God

William Blake was one of the first romantic poets, writing during the French and American revolutions in 1780. Romantic poets believe that people should be free to follow their own desires, everyone has a right to pursue and fulfil their desires in order to be happy, that imagination is more important than science and logic, and that childhood is important and should be innocent. Blake was a visionary writer, he talked to God and angels came to him in his dreams and visions. He translates these experiences into his poems. He viewed God as an artist, active and full of passion and love, rather than a scientist. However, Blake disliked institutions such as the Church and formal religion, the government and the royal family.

Blake believed that people should have open marriages and to enjoy sex, possibly with multiple partners, and was also against unions such as marriages. Society and the Church taught people to think that sex was sinful and wrong, whereas Blake believed sex and desire is a connection to God and spirituality. Blake was especially frustrated with the Church, he thought they were controlling people, especially the poor and working classes. These institutions would teach that although people may be poor and unhappy in this life, if they do not rebel they will be able to go to Heaven and be rewarded. This was seen by Blake as a form of brain washing,

‘London’, a poem found in Blake’s Songs of Experience, relates to the poet’s views on the English capital in the 19th century. Blake employs a consistent rhyming structure similar to that of ‘The Schoolboy’ but with shorter four line verses. The poem, written in Blake’s first person, is obviously expressing his own personal opinions. The first stanza relates to the strict uniformity of London’s plotted land (a pet hate of Blake’s) along with the poet’s observations of troubled citizens (‘Marks of weakness, marks of woe’). The second chorus style verse expands upon Blake’s views of public constraint, implying that citizens have been conditioned into believing that their lives are tolerable (‘mind-forged manacles’). Examples of which kind of people should not put up with their miserable lives are provided in the third stanza (chimney sweeps, soldiers) and the poems ends with a specific development of the life of a 19th century prostitute (‘harlot’).

The first verse of the poem relates to Blake himself wandering through the streets of London, noting the wretchedness of the unaware citizens. The poet curses the dictatorial layout of London in quiet outrage with the use of the word ‘chartered’ in consecutive lines. Blake believed that life could be better for everyone without the strict rules and regulations imposed by governing bodies, and his unusual wording plays on this fact. The ‘marks’ Blake apparently sees on ‘every face’ he passes are not of the physical variety; a deeper, more sinister interpretation relating to deprivation of the population at the time should be considered. The ‘weakness’ and ‘woe’ Blake speaks of cannot be perceived by the uncaring eye.

In the second chorus style verse, Blake attempts to show the reader the totalitarian influence of the ‘mind-forged manacles’ he can ‘hear’. The use of the word ‘every’ in three successive lines emphasises the entirety of the population he is referring to; men, women and infants alike are all included in his exclamation. Blake obviously wants the reader to realise that the ‘mind-forged manacles’ he refers to are a bad thing. Negative imagery (such as the ‘infant’s cry of fear’), the repetition of the word ‘cry’ and the relation of his statement to arguments (‘bans’) are each included to contribute towards the overall feel of sadness. The ‘mind-forged manacles’ Blake mentions associate with his view that the people of London unintentionally restrict their minds and imaginations by the ‘proper’ customs of 19th century England.

The third stanza of London subjectively considers two different figures that Blake believes have been deprived. The plight of the chimney sweep is one the poet takes particularly to heart (exhibited by other works), with once again a ‘cry’ falling upon deaf ears. This time, it is the church that is ignoring the heartbreaking situation of the young sweeps (‘How the chimney-sweeper’s cry/Every blackening church appals’). ‘Blackening’ is used here as a link to the growing pollution levels in London and as a reference the soot which covered the little chimney sweeps.

Symbolically, it may also relate to the church’s reluctance to help the sweeps which Blake thought seemed painfully hypocritical and cruel. Blake’s description of a ‘hapless’ soldier in the second half of the verse refers to the unpleasant life of many combatants. The imagery of their blood running ‘down palace walls’ relates to the many pointless wars that higher powers have deemed necessary. Meanwhile, many lives of those that could have enjoyed life have been wasted in futile struggles for supremacy.

The last verse displays another personal exasperation of Blake’s. It is made out to be of greatest importance of the three cases the poet mentions via the use of the word ‘most’ (‘But most thro’ midnight streets I hear/How the youthful harlot’s curse’). The ‘youthful harlot’ is just one of many young girls that had to resort to selling their bodies to survive. Blake attempts to relate to the situation some young women had to deal with by having no choice but to take care of an unwanted, fatherless child (‘Blasts the new born infants tear’). The poet takes upon a tone of irony in the final line as he mentions the strange image of a ‘marriage hearse’. A hearse, usually used in funeral processions, does not fit the joyful representation of a wedding. This may be a reference to the adverse affect prostitution had on a marriage both physically and psychologically. The ending of this poem is another perhaps more subtle example of Blake’s dislike for the disingenuous social culture of his time.

In conclusion, William Blake’s poems are very successful in presenting his social viewpoints. Using relatively simple language, subtle irony and sarcasm, powerful imagery and easily identifiable meanings, Blake makes sure that his points get across to the reader. It is easy to see that the Songs of Innocence and Experience are not just idle words that have wandered onto a piece of paper: Blake wrote each of his poems for a purpose and with a clear significance. William Blake was a man fighting against the mainstream opinions of 19th society. His strong willed independent attitudes meant that no matter what the odds, he would ‘stick to his guns’. Blake had an intense dislike for government and other established ruling bodies.

He believed that people would lead happier lives if left to their own devices, unrestricted by rules or regulations. William Blake was also great critic of the church, viewing them as wretched hypocrites in the battle against the evils of society. Even in today’s modern era, the central themes of his poems (poverty, social injustice, the church) still remain relevant and Blake serves a wonderful icon for those battling against such political constraints. Although his work was not truly appreciated until a century and a half after his death, Blake was a undoubtedly a genius of his time.

Blake believed that the Church was so corrupt, it brain washed individuals into not questioning fate, God and its authority. The Church would teach catechisms to small children, such as the child in The Lamb. In this poem, the young child has found a lamb and talking to it, and telling the lamb how wonderful God is and how they are both part of God. The little child is confident and asks questions to the lamb,

‘Little lamb, who made thee?

Dost thou know who made thee?’

In the second stanza, with no response from the lamb, the child continues with

‘Little lamb, I’ll tell thee,

Little lamb, I’ll tell thee:’

The child is brain washing the lamb, having been brain washed himself. He has been taught questions and answers, and knows that God was once a lamb and then a child, but the child no longer questions what he has been taught. He (or she) is happy and safe, and so is still in the world of innocence.

In this poem Blake is challenging the way the Church has brain washed children to not question their fate and to accept unhappiness. The child in the Lamb describes God as

‘He is meek, and He is mild;’

which to Blake is too passive. A God needs to be strong and helpful, the opposite to meek and mild. The language used is simple, and reflective of the world of innocence. For example, ‘delight’ and ‘bright’. This is also end rhyme, to emphasise the child’s delight at talking with the little lamb about his God, and how everyone is a part of him. The child rejoices in his knowledge and is proud of himself on teaching the lamb about his creator.

As a romantic writer, Blake saw God as more of an artist, and in the poem ‘The Tiger’ demonstrates what he believes God to be like. The Tiger is paired with the Lamb, and although it is in the songs of experience, the person is returning to innocence by asking so many questions. These questions, such as

‘In what distant deeps or skies

Burnt the fire of thine eyes?

On what wings dare he aspire?

What hand dare seize the fire?’

challenge God. In this poem, Blake is marvelling what kind of God could make such a beautiful, deadly creature. Blake is showing that if God can make something as gentle as a lamb, and then makes a killing machine such as a Tiger, He must be dangerous. Blake is also portraying God as a workman or blacksmith, with the line

‘In what furnace was thy brain?’.

The God in this poem, despite not answering the questions, is clearly more of an artist. He is strong and powerful, the opposite to a lamb. The use of exclamation marks throughout indicates the awe and wonder felt by the person asking the questions. The pace is fast, and is almost predatory, similar to the movement of a tiger. The pace also reflects the thoughts processes of the person asking the questions, there is a sense of excitement and the images created are vivid. Run on lines are used in the first stanza, and also in the last as the first stanza is repeated at the end of the poem to reinforce the magnificence of such a beautiful creature and its creator.

‘Tiger! Tiger! Burning bright

In the forests of the night,

What immortal hand or eye

Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?’

The combination of end rhyme for ‘bright’ and ‘night’ and also the run on line for that sentence create a strong image of the Tiger prowling through a forest, and is clearly visible in the night. The second line rhymes ‘eye’ and ‘symmetry’ to suggest that God must be physically perfect and immortal to create such a beautiful, strong creature.

In conclusion, Blake has used his collection of poems to demonstrate many of his views on the society of his era, including his disapproval of institutions such as the church, the government and royal family, his ideas on marriage and sexuality, the neglect of the poor, and also the way the church brainwash people to control them so that they do not question anything.

Blake demonstrated his views in his collection of poems called the Songs of Experience and the Songs of Innocence. Children are born into the world of innocence, where they are allowed to be free and happy, and are also protected from the world of experience for as long as possible by adults. Blake would have hoped that adults would enter the world of experience but someday return to innocence, and protect the children. The world of experience to Blake and other romantic writers was inevitable yet a harsh, cruel and unhappy place full of restrictions and frustration. Blake suggests in his poems that people and children are not in control of their own lives, they are not allowed to think for themselves and are restricted by a corrupt, uncaring Church and monarchy.

In this essay I will discuss how William Blake objected to the poverty suffered by most of the society, neglect by the government and how children were used and not allowed a childhood. I will also look at religion’s disapproval of sex and its agreement with the state to keep the poor, ‘poor’, for their own moral good.

Durkheim theorised hi123’s marxism .

There are two ‘The Chimney Sweeper’ poems, one in the Songs of Experience and one in Innocence. The boy in the songs of innocence has maintained his innocence despite experiencing the death of his mother and his father selling him at such a young age. In this first stanza, Blake uses end rhyme for ‘young’ and ‘tongue’ to indicate how young this child is to be sold and not have a family to protect him.

”weep!’ ‘weep!’ ‘weep!’ ‘weep!”

is repeated and followed by exclamation marks to emphasise how awful that ‘weep!’ is the first thing this child says, when babies are supposedly born into pure innocence and should be happy.

‘So your chimneys I sweep, and in soot I sleep.’ ,

Ends in a full stop and indicates that this child is doomed to be unhappy, he has been brain washed into accepting his situation and does not aspire to be anything other than a chimney sweeper, and believes he can only be happy in death.

In the second stanza, when Tom Darce’s head is shaved, the narrating boy is positive and practical in saying that at least the soot will not spoil his hair. Blake uses run on lines to reinforce the youth of these children, and their vulnerability with the line

coed ed” . “r se” . ed . “ed” . “w or”. ed . ” ” . ed . “k ined foed ” . ed . “!

‘ “Hush, Tom! Never mind it, for when your head’s bare

You know that the soot cannot spoil your white hair.”‘.

cogb gb” . “r se” . gb . “gb” . “w or”. gb . ” ” . gb . “k ingb fogb ” . gb . “.

Without realising, the boy is helping to brain wash Tom by telling him to accept the situation. Tom’s hair was white and with the soot had become black, symbolic of the end of innocence.

Blake believed that in dreams and in our imaginations, we are truly free. However, this boy dreams of angels. Blake is showing how deeply brain washed by the Church this child must be for dreaming of angels and still believing that if

cogb gb” . “r se” . gb . “gb” . “w or”. gb . ” ” . gb . “k ingb fogb ” . gb . “.

‘he’d be a good boy, He’d have God for his father, and never want joy.’

These chimney sweepers are so desperately unhappy, they are looking forward to their deaths in order for them to be free and happy. Blake is also criticising the God and angels in this poem for being too passive in the lives of these young, unhappy children.

Symbolic words such as ‘bright key’, ‘free’, ‘green’, ‘leaping, laughing, they run’, ‘lamb’s back’ and ‘joy’ are all associated with the world of innocence, however there are also words such as ‘soot’ and ‘coffins of black’ showing that these children are surrounded by the harsh world of experience and corruption with no protection. To Blake, the colours black and grey were the colours for the world of experience and unhappiness, whereas white and green were for the world of innocence. As the children dream of running ‘down a green plain’, it shows the children dream in the world of innocence.

The chimney sweeper in the world of experience does not even dream in innocence, he wears ‘clothes of death’.

Although this child has parents, they have left him to go to the church to pray. It is as though he has no parents, like the boy in the songs of innocence. Blake is showing that the parents have also been corrupted by the Church, and are helping to brain wash their child. Blake also explicitly demonstrates his views on the monarchy and the church in the last two lines,

‘And are gone to praise God and His Priest and King,

Who make up a Heaven of our misery.’

The full stop at the end of the sentence finalises the poem’s message that the child, along with his parents and church goers, are doomed to be unhappy whilst the Church and monarchy continue to restrict and control.

The young boy in the world of experience appears no hope of return to innocence. Unlike the boy in the songs of innocence, this child cannot even dream in the world of innocence. Blake is showing the boy is so restricted that not even in his dreams is he able to be free. In the first poem, the boy uses ‘I’ , whereas this child is described as ‘a little black thing’. This is showing that the child is not aware of its own identity, it has been so exposed to the world of experience. ‘a little black thing’ also shows that he has been corrupted, the colour black being a negative colour in the world of experience. ‘thing’ suggests that the child is of no importance to anyone, the child is weaker and more vulnerable.

He has no protection from parents or even other chimney sweepers as companions and support. He is totally alone in a world where no one, including the church, will help him. ‘Snow’ and ‘woe’ are used as end rhyme twice in the poem, emphasising that although the snow is white, a pure colour, it is cold and cannot offer warmth, linking it to ‘woe’ where the child is constantly unhappy and full of sorrow.

Allah is the proper name of God, however, we know Him generally through His attributes. These attributes describe how Allah manifests Himself to us. God’s attributes are innumerable since human intellect cannot possibly comprehend every aspect of the Supreme Being. A Hadith of the Holy Prophet (peace be on him) makes mention of Ninety Nine names of Allah commonly known as al- Asmaul Husna, the Most Names. In the Holy Quran, we read: “And to Allah alone belong all perfect attributes.

So call Him by these. And leave alone those who deviate from the right way with respect to His Attributes. ” (7:181). “Allah – there is no God but He, the Living, the Self-Subsisting and All-Sustaining. Slumber seizes Him not, nor sleep. To Him belongs whatsoever is in the heavens and whatsoever is in the earth. Who is he that will intercede with Him except by His permission? He knows what is before them and what is behind them; and they encompass nothing of His knowledge except what He pleases.

His knowledge extends over the heavens and the earth, and the care of them burdens Him not; and He is the High, the Great. ” (2:256) Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The similitude of His light is a lustrous niche, wherein is a lamp. The lamp is in a glass. The glass is as it were a glittering star. It is lit from the blessed tree – an olive – neither of the East nor of the West, whose oil would well-nigh glow forth even though fire touched it not. Light upon light! Allah guides to His light whomsoever He will.

And Allah sets forth parables to men, and Allah knows all things full well. This light is now lit in houses with regard to which Allah has ordained that they be exalted and that His name be remembered in them, Therein is He glorified in the mornings and the evenings (24:36-37) “He is Allah, and there is no God beside Him, the Knower of the unseen and the seen. He is Gracious, the Merciful. He is Allah, and there is no God beside Him, the Sovereign, the Holy One, the Source of Peace, the Bestower of Security, the Protector, the Mighty, the Subduer, the Exalted.

Holy is Allah far above that which they associate with Him. He is Allah, the Creator, the Maker, the Fashioner. His are the Most Beautiful Names. All that is in the heavens and the earth glorifies Him, and He is the Mighty the Wise. (59: 23-25) Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated: The Holy Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “Allah has ninety-nine Names, one-hundred less one; and who memorized them all by heart will enter Paradise. ” (Bukhari, The Book of Tauhid.)

It is indeed immediately evident to the reader (or listener) of Beowulf, that the poem is heavily laden with themes of fate and destiny. I would even go as far as saying that it is partly the weight that these themes lend that gives Beowulf its rich and beautiful quality.

These themes are present throughout the text, for instance the creation of Heorot comes with the prophecy of its doom, with “its gables wide and high and awaiting / a barbarous burning” (lines 82-3). We are also given the cause for such a fate, namely blood feud between in-laws. The inevitable doom associated with blood feuds, and its associated fratricide, is also present at the end of the text with the wild prediction of the war and destruction of the Geat nation at the Shylfing’s hands. It is also interesting to note here that the poem is book ended by funerals, death being the inevitable conclusion of fate, and also with prophecy, particularly effective for a contemporary audience knowledgeable of the outcomes of such prognostications.

However, it is in the episode of Beowulf’s fight against the dragon that we see the most signposted manifestation of fate:

He was sad at heart,

Unsettled yet ready, sensing his death.

His fate hovered near, unknowable but certain (2419-2421)

From the offset, we are told that Beowulf will die in this final battle, with the effect of altering our perception of the final fight; we see it as tragic and heroic, this warrior king fighting despite sensing his fate near at hand. This gives the weight to the dragon fight, gives it its grim, poetic beauty. Here fate is expressed as a sense of foreboding, external to any value judgement. This would have a concept familiar to the Germanic tradition of wyrd, or doom.

However, if this is to be considered as evidence of the Anglo-Saxon concept of doom, then in the poem we are also able to see the Christian equivalent, which can perhaps be better referred to as divine providence. In this interpretation of destiny, there is an integral component of judgement, whereby destiny is set out by God. This approach to destiny can be seen at numerous points, for example “a comfort sent / by God to that nation” (13-4). Here we can clearly see the influence of Christian beliefs in the narrative voice of the poet. The evidence of divine intervention can be found elsewhere in Beowulf, for example in his fight against Grendel’s mother:

It was easy for the Lord,

the Ruler of Heaven, to redress the balance

once Beowulf got back on his feet. (1554-6)

This has the effect of showing that all outcomes are ultimately attributable to God, here reinforcing the positive characterisation of Beowulf by essentially saying that God is in support of him.

The poet was here faced with a challenge when intertwining the themes of Christian providence and pagan wyrd, namely how do you tell an essentially pagan story of a warrior hero while staying true to a contrasting theological belief?

In reply, we can identify several features of the Beowulf poem that allow a satisfactory reconciliation of these apparently antithetical themes. The first is an identification of Beowulf and the other Germanic pagan heroes with God through their opposition to evil. An exemplification of this is that Grendel is intimately associated with sin and hell, for example in the description of him as “a fiend out of hell” (100) and the passage:

he had dwelt for a time

in misery among the banished monsters,

Cain’s clan, whom the Creator had outlawed

and condemned as outcasts. (104-7)

Therefore, if Beowulf represents the purging factor that destroys the evil of Grendel and his mother, then by implication he is identified as an agent of God, an important point as it demonstrates that he is under the influence of providence whilst still subject to his doom.

In a number of ways the heroic characters are distanced from the paganism that they historically must hold, in particular they adhere to characteristically Christian formulas of worship. An example of this is “They thanked God / for that easy crossing on a calm sea” (227-8), which is instantly recognisable as an un-pagan thanksgiving to the providence of a single God. Indeed, throughout Beowulf there are signs that these pagans worshiped a monotheistic precursor to Christianity, rather than the polytheistic idol worship that would be extremely difficult to excuse from a Christian viewpoint.

Thomas D. Hill points out that this would allow an approach similar to later humanists, such as Dante who placed such figures as Aristotle, Cato and Rifeo (all pagan) variously in hell, limbo or heaven. This in turn has the effect of allowing the providence theme to sit alongside that of doom because the distancing of the heroic characters from paganism conversely allows their more believable association with God’s fate.

To further this effect, there is a selective assimilation of Christian sources into the poem. This is exampled by the numerous references to the Old Testament, in particular to the race of Giants – e.g. “and the giants too who strove with God” (113) – and to the original sin and banishment of Cain for the murder of Abel (105-114). This enables a listener from a Germanic culture to more readily accept the Christian overtones, as the Old Testament is notably closer to their own in its values than the New Testament, as well as the characters to be portrayed as what Hill refers to as “Noachites”, a people possessing the intrinsic monotheism of Noah but before the “revealed knowledge of God …granted to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, a tradition culminated by the revelation of Law to Moses”.

Thus, although at one point the poem does iterate that they were damned as pagans because “The Almighty Judge / of good deeds and bad, the Lord God, /… was unknown to them” (180-3) (which is possibly explained as an interpolation), it enables the poet to suggest that these pagan heroes could, in fact, be fated for salvation by God and in death go to heaven, such as Hrethel who “chose God’s light” (2469).

Thus, we can see how the poet of Beowulf reconciles these two divergent themes of fate and destiny, on one hand doom and on the other providence. In this respect the poem therefore also represents a much larger scale co-assimilation and synthesis of the Germanic and Christian traditions. The resulting fine balance struck by the poet between them is highly interesting from a literary viewpoint and also gives the poem an intense and rich atmosphere.

Conclusion:

Thus we can see how the poet reconciles these two different strands of fate, on one hand doom and on the other providence. In this respect the poem therefore also represents the co-assimilation of the Germanic and Christian traditions.

Curiously, the Navajo peoples have no word In their language that can be directly translated to “religion”, In the way we perceive It (Woman 536). Rather, the term ‘religion’ refers to their world view. Anthropologists define religion as a set of attitudes, beliefs, and practices dealing with supernatural powers. The Navajo do not divide the secular from the holy; life and religion are one in the same. The Dine religion has a deep connection with the supernatural. Gods, spirits, monsters, and other supernatural beings play a large part of their everyday life.

Din Dinned, or the “Holy People”, are viewed as gods by the Navajo. The term used for the deities does not Imply that these are virtuous gods, but that they are powerful and dangerous. It is considered the duty of humans to preserve a harmonious connection with the Holy People (Woman 539). The Navajo are polytheistic; however the Changing Woman is possibly the most cherished deity. Her twin sons, Monster Slayer and Born For Water, their father the Sun, and her make up some sort of “Holy Family” which is often seen in myth and ritual (Woman 539).

There can be confusion about which Din Dinned appears In certain myths and rituals because different Ames are occasionally used to represent the same deity (Woman 539), The Navajo have a heavy sense of animism, which is the belief in spirits. Nearly everything in the universe contains a human-like inner form Ones). This inner-form is very similar to the concept of a soul. Aside from natural phenomena, such as mountains and plants, material objects such as arrowheads can even contain this in-lying “soul” (Woman 539). However, death and ghosts are greatly feared In their society (Nonfood-Grimm 1801).

The dead are burled promptly without any accompaniment of a public ceremony. (Adams 253). To keep the deceased from returning, all of their possessions would be destroyed or rendered useless. This would be done so personal belongings would follow the deceased into the afterlife, therefore, keeping them happy and giving them no reason to return (Inform-Grimm 1801 ). The Holy People and spirits are central to Navajo life. Monsters plague their peripheral existence. Monsters may help explain a disastrous situation every now and then, such as The Monster Who Kicks People Down the Cliff, but It Is not something one would come across every day.

Because of the Navajo everyday connection with the preternatural, myth plays an important role in day-to-day activities. Most myths discuss how things came to be, such as how humans came about. The creation myth of the Navajo describes the four worlds the Din Dinned passed through before creating the first earth surface people, known as First Man and First Woman, in the fifth world (Martinez 35). Myth also has a direct link to ceremonies and rituals the Navajo perform. The Changing Woman influences a very important rite of passage for girls who reach puberty. It is said the Changing Woman grew from infancy to maturity in four days.

To honor this myth, upon a girl’s first menstruation cycle, she partakes in a ritual known as the Kendal. The Kendal is a four day ceremony which begins with a blessings chant, and finishes with the young woman blessing a number of small children by lifting them, and killings their heads. TLS Is done so “their bodies grow There are few ceremonies, however, that mark a life-change. The Navajo see seven stages in life, however only three are recognized through ceremony. The first is at birth, where both the mother and child are washed, chanted over and sprinkled tit pollen to protect them from evil.

The second applies only to girls, as it is the puberty ceremony discussed above. There is no puberty ceremony for boys. The third would be marriage. A brief blessings chant would take place, followed by a feast for family and friends (Inform-Grimm 1800). Most Navajo ceremonies and rituals focus on restoring “h¶GHz¶” or universal balance and harmony Cones 337). This is most often done through ceremonials. Ceremonies are often held in a Hogan (a house, or building) in a group setting (Woman 537). Ceremonies can employ multiple types of ritual.

Offerings are sometimes made to the Din Dinned to attract attention and obligate their assistance. Another common practice is a sort of a sacred meal. Pollen is often consumed in addition to prayer. This is because pollen is personified as Corn Pollen Boy and his cohort Corn Beetle Girl, who together represent fertility, life, and happiness. Perhaps the most common form of ritual found in the Navajo religion is prayer. Prayer is often seen in the form of chants, and songs (Woman 541). All of these rituals can be combined to maximize the chance of contact with the supernatural.

The Navajo interesting view of the inner-form make the sacred aspect of religion interesting. Because nearly all things in the universe have this human-like inner form, whether it be one of the four cardinal directions or a Din dinned, there is no clear separation of sacred and profane (Woman 539). As mentioned earlier, the main duty of man is to preserve a harmonious relationship with the Holy People. A person may rely on this relationship for healing, or for good fortune in the future. Ceremonies are rarely ever done in a private setting. Even in a girl’s Kendal Rooney, the various segments are done with others.

During the Kendal, it is customary for the young woman to race, in honor of the run the Changing Woman took towards the dawn. The subject of the ceremony races with other girls her age (Inform-Grimm 1800). The beliefs of the Navajo also easily fulfill both the intellectual and psychological needs of the society. Because of their strong belief in the supernatural, natural phenomena can easily be explained. When one falls ill, it can often be blamed upon a ghost or possibly improper contact with a Din Dinned. This is a very simple explanation for why negative experiences may occur.

One can find relief from these tragedies by expecting a cure from a ceremony (Woman 537). The major religious practitioner in the Dine society is called a singer. Singers are full time specialists who dedicate themselves to learning one or two major chanteys (Woman 538). A chantey is essentially a ceremony. However, the ceremonies performed by the Navajo are often long and drawn out, lasting two, three, five, or even nine nights (Adams 252). Singers spend years studying a single chantey with an older expert, who receives gifts from their apprentices as payment.

Singers hold very high status and sometimes act as informal leaders in their communities (Woman 538). Because they are able to have full-time religious specialists, the Navajo religion religious practitioners, as well as group prayer, which is all present with the Dine. Religion plays a key role in the everyday life of the Navajo peoples. Their world view is evident through their beliefs and actions. The Dine views provide the society with important values and ideas. The use of religion by the Navajo gives an example of how a society can be positively affected by a unique belief system.

T. S. Eliot’s Murder in the Cathedral tells the story of Thomas Beckett, a man who reigned as Archbishop of Canterbury during the 12th century in England until his death in 1170. In order to tell Beckett’s story, Eliot creates a series of equally interesting characters that each play a crucial role thought the play. The most unique rolefound within the play is the Women ofCanterbury, or the Chorus. Throughout the piece, the Chorus delivers seven choral odes. These choral odes, when looked at as a collective work tell a story.

They begin with brief foreshadowing of events that will occur later in the play, but then quickly jump into necessary storyline; one which summarizes the events of the pasts, and then immerses the audience into the common man’s view of the events in the present. The first choral ode begins with heavy foreshadowing. The Women of Canterbury are drawn towards the Cathedral, but they do not know why. At first, there is confusion. They question, “Are we drawn by danger? Is it the knowledge of safety that that draws our feet towards the Cathedral? As they reach the cathedral however, they come upon a realization. “There is not danger for us, and there is no safety in the cathedral. Some presage of an act, which our eyes are compelled to witness, has forced our feet towards the cathedral. ” They recognize that it is not their own personal danger that draws them closerto the cathedral, but instead the foreshadowing of a horrifying act in which they will be forced to bear witness. It will be an act so terrible, that safety can not even be found within the hallowed halls of the cathedral.

After the period of foreshadowing, themood of the first choral ode drasticallyshifts away from the dark and mysterious presage of an act to a description of the concrete past. The remainder of the choral ode serves as away to bring the audience up to speed on the last seven years of Canterbury’shistory. While they convey the events of the past, the women of Canterbury express a constant lurking fear for the safety of their Archbishop. A perfect example of this common theme found within the first choral ode is in the following stanza, in which the Chorus states: “Seven years and the summer is over,

Seven years since the Archbishop left us, He who was always so kind to his people. But it would not be well if should return. ” These lines are typical of the first choral ode, for not only do they explain to the audience that the Archbishop Thomas Beckett has been gone for seven years now, but they fear for his well being and for the wellbeing of Canterbury if he were to return. As the choral ode draws to a close, the Women of Canterbury give off a sense of unavoidable waiting. They say: “Come happy December, who shall observe you, who shall preserve you? Shall the Son of Man be born again in the litter of scorn?

For us, the poor, there is no action, But only to wait and to witness” They welcome the month of December,but then question how it could possibly be a joyous time. Who would be able to celebrate the Christmas and Advent season with the terrible events that are about to occur? Could Jesus bereborn into such scorn? The Women ofCanterbury know that there is little they can do at this time. They must wait, and then witness the act that they fear. With the commencement of the secondchoral ode, the general mood shifts from confusion and waiting to fear. The Women of Canterbury have been informed that Beckett is returning to Canterbury.

Such an announcement stirs great anxiety amongst them. They fear that their way of life will be disrupted and endangered. They plea to a Thomas who has not yet arrived to: “Return. Quickly. Quietly. Leave us to perish in quiet. You come with applause, you come with rejoicing, but You come bringing death into Canterbury: A doom on the house, a doom on yourself, a doom on the world. ” The women say that though they will be rejoicing on the outside, their deep insides will be dominated by fear, for they believe that his coming will come hand in hand with his own death.

The idea of fear is the general theme in thesecond choral ode, as it constantly recurs throughout the lines. Later in the choral ode, the women say, “We are afraid in a fear which we cannot know, which we cannot face, which none understands. ” This illustrates thedepth and complexity of the fear which they are facing, for they know not how to neither combat it nor completely comprehend it. All the people know is that with Thomas comes death upon their home of Canterbury, so the beg him to “leave us, leave us, leave us sullen Dover, andset sail for France. ” The fear of the second choral ode becomes a reality in the third.

The Women of Canterbury know what decision Beckett has made. They tell him, “We have not been happy, my Lord, we have not been too happy. We are not ignorant women, we know what we must expect and not expect. ” By saying this, the Women of Canterbury mean that they understandthe consequences that Thomas has chosen by staying in Canterbury. They know that he will perish if he stays. Then the women begin to despair. They cry, “God gave us always some reason, some hope; but now a new terror has soiled us, which none can avert,” and, “God is leaving us, God is leaving us, more pang, more pain than birth or death. The Women of Canterbury, who always took faith in the idea the God was protecting their Archbishop, believe that Thomas has turned away from the Lord’s protection by deciding to remain at Canterbury, for not even God could protect him from the wrath of what was yet to come. The fourth choral ode that opens up the second act heads in a completely different direction than the intense despair of the third choral ode. Instead, this choral ode is more accepting, for the chorus knows that the death of Beckett is coming. Nature is used throughout this choral ode to foreshadow his death.

At one point theWomen of Canterbury say, “The starved crow sits in the field, attentive;and in the wood the owl rehearses the hallow note of death. ” The starved crow that they speak of symbolizes the Four Knights, who arrive in Canterburyshortly after the choral ode is delivered. The owl symbolizes the result of their visit to Canterbury: a death, a death that they fear will be brought upon Thomas. Though they have accepted the situation, the Women of Canterbury feel helpless, for all they can do between that moment and Thomas’s death is wait.

Asthere is nothing they can do, they say,”We wait, and the time is short, but the waiting is long. ” As the fifth choral ode begins, the helplessness from the fourth choral ode carries over, but this time it is coupled with an air of guilt. The Women of Canterbury are stuck in an in between zone. They grieve: “Now is too late for action, too soon for contrition. Nothing is possible but the shamed swoon Of those consenting to the last humiliation. I have consented, Lord Archbishop, have consented. ” The women realize that the wheel is turning and the eternal action leading to Beckett’s doom is in motion.

They are in despair, for it is too late for them to try and aid their Archbishop, but too soon for them to seek forgiveness for allowing Beckett to be killed. The murder of their Archbishop is a matter that they are taking personal responsibility for, and they view it as a humiliation to them all. Their final cry of “I have consented, Lord Archbishop” truly isolates and illustrates the immense guilt that they have brought upon themselves. The Women of Canterbury believe that by standing aside and allowing the Knights to threaten Thomas, they have consented to his murder.

All they have left is helplessness, guilt, and like always, waiting. The sixth choral ode is met with a shiftfrom helplessness to intense distress. Archbishop Thomas Beckett has just been murdered, and the Women of Canterbury feel as if they, along with all of Canterbury, have been stained with their Archbishop’s blood. The chorus screams: “Clear the air! Clean the sky! Wash thewind! Take the Stone from the stone, take the skin from the arm, Take the muscle from the bone, and wash them. Wash the stone, wash the bone, wash the brain,

Wash the soul, wash them wash them! ” As shown, the Women of Canterbury become obsessed with trying to wash themselves clean of Beckett’s blood. Such words confirm that the Women of Canterbury see not only the Four Knights as Thomas Beckett’s killer, but themselves as well. They feel severe regret, proclaiming: “We did not wish anything to happen We understood the private catastrophe, The personal loss, the general misery, Living and partly living” These lines show that, though they believe that they were a part of the murder, they were unintentionally involved.

They did not mean for any illwill to come upon their Archbishop, but through their lack of action, their living and partly living, they allowed Beckett to face a tragedy, a tragedy that they were completely aware of, alone. The Women of Canterbury abandoned their Lord, and they do notknow how to deal with their despair The final choral ode begins not with despair, but instead with grateful praise to an all powerful God. The entire choral ode reads like one long prayer of praise, thanks, and then contrition to a merciful God. At points,the Women of Canterbury even go as far as to compare their deceased Archbishop to Jesus Christ.

In it’s beginning, they say, “We praise Thee, O God, for Thy glory displayed in all the creatures” The Women of Canterbury then go on to on to show their gratitude to God by respectfully praying, “We thank Thee for Thy mercies of blood, for Thy redemption by blood. For the blood of Thy martyrs and saints. ” By these words, the Women of Canterbury are thanking God for redeeming their souls with theblood of Thomas, their Archbishop. Through these lines, Eliot is comparingthe murder of Thomas Beckett to the death of Jesus Christ on the cross, saying that both died to save the souls of those around them.

Finally, the Woman of Canterbury seek contrition, pleading, “Forgive us, O Lord, we acknowledge ourselves as type of the common man, of the men and women who shut the door and sit by the fire. “On one level, they ask forgiveness for standing by and doing nothing to prevent Beckett’s death, for they are just common men. If read more deeply however, they return to the Christ like image of Beckett. The common men askfor forgiveness, for like Peter, they”sat by the fire” and denied their Lord.

Just as Peter allowed Christ to die, so the Women of Canterbury allowed Thomas Beckett to die. The seven choral odes in T. S. Eliot’s Murder in the Cathedral tell the story of the common man’s view of the events that occurred during that fateful December of 1170 in Canterbury. Through foreshadowing and interesting use of language, T. S. Eliot crafts the Chorus to be one of, if not the most fascinating character found within the whole play. Their unique perspective on Thomas Beckett’s murder truly makes Murder in the Cathedral one of the greatest plays of the 20th Century.

The term captain is synonymous with the term leader. By definition, a leader is someone who is in an advanced position to take the initiative in order to go forth and show the way. A dance captain should be able to make intelligent and creative decisions quickly and efficiently. Being a dance team captain for the Mighty Marching Lions has so much more to do with choreography and precision.

Because we are a part of a Christian marching band, our purpose and our duty to fulfill that purpose is ten times greater than that of a traditional marching band. Without God, we would not have this grand opportunity and because of that we have to do things differently than the world would. We as band members are all working towards a goal which is ministering and showing the world the power of youth through the will of God. A captain must be able to effectively communicate and build a positive relationship with the team.

A good relationship between captain and team is essential to the success of the team. Without it, everyone may not be on one accord and to accomplish our goals we all have to look and think like one. Every team has there issues and there is always going to be a time when someone is upset with someone else. Although our actions and words may not always project to be what we intend them to be, there are always reasonable solutions that can be taken in order to avoid altercations.

We are of God and therefore we need to try our best to always show the love of God. I believe that I do posses many qualities of a leader. I am always pushing and striving to be greater. There may be times where I do get a dance move right away but I go home and practice until I feel I have mastered that move. I enjoy the fitness that we do before practice because I want a stronger body so that I can be a better dancer. I have a very independent personality and it is only because I want to be the best Christian, dancer, and overall person that I can be.

One of our dance tattoos is “No compromise”. I do not ever want to compromise myself or my beliefs to fit it. A leader never “fits in”. I always try my best to follow instructions because I know that this dance team is not only for me, it is for the world. We have to show the world the light. In this band you have to become selfless and know that when you are performing it is so that we can reach the world and save lives. Although I am also a dancer on my school’s dance team I would still be very committed to Divine Purpose.

My contributions to this dance team would be enthusiasm, hard work ethic, and dedication. I am very excited to be apart of this dance team. I have been apart from the very beginning. I remember our first performance at the WE Fest on that very small stage. We didn’t even have team T-shirts but we tried to dance our hearts out. Moments like those are ones I never want to forget. I cannot wait for the incoming dancers to begin so that our team can grow and flourish. Pastor Powe is always preaching on legacy and I want to be able to leave one for future dancers.

Why does God not answer most people’s prayers? Do you know how to pray in a way that will get real results? Here are 12 practical steps that will help secure the favor of God for answered prayer!

Pray Sincerely to the True God

It is absolutely vital that you pray to the very real God of the Bible if you expect genuine answers to your prayers. He reveals Himself to mankind in many ways in creation, in the Bible, in His foretelling specific divine intervention in world affairs and in direct answers to those who seek and obey Him through fervent holy worship.

In our modern, ecumenical (worldwide) approach to religion, we may think that praying to some vague “blob” in the sky or to an idol of Buddha is just the same as praying to the creator the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Israel and Jesus Christ, but it is not the same at all! The true God was revealed by Jesus Christ (Matthew 11:27). To one of His disciples, He said, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known me? We read of Jesus Christ acknowledging that God was a loving, divine Person a “Father. And we see the Father acting through Christ to heal the sick, to comfort the downcast and to teach those whom He calls to keep not only the Ten Commandments, but all of His words as a way of life . Christ also set an example for us in praying to the Father: “Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said, ‘Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You’” . We serve an awesome God, with limitless power and glory! When you get down on both knees and lift up your hands in prayer to the great creator of the universe, you should think of to whom you are praying.

Remember that He is not only the Creator, but also the active Sovereign ruler of the entire universe and the Bible says that it is God’s good pleasure to give us the Kingdom and all that is contained in it. Be sure you always pray specifically to This God the true God and to no other. As you begin your prayer, think about whom you are praying to and consciously worship this Great God who gives you life and breath.

Study the Bible

It naturally follows that praying to the true God involves believing what He says. And we find His words instructing human beings how they should live in the Holy Bible. It reveals essential knowledge that we could not acquire in any other way. It is God’s “Instruction Manual” for humanity. It tells us who God is what He is like and how we ought to serve Him. In its pages we find God’s own instructions (not suggestions) as to how we ought to live for and pray to Him. You will not receive this full instruction by just “going to church” or by carelessly reading bits and pieces of the Bible for comfort or inspiration. God commands us in His Word, “Earnestly study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman unashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth” .

To know God, to understand His will and to believe in His promises, one needs to regularly study His inspired Word in an orderly way just as you might study a science textbook or a volume on history. A good place to start is the book of Matthew. Read this through slowly and carefully noting what Jesus actually said, paying particular attention to the many examples of answered prayer.

Deeply Repent of Your Sins

Although from time to time God hears the prayers of anyone who sincerely cries out to Him in time of need, He is not bound by His Word to do this. God’s Word says, “Behold the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; nor His ear dull, that it cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear” (Isaiah 59:1-2). It is not our job to psychoanalyze or “spiritually dissect” those who have not had their prayers answered in the past. But we have a duty to ask ourselves: “Do I worship the true God? Do I do His will? Please be honest with yourself. It is easy to rationalize or to reason around this very clear scriptural teaching about obeying God’s law for having your prayers answered.

As you grow in grace and in the knowledge of Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18), He will live His life in you more and more fully over the course of your Christian life. Certainly you will not be perfect (mature) all at once, and no human being has ever been perfect (spotless) except Jesus Christ Himself. But you will be walking in the way of the Ten Commandments by surrendering to Him. By walking with Christ in this manner, you can be assured of having more powerful answers to your prayers than ever before.

Forgive Others

Another vital key to answered prayer is our willingness to truly forgive others. Frankly, our loving Father in heaven simply does not hear those who come to Him in a spirit of revenge, bitterness or hatred. Immediately after giving us the “Lord’s Prayer” the outline prayer describing the right general approach to talking with God Jesus went on to instruct His followers: “If you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also for give you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses neither will your Father for give your trespasses” (Matthew 6:14-15). And Psalm 66:18-20 says, “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me: but verily (truly) God hath heard me: He hath attended to the voice of my prayer. Blessed be the God, which hath not turned away my prayer, nor His mercy from me. ”

Seek God’s Will

Another key to successful prayer is to be absolutely sure that as far as possible you align your will and your requests with God’s will. As you zealously study the Bible and yield to let Christ live within you, His will increasingly replaces your own. It affects how you pray. You come to realize that God has made all men and women in His image that He will call all mankind to understanding and repentance in His own time. With this in mind, you will not be praying just for your own good, but for the good of others as well. Then you can sincerely say to God, as Jesus did: “Not My will, but Yours be done” . Remember this key phrase from the outline prayer of Jesus in Matthew 6, “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven”. We all need to focus on this as we pray. What is really best for us and everyone concerned in the long run only God knows for sure!

On the other hand, the Bible contains literally dozens of promises and/or direct indications of what God has done or will do in regard to answered prayer. If we pray in faith that God will hear us and in accordance to His will we may be sure that He is listening. “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him”.

Have Faith in God

The more you drink in of the Bible, the more deeply you will realize the importance of faith. But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Heb. 11:6). The bottom line is that you cannot please God without Faith, and generally speaking, the Bible makes it crystal clear that God will not hear and answer your prayers unless you come to Him in faith. “But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord”.

We need to take careful note of this vital teaching of Jesus Christ with respect to prayer and faith: “Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say unto you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them” (Mark 11:22-24). By continually drinking in of the Bible and praying for faith, you will find that your faith will increase more and more.

Understand that living faith is produced by God’s Holy Spirit within us, and Jesus said, “If you then, being evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy spirit to those who ask Him! ” . God wants to give us those things we ask for if we humbly ask for them and our motives and priorities are not selfish ones. So we need to pray to Him continually to give us the faith we need. We need to learn to believe in the promises of God. We need to learn to believe that God is real that He has perfect wisdom, perfect love and perfect power.

Realize that He will keep all his promises! We need to learn to imitate Abraham, the father of the faithful (Romans 4:16), for he “did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also ableto perform” . This is real faith. This is the attitude you must have to receive genuine answers to your prayers.

Be Persistent

If your child asks you just once for a bicycle and then seemingly forgets about it and never brings the subject up again how deep is his or her desire for it? How much do you think they would appreciate it if they did get one? And so it is when we ask for something from our Heavenly father. Before He supernaturally intervenes, God wants to know that we deeply desire whatever we ask for, and that we will respect and worship Him for answering our prayer. In other words, God uses our need or desire as a vehicle to draw us closer to Him, spiritually to cause us to focus on His will and on what is really best for us and for any others who might be involved. If we carelessly ask for something, and then virtually forget that we ever did, what would that indicate?

It might tell God that we are not all that interested in His doing what we ask! Or it could be that all our desires are shallow, perhaps constantly changing, and that we would not feel a deep sense of appreciation and worship even if He constantly answered such shallow prayers! God wants us to be persistent. He wants us to walk with Him, talk with Him and commune with Him continually day after day in this age, and ultimately throughout eternity! The Apostle Paul instructs us to “pray without ceasing”.

David said in Psalm 55:16-17, “As for me, I will call upon God, and the Lord shall save me. Evening and morning and at noon I will pray, and cry aloud, and He shall hear my voice. ” So pray regularly. Spend plenty of time communing with Jesus Christ and your Heavenly Father. And never stop praying to God! For, in more ways than one, your very life depends upon this contact!

Pray Fervently

In Hosea 7:14 God cites as one of the reasons He did not hear the prayers of ancient Israel was that “and they have not cried unto Me with their heart. The Moffatt translation of this same verse reads, “They never put their Heart into their prayers. ” What about us? Do you and I pray with our entire being? Or do we just rattle off a memorized prayer like some pagan chant or perhaps sleepily mumble a few half-hearted requests to God just before drifting off to sleep? Again, remember Jesus’ example of getting up early to pray to the Father. For prayer was vitally important to Christ. That is why He apparently put it first on His schedule before anything else could interfere.

And he probably came back to God repeatedly as the day progressed. The Book of Hebrews tells us about Christ’s passionate, heartfelt prayers: “Who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death and was heard because of His godly fear” (Heb. 5:7). It is good to go to a private place to pray as Jesus instructed in Matthew 6. Alone, we can occasionally cry out to our temptations or difficulties where only the help of God Himself can fully take care of the situation.

In Luke 22:44 Jesus was crying out to His Father in such an intense and passionate manner that some of His capillaries may have literally burst filling certain sweat ducts with blood. In our modern secular, hedonistic, laid back society, we need to grasp that the truly vital issues of life are not material. Rather, they are spiritual having to do with our Creator and with all eternity. They are certainly worthy of getting excited about. So let us put our hearts into our prayers. Let us be fervent! Let us be passionate as we pour out our hearts to the awesome Personality who wants to be our real Father: the High and Lofty One who inhabits eternity”.

Ask God to Fashion and Mold You

A genuine man or woman of God is one who has totally surrendered to the will of the Creator. Through the Prophet Isaiah God tells us: “But on this one will I look: on Him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at My word” . This attitude of seeking God’s will rather than our own of total submission to our Heavenly father is vital to our prayer life if we are to receive constant and powerful answers.

Do you want to truly grow spiritually? Listen to Ephesians 4:13: “Till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. ” If you’re serious about growing and becoming mature then we need to all “wrestle with God” in our prayers as Jacob literally wrestled with Him and prevailed . We need to engage Him in long, thoughtful conversation about how we can more fully yield to Him, walk with Him in our lives. We need to constantly ask God to help us fulfill the great purpose for which we were born.

It is fine within limits to pray for physical things. In this way He becomes increasingly real to us. Through constant and heartfelt Bible Study and prayer we must seek God’s will. We must grasp that our past ideas and attitudes about God and religion in general need much improvement. This process will bring us to a point in our lives where we learn to walk with Him, talk with Him, quietly commune with Him off and on all day long. Sincerely ask Him to mold you into His own image. The approach of yielding to God as you pray, of asking Him to rebuke and chasten and fashion you, is one of the vital keys to really powerful prayer.

Give Praise and Thanks to Almighty God

Another of the qualities that made King David a man after God’s own heart was the sincere love, worship and adoration that he continually expressed toward the great creator who blessed him, sustained him and guided him. The entire Book of Psalms is literally filled with David’s prayers of worship and adoration.

Listen to Psalm 18:1-3, “I will love you, O Lord my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold, I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised; so shall I be saved from my enemies. ” Fifty verses and David never asked for one thing! All he does is give God praise and thanks for what He has already done. When was the last time you got down on your knees or walked on your feet and just gave God continuous repetitious praise and thanks for what He has already done?

We need to constantly thank and praise God for every good gift and for His help and blessing in every situation . Instead of losing control in our enthusiasm for sports figures, rock and rap stars or any other human idols, let us unashamedly pour out our whole being in thanking, praising and worshiping the God who made us and who gives us life and breath. This is the God who forgives us time and time and time again, who guides and blesses us, and who in the end plans to share His eternal glory with us if we will only respond and learn to love Him as He loves us.

Pray in the Name of Jesus Christ

To truly and correctly use Jesus’ name in prayer we must OBEY Him and again ask according to His will. Remember that in the Sermon on the Mount, Christ warned: “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Those who do not really know the true God or His way are simply not capable of properly coming before Him in the name of Jesus Christ. To pray in the name of Jesus is to approach the throne of God through the name the office and authority of Jesus Christ who gives us access to the very throne room of God.

So as you approach God in heartfelt, regular prayer, be sure you are obeying your Lord and Master Jesus Christ. Though He does not expect instant spiritual maturity, He does want us to walk in His way through the help of the Holy Spirit. When we do we can then come to the Father through Christ alone to make the direct contact of effective prayer. And remember, James said, “the effectual (unceasing) fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much” .