Many of you know that I am fascinated by prayer. It is something I have yet to fully comprehend, practice and master. I’ll probably never master it but I’ll keep at it as long as I live. Are you in the same boat as I am?
“. . . in everything by prayer” (1) is a partial phrase from the well known series of exhortations given to us by the Apostle Paul found in Philippians 4:2-9. The phrase encourages us to pray about everything . . . and especially when we’re overwhelmed and anxious.
Maybe you have heard the following funny yet painful story taken from an insurance form. The man submitting the form was asked to explain why he was filing for Workmen’s Compensation. He wrote:
“I arrived early in the morning after last night’s heavy rain and checked out the building at the construction site. Some of the previous day’s work had been damaged during the storm and needed repair. I rigged a hoist and a boom, attached the rope to a barrel and pulled bricks to the top. When I pulled the barrel to the top, I secured the rope at the bottom. After making the repairs I went to fill the barrel with the leftover bricks. I then went down and released the rope to lower the bricks and didn’t realize that the barrel was heavier than me. It immediately jerked me off the ground and rather than letting go, I decided to hang on.
Halfway up, I met the barrel coming down and received a blow to the shoulder. I hung on for dear life and went to the top where I hit my head on the boom and caught my fingers in the pulley. As that happened, the barrel hit the ground and burst open throwing bricks all over the place. This made the barrel lighter than me and I started down at a high rate of speed. Halfway down, I met the barrel coming up and received a blow to my shins. I continued down and fell on the pile of scattered bricks receiving cuts, bruises, and a broken leg. At this time I must have lost my presence of mind because I let go of the rope and the barrel came back down and hit me on the head giving me a concussion.”
Have you ever felt like this poor man? Sometimes the trials of body, mind, and soul can powerfully affect us. Nothing seems to go right. One things leads to another, then another . . . and then some more. At times life tends to go this way.
Such was the case for an Old Testament king by the name of Jehoshaphat who was facing certain annihilation from several enemy armies. He had good reason to panic but he didn’t.
Instead he prayed!
The earnest prayer of a righteous person
has great power and wonderful results! (2)
More about King Jehoshaphat next week!
God bless your weekend!
–John Tolle
1 – Philippisans 4:6
2 – James 5:16b