The Ministry of Health and Healing

The Privilege of Prayer

We too must have times set apart for meditation and prayer and for receiving spiritual refreshing. We do not value the power and efficacy of prayer as we should. Prayer and faith will do what no power on earth can accomplish. We are seldom, in all respects, placed in the same position twice. We continually have new scenes and new trials to pass through, where past experience cannot be a sufficient guide. We must have the continual light that comes from God. MHH 300.1

Christ is ever sending messages to those who listen for His voice. On the night of His agony in Gethsemane, the sleeping disciples did not hear the voice of Jesus. They had a dim sense of the angels’ presence but lost the power and glory of the scene. Because of their drowsiness and stupor they failed to receive the evidence that would have strengthened their souls for the terrible scenes before them. Thus today the very people who most need divine instruction often fail to receive it, because they do not place themselves in communion with heaven. MHH 300.2

The temptations to which we are daily exposed make prayer a necessity. Dangers beset every path. Those who are seeking to rescue others from vice and ruin are especially exposed to temptation. In constant contact with evil, they need a strong hold upon God lest they themselves be corrupted. Short and decisive are the steps that lead people down from high and holy ground to a low level. In a moment decisions may be made that fix one’s condition forever. One failure to overcome leaves the soul unguarded. One evil habit, if not firmly resisted, will strengthen into chains of steel, binding the whole person. MHH 300.3

The reason why so many are left to themselves in places of temptation is that they do not keep the Lord always before them. When you permit your communion with God to be broken, your defense is departed from you. Not all your good purposes and good intentions will enable you to withstand evil. You must be men and women of prayer. Your petitions must not be faint, occasional, and fitful, but earnest, persevering, and constant. MHH 300.4

It is not always necessary to bow on your knees to pray. Cultivate the habit of talking with the Savior when you are alone, when you are walking, and when you are busy with your daily work. Let your heart be continually uplifted in silent petition for help, for light, for strength, for knowledge. Let every breath be a prayer. MHH 300.5