It was a time of great and exalting excitement. The country was up in arms, the war was on, in every breast burned the holy fire of patriotism...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sunday morning came--next day the battalions would leave for the front; the church was filled... The service proceeded; a war chapter from the Old Testament was read; the first prayer was said...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then came the "long" prayer... The burden of its supplication was that an ever-merciful and benignant Father of us all would watch over our noble young soldiers and...encourage them in their patriotic work...help them to crush the foe...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

An aged stranger entered and moved with slow and noiseless step up the main aisle... With all eyes following him and wondering...he ascended to the preacher's side...took his place...then in a deep voice he said:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"I come from the Throne-bearing a message from Almighty God!...He has heard the prayer of His servant your shepherd... God's servant and yours has prayed his prayer..."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Is it one prayer? No, it is two--one uttered, the other not. Both have reached the ear of His Who hearth all supplications, the spoken and the unspoken. Ponder this--keep it in mind."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"If you beseech a blessing upon yourself, beware! lest without intent you invoke a curse upon a neighbor at the same time. If you pray for the blessing of rain upon your crop which needs it, by that act you are possibly praying for a curse upon some neighbor's crop which may not need rain and can be injured by it."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"You have heard your servant's prayer--the uttered part of it. I am commissioned by God to put into words the other part of it...You heard these words: 'Grant us the victory, O Lord our God!' That is sufficient. The whole of the uttered prayer is compact into those pregnant words. Elaborations were not necessary.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When you have prayed for victory you have prayed for many unmentioned results which follow victory--must follow it, cannot help but follow it. Upon the listening spirit of God the Father fell also the unspoken part of the prayer. He commandeth me to put it into words. Listen!