Prayerful Thoughts of God Are Never a Burden

          By A. W. Tozer

           . . .The effectual, fervent prayer of  a righteous man
          availeth much.          -- James 5:16

            It is hardly possible to overstress the importance of
         unceasing inward prayer -- on the part of the one who
         would live the God-conscious life. Prayer at stated
         times is good and right; we will never outgrow our
         need of it while we remain on earth.  But this kind
         of prayer must be supported and perfected by the
         habit of constant, unspoken prayer!

            But someone may question whether in a world like
         this it is possible to think of God constantly.  Would it
         not be too great a burden to try to keep God constantly
         in the focus of our minds while carrying on our normal
         activities in this noisy and highly complex civilization?

            Malaval had the answer to this:  "The wings of the
         dove do not weigh it down," he said; "they carry and
         support it.  And so the thought of God is never a burden;
         it is a gentle breeze which bears us up, a hand which
         supports us and raises us, a light which guides us, and
         a spirit which vivifies us though we do not feel its
         working."

            We all know how the presence of someone we deeply
         love lifts our spirits and suffuses us with a radiant sense
         of peace and well-being.  So the one who loves God
         supremely is lifted into rapture by His conscious
         Presence!

            "Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the
         Lord."
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         Yours in Christ,
         Paul N. F.