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suffered much from wandering of mind for the first ten minutes, or a
quarter of an hour, or even half an hour, I only then began _really to
pray_. I scarcely ever suffer now in this way. For my heart being
nourished by the truth, being brought into _experimental_ fellowship
with God, I speak to my Father and to my Friend (vile though I am, and
unworthy of it) about the things that he has brought before me in his
precious word. It often now astonishes me that I did not sooner see this
point. In no book did I ever read about it. No public ministry ever
brought the matter before me. No private intercourse with a brother
stirred me up to this matter. And yet now, since God has taught me this
point, it is as plain to me as anything, that the first thing the child
of God has to do morning by morning is, to _obtain food for his inner
man_. As the outward man is not fit for work for any length of time
except we take food, and as this is one of the first things we do in the
morning, so it should be with the inner man. We should take food for
that, as every one must allow. Now what is the food for the inner man?
Not _prayer_, but _the word of God_; and here again, not the simple
reading of the word of God, so that it only passes through our minds,
just as water runs through a pipe, but considering what we read,
pondering over it, and applying it to our hearts. When we pray, we speak
to God. Now, prayer, in order to be continued for any length of time in
any other than a formal manner, requires, generally speaking, a measure
of strength or godly desire, and the season, therefore, when this
exercise of the soul can be most effectually performed is after the
inner man has been nourished by meditation on the word of God, where we
find our Father speaking to us, to encourage us, to comfort us, to
instruct us, to humble us, to reprove us. We may therefore profitably
meditate, with God's blessing, though we are ever so weak spiritually;
nay, the weaker we are, the more we need meditation for the
strengthening of our inner man. There is thus far less to be feared from
wandering of mind than if we give ourselves to prayer without having had
previously time for meditation. I dwell so particularly on this point
because of the immense spiritual profit and refreshment I am conscious
of having derived from it myself, and I affectionately and solemnly
beseech all my fellow-believers to ponder this matter. By the blessing
of God I ascribe to th