is of far more consequence
than spending the whole half hour in pouring out numberless
petitions, and pleading numberless promises. The
great thing is to feel that we are putting our supplications
into the bosom of omnipotent Love. Before and
above everything, let us take time ere we pray to realize
the glory and presence of God. Give God His place
in every prayer. I say, allow God to have His
place. I can not give God His place upon the
throne—in a certain sense I can, and I ought
to try. The great thing, however, is for me to
feel that I can not realize what that place is, but
God will increasingly reveal Himself and the place
He holds. How do I know anything about the sun?
Because the sun shines, and in its light I see what
the sun is. The sun is its own evidence.
No philosopher could have told me about the sun if
the sun did not shine. No power of meditation
and thought can grasp the presence of God. Be
quiet, and trusting, and resting, and the everlasting
God will shine into your heart, and will reveal Himself.
And then, just as naturally as I enjoy the light of
the sun, and as naturally as I look upon the pages
of a book knowing that I can see the letters because
the light shines; just as naturally will God reveal
Himself to the waiting soul, and make His presence
a reality. God will take His place as God in
the presence of His child, so that absolutely and actually
the chief thing in the child’s heart shall be:
“God is here, God makes Himself known.”
Beloved, is not this what you long for—that
God shall take a place that He has never had; and
that God shall come to you in a nearness that you
have never felt yet; and, above all, that God shall
come to you in an abiding and unbroken fellowship?
God is able to take His place before you all the day.
I repeat what I have referred to before, because God
has taught me a lesson by it: As God made the
light of the sun so soft, and sweet, and bright, and
universal, and unceasing, that it never costs me a
minute’s trouble to enjoy it; even so, and far
more real than the light shining upon me, the nearness
of my God can be revealed to me as my abiding portion.
Let us all pray “that God may be all in all,”
in our everyday life.