[1] Will men's prayers be answered? Not if they pray as boys
whittle sticks--silently, hardly knowing or caring what
they are about. I have known men begin to pray about Adam,
and go on from him to the present time, whittling their
stick clear to a point, with about as much feeling, and
doing about as much good as the boy does.--_Beecher._
I often say my prayers,
But do I ever pray,
And do the wishes of my heart
Go with the words I say:
I may as well kneel down
And worship gods of stone.
As offer to the living God
a prayer of words alone,
For words without the heart
The Lord will never hear;
Nor will He to those lips attend
Whose prayers are not sincere.--_John Burton._