p. 1 | SOCIAL MEETINGS by Ellen G. White

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Apr 28, 1885

SOCIAL MEETINGS.

By Ellen G. White

BY MRS. E. G. WHITE.

Meetings for conference and prayer should not be made wearisome and tedious. If possible, all should be prompt to the hour appointed; and if there are dilatory ones, who are half an hour or fifteen minutes behind the time, there should be no waiting. The meeting should open at the appointed hour, if possible, be there few or many present. If there are but two present, they can claim the promise. Formality and cold stiffness should be laid aside, and all should be prompt to speak.

Upon common occasions, the seasons of prayer should not be of more than ten minutes' duration. If this exercise is prolonged, the workers become wearied mentally and physically, for they obtain but little spiritual strength and refreshment. After a change of position, and singing or exhortation, if any feel the burden of prayer, let them pray.

All should feel it a Christian duty to pray short. Tell the Lord just what you want, without going all over the world. In private prayer, all have the privilege of praying as long as they desire, and of being as explicit as they please. They can pray for all their relatives and friends. The closet is the place to tell all their private difficulties, and trials, and temptations; but a common meeting to worship God is not the place to open the privacies of the heart.

What is the object of assembling together? Is it to inform God, to instruct him by telling him all we know in prayer? We meet together to edify one another by an interchange of thoughts and feelings, to gather strength, and light, and courage, by becoming acquainted with one another's hopes and aspirations; and by our earnest, heartfelt prayers, offered up in faith, we receive refreshment and vigor from the Source of our strength. These meetings should be most precious seasons, and should be made interesting to all who have any relish for religious things.

There are some, I fear, who do not take their troubles to God in private prayer, but reserve them for the prayer-meeting, and there do up their praying for several days. Such may be named conference and prayer-meeting killers. They emit no light; they edify no one. Their cold, frozen prayers and long, backslidden testimonies cast a shadow. All are glad when they get through, and it is almost impossible to throw off the chill and darkness which their prayers and exhortations bring into the meeting.

Our meetings should be spirited and social, and not too long. Reserve, pride, vanity, and fear of man, should find no place there. Little differences and prejudices should not be taken with us to these meetings. “Ye are the light of the world,” says the heavenly Teacher. As in a united family, simplicity, meekness, confidence, and love should exist in the hearts of brethren and sisters who meet to be refreshed and invigorated by bringing their lights together. All have not the same experience in their religious life; but those of diverse exercises come together, and with simplicity and humbleness of mind, talk out their experience. All who are pursuing the onward Christian course, should have, and will have, an experience that is living, that is new and interesting. A living experience is made up of daily trials, conflicts, and temptations, strong efforts and victories, and great peace and joy gained through Jesus. A simple relation of such experiences gives light, strength, and knowledge, that will aid others in their advancement in the divine life. The worship of God should be both interesting and instructive to those who have any love for divine and heavenly things.

Jesus, the heavenly Teacher, did not hold himself aloof from the children of men, but in order to benefit them, he came from heaven to earth, where they were, that the purity and holiness of his life might shine upon the pathway of all, and light the way to heaven. The Redeemer of the world sought to make his lessons of instruction plain and simple, that all might comprehend them. He generally chose the open air for his discourses. No walls could inclose the multitude which followed him; but he had special reasons for resorting to the groves and the sea-side to give his lessons of instruction. He could there have a commanding view of the landscape, and make use of objects and scenes with which those in humble life were familiar, to illustrate the important truths he made known to them. With his lessons of instruction, he associated the works of God in nature. The birds which were caroling forth their songs without a care, the flowers of the valley glowing in their beauty, the lily that reposed in its purity upon the bosom of the lake, the lofty trees, the cultivated land, the waving grain, the barren soil, the tree that bore no fruit, the everlasting hills, the bubbling stream, the setting sun tinting and gilding the heavens,—all these he employed to impress his hearers with divine truth. He connected the works of God's finger in the heavens and upon the earth with the words of life he wished to impress upon their minds, that as they should look upon the wonderful works of God in nature, his lessons might be fresh in their memories.

In all his efforts, Christ sought to make his teachings interesting. He knew that a tired, hungry throng could not receive spiritual benefit, and he did not forget their bodily needs. Upon one occasion he wrought a miracle to feed five thousand who had gathered to listen to the words of life which fell from his lips. Jesus regarded his surroundings, when giving his precious truth to the multitude. The scenery was such as would attract the eye, and awaken admiration in the breasts of the lovers of the beautiful. He could extol the wisdom of God in his creative works, and could bind up his sacred lessons by directing their minds through nature up to nature's God. Thus the landscape, the trees, the birds, the flowers of the valley, the hills, the lake, and the beautiful heavens, were associated in their minds with sacred truths, which would make them hallowed in memory as they should look upon them after their Lord's ascension to heaven.

When Christ taught the people, he did not devote the time to prayer. He did not enforce upon them, as did the Pharisees, long, tedious ceremonies and prayers. He taught his disciples how to pray: “And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are; for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily, I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do; for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Be not ye therefore like unto them; for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of before ye ask him. After this manner therefore pray ye.”

Christ impressed upon his disciples the idea that their prayers should be short, expressing just what they wanted, and no more. He gives the length and substance of their prayers, expressing their desires for temporal and spiritual blessings, and their gratitude for the same. How comprehensive this sample prayer! It covers the actual needs of all. One or two minutes is long enough for any ordinary prayer. There may be instances where prayer is in a special manner indited by the Spirit of God, where supplication is made in the Spirit. The yearning soul becomes agonized, and groans after God. The spirit wrestles, as did Jacob, and will not be at rest without special manifestations of the power of God. This is as God would have it.

But many offer prayer in a dry, sermonizing manner. These pray to men, not to God. If they were praying to God, and really understood what they were doing, they would be alarmed at their audacity; for they deliver a discourse to the Lord in the mode of prayer, as though the Creator of the universe needed special information upon general questions in relation to things transpiring

in the world. All such prayers are as sounding brass and a tinkling cymbal. They are made of no account in heaven. Angels of God are wearied with them, as well as mortals who are compelled to listen to them.

Jesus was often found in prayer. When the business and cares of the day were ended, and the weary were seeking rest, he resorted to the lonely groves or to the mountains, to make his requests known to his Father. We would not discourage prayer; for there is far too little praying and watching thereunto. And there is still less praying with the Spirit and the understanding also. Fervent and effectual prayer is always in place, and will never weary. Such prayer interests and refreshes all who have a love for devotion.

Secret prayer is neglected, and this is why many offer such long, tedious, backslidden prayers when they assemble to worship God. They go over in their prayers a week of neglected duties, and pray round and round, hoping to make up for their neglect, and pacify their condemned consciences, which are scourging them. They hope to pray themselves into the favor of God. But frequently these prayers result in bringing other minds down to their own low level in spiritual darkness. If Christians would take home the teachings of Christ in regard to watching and praying, they would become more intelligent in their worship of God.