sight of souls needing
help, let every stirring of the spirit of compassion, let every sense of
our own impotence to bless, let every difficulty in the way of our
getting an answer, just combine to urge us to do this one thing: with
importunity to cry to the God who alone can help, who, in answer to our
prayer, will help. And let us, if we indeed feel that we have failed, do
our utmost to train a young generation of Christians, who profit by our
mistake and avoid it. Moses could not enter the land of Canaan, but
there was one thing he could do: he could at God's bidding "charge
Joshua, and encourage him, and strengthen him" (Deut. iii. 28). If it is
too late for us to make good our failure, let us at least encourage
those who come after us to enter into the good land, the blessed life of
unceasing prayer.

The Model Intercessor is the Model Christian Worker. First to get from
God, and then to give to men what we ourselves secure from day to day,
is the secret of successful work. Between our Impotence and God's
Omnipotence intercession is the blessed link.

A PLEA FOR MORE PRAYER

CHAPTER IV

Because of His Importunity

"I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is
his friend, yet _because of his importunity_ he will arise and give
him as many as he needeth."--LUKE xi. 8.

"And He spake a parable unto them, to the end, they ought always to
pray and not to faint.... Hear what the unrighteous judge saith. And
shall not God avenge His own elect, which _cry to Him day and
night_, and _He is long-suffering with them_? I tell you that He
will avenge them speedily."--LUKE xviii. 1-8.

Our Lord Jesus thought it of such importance that we should know the
need of perseverance and importunity in prayer, that He spake two
parables to teach us this. This is proof sufficient that in this aspect
of prayer we have at once its greatest difficulty and its highest power.
He would have us know that in prayer all will not be easy and smooth; we
must expect difficulties, which can only be conquered by persistent,
determined perseverance.

In the parables our Lord represents the difficulty as existing on the
side of the persons to whom the petition was addressed, and the
importunity as needed to overcome their reluctance to hear. In our
intercourse with God the difficulty is not on His side, but on ours. In
connection with the first parable He tells us that our Father is