KNOWLEDGE V
S. EXPERIENCE John R. Mott, a great Christian layman who was the first Honorary President of the World Council of Churches, said that in his early years at university he began to have some serious doubts about the effectiveness of prayer. He didn’t see how prayer could work, how it could change people or events outside the person who prays. To deal with his doubts Dr. Mott decided to read some books on prayer. He read forty-three in all and, though he found them enlightening, they did not resolve his doubts. At last he decided to try a different approach. He stopped reading and gave up his wearisome discussions on prayer and actually began to pray. He prayed regularly and fervently and discovered for himself the truth of Scripture that “the prayer of a righteous man has great power in its effects.” Dr. Mott made the transition from a second-hand knowledge of religion to a first-hand experience of religion; and that is…
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