looking at it, and remembering the blessing that came with it."

Experiences like this God gives to all his children, not for the purpose
of leading them to look to Him for supplying their physical necessities,
as an end, but to make Himself known to them, and to secure their
confidence and love, for "this is life eternal, that they might know
Thee, the only true God and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent." (Jno.
xvii, 8.)

The use of prayer is to bring us into communion with God, for the growth
of the spiritual life, that is ours by faith in Christ Jesus. To leave
it upon any lower plane than this, is to rob it of its highest functions
and to paralyze it of lasting power for good in any direction. The
promises of God are conditioned upon our being in this state of heart
toward God. "If ye abide in me and my words abide in you, ye shall ask
what ye will, and it shall be done unto you." (Jno. xv., 7.) Abiding in
Christ, our will will be His will, as to desiring that which will most
advance the divine life and promote confidence in God, and all our
desires for material blessings will be subordinated to this motive.
Right here must come in a line of truth that will lead us from the
spirit of dictation in our prayers to God in all matters pertaining to
our worldly concerns. We cannot tell what is for our highest spiritual
good. The saving of our property or the taking it away. The recovery
from sickness or the continuance of it; the restoration of the health of
our loved one, or his departing to be with Christ; the removing the
thorn or the permitting it to remain. "_In everything_" it is indeed our
blessed privilege to let _our requests_ be make known unto God, but,
praise his name, he has not passed over to us the awful responsibility
of the assurance that _in everything_ the requests we make known will be
granted. He has reserved the decision, where we should rejoice to leave