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Daily Devotionals
Our Daily Homily - Volume 2
Psalms 5:3—In the morning will I order my prayer unto Thee. (R.V.)
It is very important to consider the order of our petitions. No man would approach an earthly sovereign without taking time to consider how best to present his requests. He would consider the pleas on which to rely, the arguments to present, and the method in which he would be most likely to carry his case. Upon entering the presence of the great King, our Father, would it not well repay us to stay on the threshold for a moment to ask what petitions we are about to proffer, the order in which we should arrange them, and the reasons we should adduce?
It is manifestly a mistake to pray at haphazard. There is too much random preying with us all. We do not return again and again to the same petition, pressing it home with all humility and reverence, and arguing the case, not Abraham did his for the three of the plain.
Study the order of the Lord’s prayer—the adoration and prostration of soul before God prior to supplication for definite gifts; the acquiescence in the Divine will before the prayer for daily bread; the entreaty for forgiveness before them can be a thought of deliverance from evil. Or consider the order of the High Priest’s intercession for his own in John 17:1-26 before He pours out his soul in prayer for the world. Lay the wood "in order." Enter the temple of prayer through successive courts—Confession, Absolution Ascriptions of Praise, the Te Deum, the broken sentences, the outburst of intercession, as suggested by the Church of England liturgy. At the same time, do not forget to be perfectly natural. The soul ascends the temple by regular steps, let there be the glad conviction of the tender love of the waiting Father.
