A Midday Prayer Season
By W. A. S.
It has long been the practise of the workers in the General Conference offices to gather at the noon hour, in the Mission Board rooms, for a short prayer season. Reports, in few words, are given by different departments of interesting news or correspondence in the morning mails. Often a paragraph from a fresh letter from some missionary in the field is read. Then in one or two prayers the blessing of the Lord is sought for ourselves and for the day's duties, and in behalf of the work and workers in all the world and in all departments. This brief season is a source of deep satisfaction in times when some worker in far-away fields is struggling with fever, or when the mail brings news of special difficulties encountered at any point. Then specifically and by name the need is set before the Lord, whose care is over all his work in the earth. It may be that many in their homes would feel it a privilege to spend a moment at the noon hour in special prayer for the workers and the work in the world-wide field. As our missions and companies of believers now “belt the world,” we may have a prayer circle girdling the whole earth. The history of the cause of God in all past time shows that the victories have been won and new ground gained to the accompaniment of earnest prayer. The very certainty we feel of the triumph of the truth in all the world may easily lead us to overlook the fact that human hearts are to carry a burden for the great work, and that the Lord associates his people with himself in the victories gained. We are in the thick of the conflict—not merely spectators. Is there difficulty and special need at any point in this work, we are all meeting difficulty, and the need presses as a personal burden upon our souls. There is a cause to plead before the Lord of hosts. The spirit of prophecy says that when there is more praying in the churches and in the homes, there will be more victories in the fields. “Pray ye the Lord of the harvest.” Will not those who read the missionary reports in our papers from week to week make a practise of specific prayer for the work and workers, mentioning places and names more frequently than perhaps has been common among us?