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.