When to Pray…

When I was a pastor in Kentucky, I taught a women’s Bible study every Monday morning.  I would pick up an older lady, Mrs. Horn, and bring her to the Bible Study.  Mrs. Horn lived in a ram-shackled old farmhouse where she had raised ten children.  Her hair was thinning, and she was as plump as her husband was thin.  But Mrs. Horn had a deep and simple walk with Jesus. 

One rainy Kentucky morning, I splashed into her yard with my truck and pulled around to her back door.  She was waiting as usual, right behind her storm door.  I got out and escorted her to my little truck. 

She was all smiles and told me that the Lord had already answered one of her prayers that morning.  She said she thought she heard me coming up the driveway and opened the storm door.  A gust of wind blew the door out of her hand and pinned it against the house (the chain to hold it in place was long gone).  She could not reach the door without getting soaked. 

Mrs. Horn said she prayed for God to send another gust of wind in the opposite direction to blow the door back into place.  After a moment, the wind suddenly blew in the other direction, and the door came right back into her hand.  She said, “Isn’t it wonderful how God answers prayers!” 

At the time, I was a Ph.D. student at the seminary, full of book knowledge.  As Mrs. Horn shared her story, I was skeptical.  I was sure the God of the universe had more important things to do than cause a gust of wind to blow a screen door back into place.  I assumed God was busy working on world peace or doing some great act of healing or was convicting people somewhere of sin.  But I could not share my insights with Mrs. Horn; she believed it was God.  So I did what many pastors do in that situation: I nodded my head, agreed that God did amazing things, and inwardly pitied the simple Kentucky country woman. 

The great drawback of theological education is you can learn a great deal about God and not know much about him.  With the passing years, I realized I was full of arrogance.  Mrs. Horn was right, and I was wrong about God.  What I see now is Mrs. Horn had a problem that was beyond her power to solve.  She prayed, and the problem was solved.  Did God cause the wind to gust in the opposite direction?  I think God did.  It was a gracious act for an older woman who had simple faith.  Actually, she had a better faith than I did. 

When I think back to that conversation, I see Mrs. Horn taught me to pray about all things.  There is no need so small; God cannot consider it; there is no need so big; God cannot fill it. 

When should you pray?  Pray about everything.  Leave it to God to sort out your requests.  If we think God is too busy for us, or God is not concerned with the minor details of our lives, our God is too small.  God, being infinite, is able to hear all our prayers.   

Pray about all things.  You will learn that God cares for you.  Remember, God is not a genie in a lamp.  He is not there to grant your every wish.  But our Heavenly Father hears you and wants to bring good to you.  You probably won’t win the lottery, but God will guide you about your money if you pray. 

Years later, I was conducting a funeral for a man about my age.  A woman had been invited to share for five minutes.  She droned on and on.  After thirty-five minutes, I was about to rise and stop her when she suddenly said, “I’m sorry.  I’ve gone on and on.  It must be my chemo brain.”   

After the service, a friend approached me.  I knew my friend had doubts about God.  We had several long conversations about whether God was real.  My friend looked at me with wonder and said, “You know I struggle with the whole God thing.  But while that woman was going on and on, I was feeling so frustrated.  So I actually prayed, ‘God, if you are real, would you please stop this woman from talking.’  Then she stopped.  It was like God actually heard me!”

 I was older and wiser this time.  I looked at my friend and said, “You have been asking if God is real.  I think you got an answer.”