Whether you realize it or not, consistency will be a major factor in the quality of your prayer life. A solid prayer life is just like anything else in life. You get out of it what you put into it.
When Jesus walked the Earth he gave us a great example for consistency in prayer. These versus record him getting away so that he could speak to and hear from his father in heaven. Continue reading
Thirty years ago, there was a self-centered boy.
Most that knew him, avoided him. While growing up he rarely treated anyone with respect. His parents were good people who tried to teach him love, honor and responsibility. He was often in trouble at school and his parents tried everything they could to correct his behavior.
The boy noticed that his mom had a large candle in a glass container on the living room mantle. She would light the candle in the morning, and blow it out every afternoon. He also noticed that his father had a CD with some old songs on it. His father would listen to that CD everyday on his way to and from work.
The boy thought his parents were weird.
The odd candle ritual annoyed him, the fact that his dad still used CDs annoyed him, his parents annoyed him.
Though his parents did the best they could raising him, the boy remained self-centered all the way through school. But on the night of his high school graduation, knowing that he would be leaving for college soon. His parents sat him down for a talk.
His mom handed him the candle which was now burned down to the bottom of the glass. He grabbed it and noticed that his name was written on a label near the bottom of the candle. His dad handed him the CD, the boy took the CD and noticed that “my boy” was written on the CD in permanent marker.
His father spoke first “son, I have listened to this CD of hymns on my way to and from work almost every day over the last 18 years. The whole time the music played, I prayed for you. I prayed God would guide you, protect you, and speak to you. I want you to have this.” Next his mother said “son, I have prayed for you while this candle burned for almost two decades. I thought about you every time I would light it. I prayed that you would be a great man, full of compassion and love.”
The boy was speechless.
Through his tears he could now see his parents in a whole new way. He also saw God in a new way from that day on, and his life changed dramatically.
This morning, while driving his daughter to school, this young man played a CD.
This afternoon when he brought her home, his wife blew out a candle.
He smiled, knowing the power of persistent love, resilient faith, and consistent prayer.
Written by Tom Wise © Finding Wonder 2013
The more Sally thought about it the angrier she became. She was wearing her favorite dress and Lucy caused her to spill her chocolate milk all over herself. Lucy was always saying mean things to her and now she was going too far. She had kicked her backpack down the hill, pushed her off the wall in front of the school and now this.
Sally came through the front door just as angry as she was during lunch. Continue reading
Billy was walking his dog after dark one evening. As Billy and Spot rounded the corner at the end of their block Mr. Franklin’s cat ran out of the hedges and across the street.
Spot ran after the cat so fast Billy didn’t have time to react. The small beagle was now half a block away weaving in and out of cars parked on the street. The animals were moving too fast for Billy to keep pace. It was just a matter of a few seconds before he lost sight of them.
Jimmy burst through the kitchen door as if he were being chased. He didn’t stop to wipe his feet nor to turn and close the door.
In spite of his effort he kept wishing he could move faster. The hallway seemed twice as long but he finally made it to the stairs. He began taking the stairs two at a time.
His bedroom door was now in arms reach. Jimmy was moving so fast that he wasn’t able to turn the door knob. His momentum drove him face first into the door. As he turned the knob he stumbled and fell forward into the room. Continue reading