THE TEACHINGS OF THE BIBLE 261 



communion with me will die. " When Jeshimin waxed 

 fat he kicked." This is the oft-repeated story of the 

 Old Testament and of all history. And thus, while 

 material blessings are given in answer to prayer, 

 these are not the chief end for which prayer is to be 

 offered. 



Prayer is a means of conformity to environment, of 

 godlikeness. How do you become like a friend ? Of 

 course by associating and talking with him. And why 

 does it help you to associate with a hero ? Simply 

 because you cannot be with him without being in- 

 spired with his heroism. And so while I may pray 

 for bread and clothes and opportunities, and God will 

 give me these or something better ; I will, if wise, 

 pray for purity, courage, moral power, heroism, and 

 holiness. And I know that these will stream from his 

 soul into mine like a great river. And so I may pray 

 for bread and be denied ; for hunger, with some higher 

 good, may be far better for me than a full stomach. 

 But if I pray for any spiritual gift, which will make 

 me godlike, and on which as an heir of God I have a 

 rightful claim, every law and force in God's universe is 

 a means to answer that prayer. And best of all, if I 

 pray for the gift of God's Spirit, that is the prayer 

 which the whole world of environment has been framed 

 to answer. 



But this I can never have unless I hunger for it. I 

 can never have it to use as a means of gaining some 

 lower good which I worship more than God. God 

 will not and cannot lend himself to any such idolatry. 

 I must be willing to give up anything and everything 

 else for its attainment. Otherwise the answer to the 

 prayer would ruin me. 



