"In quietness and in confidence shall by your strength,"
Isa. 30:15.

This was said to Israel but I think no one can doubt that it is good for any people at any time. It is good for us.

This may be called the "age" of noise. There is such a nervous tension that many people love a noise more than quietness. There are many families that live in a noise from radio or television for hours after supper, any day, and even when they sit down in the home in the daytime, they turn on these noise-making gadgets and sit in the midst of this din even when they try to talk to others. It is almost impossible to carry on a conversation under such circumstances. Certainly there is no chance of any serious thought. The word of God has no place in such a state of confusion. If you are a guest you sit still and let your ear drums be battered with the noise until you want to scream.

It is not that I am opposed to the radio or television. We have one of each in our home. We turn on the television almost every night, and get the news and the weather report, and, sometimes, a good picture. Then we turn it off and spend a while talking. Then we have a chapter from the Bible, and prayer. This settles our nerves. We endeavor to never retire until we are quite in spirit and in mind. We do not spend the whole evening in a din of noise. We take time for loving conversation and for devotion to God in scripture and prayer and talk on the word of God. We have time for serious thought. At times we spend a long while thinking.

Noise hits the nerves with sledgehammer blows. This is not usually known. People are "a bundle of nerves" these days, and do not know what causes it. Husband and wife ought to take time out from this din, to talk to each other. They ought to cultivate each other as long as they live. It is distressing to know that many couples grow away from each other as long as they live. It is distressing to know that many couples grow away from each other, until they are almost strangers, and have to have a noise, in order to tolerate each other. Children ought to be cultivated by parents. They should talk with these youngsters of things in which THEY are interested, and ought also, to try to get the children interested in thing in which the parents have an interest. Less noise in the home and more loving tolerant conversation would cause the home to be a real home for all in it.

Many modern business establishments know the value of quietness, and have provided those who work with, and among, typewriters, with noiseless machines. They testify that this makes for more efficiency. It is true. Quietness makes any person more efficient, in every line of work, from housekeeping right on down the line to every job. Paul says that we should be ambitious to be quiet. He indicates that it will lead us to be satisfied to attend to our own business, instead of trying to look after the business of other people, and thus causing confusion in the community and in the world. A person whose nerves are frayed become trouble-makers, sooner or later.

It is highly necessary that people learn the value of quietness. The world is "on edge", and is tending toward suicide, crime, and even insanity.

With with quietness should go confidence. We should cultivate faith in God, so that we are not in a state of uneasiness and tension. It is true that many people are in a constant state of tension. Even when they are sitting quietly, their nerves are "tied in a knot". They are not aware of this, unless they have someone to call attention to it. Then when they try to "let go" they find they have been sitting there with their nerves taut, and their being in a strain. Let them remember that God is One whose will for them is GOOD, WELL-PLEASING and PERFECT. If this is true, He wills good for them. They do not have to be tense, in order to get things, and get their work done. Calmness, tranquility, absence of tension makes them more efficient.

Frayed nerves make people sick. It saps their strength, and they are much debilitated. Then ANY disease can prey on them. It may be headache, asthma, rheumatism, indigestion, or something else.

Tension increases the danger of driving an automobile. In many cases, the person who is in a tense state will increase speed until he or she is driving at a dangerous rate. This is not because the driver wants to get there soon; it is because he or she is so tense that, unconsciously the accelerator is pushed down more and more. Then as the car approaches an intersection the driver can't afford to stop, or even slow down, and sometimes crashes into another car, and there is a collision. Maybe the driver is maimed or killed, or some innocent person in another car is killed or injured. A tense driver is not a safe driver.

Tenseness causes less efficiency in spiritual matters. The tense person cannot sit still and listen to a sermon of more than a few minutes in length, or lose interest in a short time, and squirms on his seat till the meeting is over. He has not any patience to calmly or deliberately read religious books or papers, and thus misses many good things that would do him great good. He has the "fidgets", and the extent of his reading is the headlines of the daily paper, or perhaps he acquires a fondness for exciting literature, and fills mind full of that which is positively filthy and harmful.

Quietness and confidence is an asset that we need in every endeavor. The American people must acquire it, or we will have to build bigger insane asylums.

PRAY WITHOUT CEASING

When Paul wrote these words he meant it. I wonder if we --- any of us --- take them seriously. Praying is more than making petitions. None of us could do that, unceasingly.

The apostle said, in another place, that we should PRAY, and MAKE PETITIONS, and GIVE THANKS. This shows that praying is not making petitions. It is being in an attitude of mind, that we are depending on God. Depending on God, believing in Him, trusting Him, thinking hopefully of Him --- all this is prayer. Literally, it means, "TOWARD WELL HAVING". We should unceasingly, be in an attitude that not only wishes "well having", but actually tends toward it. It is an attitude of mind --- thought --- faith --- expectancy. Making petitions should be done because we ARE praying --- because we are in a state of mind that expects it to be well with us --- that tends toward this result. I would certainly recommend making petitions to God. This can be done intermittingly. But being in the ATTITUDE can be done UNINTERMITTINGLY.

I found this to be most beneficial. There are several persons for whom I am praying. Being in a constant state of expectancy for them. I can make petitions often. And I do not forget thanksgiving. For each one I make petitions many times each day --- in fact, many times an hour.

Have you asked me to pray for you --- for your healing, your happiness, your usefulness, your success? Please do not think I forget it for long hours, or for days. I am always in a state of expectancy of good for you. And very often I make petitions for you, and each time I do this, I precede it by thanksgiving for you. I don't want you to think I am careless about it. My very life is made up of prayer, petitions, thanksgiving for you.

Let us suppose that your name is John. I am always expecting that God will bring good to you. Then, very often, I say, "God, I thank Thee for John --- for the good that he has had, and for the good that He shall have --- for Thy answers to my prayers for Him. Heal Him I pray," or I mention whatever blessing John is to have. This takes only a few seconds. And I always pray bye the authority of Christ --- in His name. It does not hinder me from what else I am doing. And I do not do things that are at variance with the spirit of prayer. Perhaps I make petitions again within a half hour, or an hour --- depending on how many are included in my prayer treatments.

And there is great benefit to those for whom I am praying. God does answer prayer, even in the face of those who would deride me for believing this.

SAVED THROUGH FAITH

"In grace you are saved through faith",
Eph. 2:8.

Mankind are in a great sea of grace. They are surrounded by it on every side. Paul says that in this state or condition, we are saved through faith --- this is, through believing. It is not by works.

Salvation is a continual process. Paul here does not speak of it as something that is past. "You ARE saved". That is, you are saved every day. There are many conditions to be saved from. Salvation from all of them is through faith.

There is salvation from the dominion of sin, and salvation from every hurtful state or condition, into usefulness and happiness. It all comes through faith.

There is need of faith every day, just as there is need of salvation in some form continuously.

Paul says that faith is God's oblation. This is a gift for the purpose of winning our favor. It is god's will that we should love Him. He gives faith in order that we shall do so. Loving Him, we claim His blessings. He has promised these blessings. In Christ, all His promises are affirmative. He has given to each one a measure of faith, Rom. 12:3. He tenders faith to all, Acts 17:31.

We often wish we had more faith. The only way to get it, is to use what faith we have. Step out of the promises. Prove the will of God, by putting it to the test.

This we do by the renewing of our minds. Too often we are conformed to this age of unbelief. We are to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. We are then in a position to prove that the will of God is good, and well-pleasing, and perfect. This we do with the mind. To be spirit-minded is life and peace. To be flesh-minded is death to the things that really matter.

The great need of mankind is faith. God gives that. But it is to be cultivated by our thoughts, in order to serve us in salvation from every hurtful thing.