but why is he scolding God?" asked a little girl kneeling between her father and mother in church.
"Hush, dear," her mother whispered.
But later the child murmured, "He seems so mad."
The speaker was addressing God as though he were upbraiding a small and very bad boy. "Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of Thy Holy Spirit!" he shouted.
Thoughtfully the little girl asked her parents as they left, "If he doesn't like God, and doesn't like us, why doesn't he get another job?" The parents were unable to answer.
This didn't happen in one of our denominational churches, but it might have.
There are times, without a doubt, when one should lift up his voice "like a trumpet," but in addressing God he should do it with reverence, and in addressing the congregation, with respect.
Should not public prayer, if it is not understood by a child, at least impress the child with earnestness and devotion, and lead the whole congregation into the presence of God with awe and reverence? Would it not be well for all of us as ministers to read often and aloud the great prayers of the Bible, especially those in the book of Psalms, which is composed largely of prayers?
We do not use a prayer book in our church, but it would not hurt some of us to read the wonderful petitions in the Church of England's Book of Common Prayer. Many of these prayers, I believe, were written by Bishop Latimer, who was himself a martyr to the faith of Jesus.
We would at least feel, as we read these prayers, the spirit of awe, reverence, and propriety. In our hearts we would feel the call, "Come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our maker." Ps. 95:6.
