Young people, when they come to a certain age, are often disposed gradually to leave off private prayer. They find the old adage true, “Praying will make thee leave off sinning, and sinning will make thee leave off praying.”
It is a sad period in the history of a young person, when the early habit of prayer is given up. Then the heart becomes like the garden of the slothful, described by Solomon: “I went by the field of the slothful, and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding; and lo, it was all grown over with thorns.”
There are no good plants thriving in the prayerless soul; but weeds, and briers, and thorns, grow thick and rank, occupying every vacant spot. The stone wall is broken down; there is no defense against the beasts of the field. Every vagrant thought, every vicious passion finds free admittance. The heart grows hard, and the spirit careless. Sin is not dreaded as it once was. The fear of God, and the desire of His favor are gone. “God is not in all his thoughts.” That youth stands on the edge of a precipice.
I would not have you think, however, that there is any merit in prayer, or that the prayers of one whose “heart is not right with God,” are acceptable to Him. But what I say is, that every one ought to pray to God with a right heart. If your heart is not right with God, then it is wrong; and you are to blame, for having it wrong.
I will suppose a case, to illustrate what I mean: You see a child rise up in the morning, and go about the house, and though its mother is with it all the time, yet the child neither speaks to her nor seems to notice her at all. After a while, the mother asks what is the matter, and why her dear child does not speak to her? The child says, “I have no heart to speak to you mother. I do not love you; and so I think it would be wrong for me to speak to you.” What would you think of such conduct? You would say, “The child ought to love its mother; and it is only an aggravation of its offense, to carry out the feelings of its heart in its conduct?”
Would you then have it act the hypocrite, and speak with its lips what it does not feel in its heart? No; but I would have it love its mother, and then act out, in its speech and behavior, what it feels in, its heart. But I would never have it excuse itself from right actions because its heart is wrong. Now, apply this to the subject of prayer, and you will see the character of all such excuses.
If possible, have a particular place of prayer, where you can be secure from all interruption, and particular times for it. At the appointed hour retire alone, and put away all thoughts about your studies, your work, your amusements, or anything of a worldly nature, and try to realize that God is as truly present as if you saw Him with your bodily eyes. Then read His Word, as though you heard Him speak to you in the sacred page; and when your mind has become serious and collected, kneel down and pray to God. Thank Him for every mercy you have received; never forget to confess your sins, and ask for such blessings as you see and feel that you need. Pray also for your friends (and for your enemies, if you have any).
Let me earnestly entreat you to have set times for prayer, at least as often as morning and evening, and never suffer yourself to neglect them. And especially, do not adopt the unseemly practice of praying in bed, but give to God the brightest and best hours of the day, and offer not to Him the blind and the lame for sacrifice. You will find the regular and stated habit of prayer, thus formed in early life, of great value to you as long as you live.
But let me once more caution you not to trust in your prayers, for they cannot save you; and never think, because you are regular and punctual in praying, that you must be a Christian.
Prayer, if sincere and true, will prepare you for engaging in the duties of the day, or for enjoying calm repose at night. You need that calm, tranquil, humble spirit, which prayer promotes, to prepare you to encounter those things which are constantly trying your feelings, and to enable you to do anything well. Therefore never engage in anything of importance without first seeking direction of God; and never do anything on which you would be unwilling to ask His blessing