I wanted to know who the Quakers were. The Quakers, I was told,
are people who wait for the spirit to move them. A picture formed in my mind. Young eyes are new eyes, and to new eyes all
things are fresh, vivid, original. They can light
up. We need instruction
in the Bible, in poetry, in all literature that contains truth and
beauty. But it should
not be forgotten that all people, especially young people, have poetry
in them. I
would not have worshiped in any formal sense, for I had not been taught
any form. Time would have dragged. And when finally it did end, I'd have been as
glad for the ending as I had been for the beginning. It springs up from our depths, as
love does. To worship is an
innate need of man. No one has to tell you to eat. No one has to
force you to take food. Worship is a hunger of the human soul for God. When it really occurs, it
is as compelling as the hunger for food. If we feel it, no one needs tell us we should
worship. No one has to try to make us do it. If we do not feel it, or
have no desire to feel it, no amount of urging or forcing will do any
good. We simply cannot be forced, from the outside, to worship. Only the
power within us, the life within, can move us to it. But others can guide our preliminary efforts. They can help us to
prepare to worship. Our minds are alert. But not our spirits. Worship is our response to God's reality, a reality which is, to be
sure, within men, but which also is the radiant foundation of the entire
universe. In trying to worship, we turn ourselves Godwards. If it is unliving it is not worship. We are,
perhaps, preparing ourselves to worship. Worship is spiritual action. By
means of it our spirits awake, mature, and grow up to God. Some love animals, some flowers. Some love truth, some
love beauty. There is nothing incredible about our wanting to love and to be loved by
God. The incredible fact is that it can actually happen, does happen. Some day we will experience it. Then our doubts will end. Then we will
worship God through love of Him. Worship is a door into that love. God is good, but men are evil. We exist in sin, remote from Him, in
hell or next door to it. Turning
inward, we turn away from all externals. The one led to the other. It was an
experience. It was a recovery of the living Deity. Let him
answer in his own words. All right, I am prepared to
accept that as truth. But these things exist in us. They constitute a part of us. The attitude, in brief, is this. Therefore man, in his entirety, is not separated from God. They called it the "natural man," the "earthly man." Therefore it must be overcome. Nor can we, as long as we remain identified with him. Should he try to
pray, he but prays according to his own ignorant and faulty notions. Should he try to worship, he but worships in his own will, not according
to the will of God. What, specifically, were they to do? Friends waited, both in and out of meeting. Waiting
preceded worship. Waiting prepared for worship, and the springing up of
new life. By waiting they began worshiping. God found them in the silence. The Light can invade us. Love may gather us. This makes us more
tolerant, less intense. Young people say, "We want action." Let us move forward, as we must if we are to
move at all. But let us build upon those foundations, not scrap them. This way may be effective. When it is, the body-mind
actually is lifted above its usual state, the spiritual nature is
evoked. All externals are dispensed with. This way may be
effective. When it is, the body-mind is subordinated and ceases to exist
as the principal part of man. There is no life, only a sterile
quietism. But most people, he pointed out,
find that impossible. So may
genuine togetherness. Peace settles over us. If you have not made a name for yourself, forget this. If you feel unimportant, lay this
down. If articulate or inarticulate, forget this. In fine, forget
yourself. Immerse yourself in the life of the group. This is our chance to lose ourselves in a unified and greater life. Seek, in the words of Thomas Kelly, to
will your will into the will of God. Quiet and relax the body. It must be kept upright, alert, wakeful. Still the mind, gather it, turn it steadfastly towards God. This is more
difficult. Only by effort, practice, repeated effort, regular
practice. We must make effort throughout the week, daily, hourly. This is our
common preparation for worship. Some of us are not yet able to press on. We need hints from others, suggestions, guides. Once I have centered down I try to open myself, to let the light in. Having aroused my expectancy, I wait. In attitude or silent words I may say, "I am before thee, Lord. If
it be thy will, work thy love in me, work thy love in us." "O wait," wrote Isaac Penington, "wait upon God. Be still a while. My body was but an object, unliving, filling space on a bench. I
hold it in mind and look at it, and at myself. I examine it. To find out how urgent it is, I press it down and try to forget it. The silence should accept them. The
invisible life should sanction them. No. Silence, we believe, is a necessary means to such communion. For if
we are busy with our own talk, God will not speak to us. For if we stir
about in our own wills, God will not move us. In the meeting for worship
we try to obey the command, "Be still, and know that I am God." God is
the goal. A living silence is a means thereto. They had some problems to talk over. But others are in need of more,
and the preceding chapter tries to speak to this need. Anyone who is genuinely
moved to. Put your mind on that, and take it off yourself. Do not compare
yourself with others, thinking that they speak fluently, you poorly. Be
concerned to communicate. Try. It
will still be there, but you can overcome it more readily the next time. Keep trying. WHAT SHOULD BE SPOKEN OF IN THE MEETING FOR WORSHIP? Open yourself and accept, should it come to you, the call to an inspired
ministry. No. But more frequently some words are spoken. They should not break the
silence, but continue it. Suffer it. Struggle against it. Kindle your expectancy. Wait before the Lord. Think of Him. Pray Him to send His life into you, and into the meeting, and into the
people of the world. No. No. A live meeting evokes life. WHAT SHOULD WE DO, IN AND OUT OF MEETING, IN OUR PERIODS OF WORSHIP AND
IN OUR DAILY LIVES?