1 Thessalonians 5:17 Pray without ceasing. The late Mrs. Prentiss, daughter of the saintly Edward Payson, was pre eminently a woman of prayer. From her early years prayer was her delight. In describing the comforts of her chamber in the Richmond School, she valued as its crowning charm the daily presence of the Eternal King, who condescended to make it His dwelling place. She was accustomed to speak of learning the mysterious art of prayer by an apprenticeship at the throne of grace. She saw that prayer is not to be made dependent on the various states of emotion in which one comes to God. "The question," she said, "is not one of mere delight." She illustrated in her own quaint way the truth that moods have nothing to do with the duty of prayer. "When one of your little brothers asks you to lend him your knife, do you inquire first what is the state of his mind? If you do, what reply can he make but this: 'The state of my mind is, I want your knife.'" (J. L. Nye.) Parallel Verses KJV: Pray without ceasing. |
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