Sacrifices of Thanksgiving 

 "What is a sacrifice? It is an offering to God. A "sacrifice of thanksgiving" is to praise God when you do not feel like it; when you are depressed and despondent; when your life is covered with thick clouds and midnight darkness. While we are admonished to "pray without ceasing," are we not also commanded to "rejoice evermore"?

Many homes display the motto, "Prayer Changes Things," and great blessing has resulted from this simple statement. We are all aware that prayer does change things. We know, also, that many times the enemy has not been moved one inch from the stronghold, although we have persisted in prayer for days, months--yes, often years.

Such was my own experience when passing through a time of very great pressure, and prayer did not change things. I came into possession of a wonderful secret. That secret is simply this: after we have prayed and believed, "Praise Changes Things"!

One morning a fellow-missionary, who was then a guest in our home, went out into the garden for a stroll. He returned after a short time holding in his hand a lovely white pigeon that he had found beside the garden walk. One of its wings was injured and it could not fly. The missionary became greatly interested in its welfare, building a coop from an old wooden box to shelter it from the weather, and feeding it morning, noon and night. As the days passed, the bird became quite tame. It would watch its mates as they soared away up in the heavens, making no attempt to use its wings and follow them in their flight. Poor little bird with a broken wing! Our hearts were knit to the wee thing in tender sympathy, for were we not also prisoners!

Prayer had gone up from our hearts almost unceasingly; one long, yearning cry for deliverance from the bondage which held us. Not one rift in the cloud could we discern. Though we used our "prayer-wing" we were like the little bird--BOUND. We praise God, that throughout those dark days we were kept from fainting. Faith ever beheld a star of hope!

Our loving Lord drew our attention at this time to an altogether new line of attacking the enemy. His Word unfolded step by step, and such a revelation of the secret of obtaining victory was given that our prayer life underwent a complete transformation. We discerned that two wings were necessary to mount the soul God-ward: Prayer and Praise! Prayer asks. but Praise obtains the answer.

- Mrs. C. Cowman