Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving; Colossians 4:2 (New American Standard Bible)
I would cringe every time I would answer the order desk phone and hear his voice. He was and still is to me the vilest man I’ve ever dealt with. He would curse, belittle and spill his venom at me until it seemed to drip from my end of the phone. After getting off the phone with him I would be literally sick to my stomach. I approached my boss about it. Her response was that this man represented one of our company’s biggest accounts and even though we all knew how nasty he was no one was going to jeopardize that. “None of us like dealing with him, Ken. Just accept it and don't rock the boat.” The stress was so bad I considered looking for other employment but the Lord said pray. I set aside one hour every evening to pray for this situation and this man. About three weeks later as I walked into work one of my customer services associate stopped me and said, “Good morning, Lucky.” She was always such a kidder. I laughed and said “OK Joann, what’s the joke?” She smiled and said “You don’t have to work Raymond’s account any longer. The accounts have been switched around.” Then she frowned. “I’ve got him now.” A still small voice said to me, “See, I told you to trust me.” It was like an anvil had been lifted from my shoulders. Wow, this prayer stuff really works. I think all of us have a similar prayer story. So why is it so hard to be consistent with a determined prayer life?
Prayer is tough and it’s hard to pray for something we aren’t sure we’ll get from someone we can’t see with our eyes or hear with our ears. I know my senses are oriented toward a physical world and I tend to disregard what I cannot touch. Pushing the prayer envelope is usually done by something that poses a threat to my sanity or safety.
The Apostle Paul practiced a mature prayer life and prescribed it for every believer. I’ve seen so many wonderful answers to my own prayers even when I sometimes prayed without faith. I believe that if I could see into the spirit world and the good effects of my prayers I would have to say “Why didn’t I pray more?” Christ Jesus wants us to pray and delights in showing Himself strong on our behalf. He says, “Talk to me for nothing is too hard for me to do for you. I can even take care of the nastiest man alive.”
Ken
www.devotionstoday.blogspot.com
I would cringe every time I would answer the order desk phone and hear his voice. He was and still is to me the vilest man I’ve ever dealt with. He would curse, belittle and spill his venom at me until it seemed to drip from my end of the phone. After getting off the phone with him I would be literally sick to my stomach. I approached my boss about it. Her response was that this man represented one of our company’s biggest accounts and even though we all knew how nasty he was no one was going to jeopardize that. “None of us like dealing with him, Ken. Just accept it and don't rock the boat.” The stress was so bad I considered looking for other employment but the Lord said pray. I set aside one hour every evening to pray for this situation and this man. About three weeks later as I walked into work one of my customer services associate stopped me and said, “Good morning, Lucky.” She was always such a kidder. I laughed and said “OK Joann, what’s the joke?” She smiled and said “You don’t have to work Raymond’s account any longer. The accounts have been switched around.” Then she frowned. “I’ve got him now.” A still small voice said to me, “See, I told you to trust me.” It was like an anvil had been lifted from my shoulders. Wow, this prayer stuff really works. I think all of us have a similar prayer story. So why is it so hard to be consistent with a determined prayer life?
Prayer is tough and it’s hard to pray for something we aren’t sure we’ll get from someone we can’t see with our eyes or hear with our ears. I know my senses are oriented toward a physical world and I tend to disregard what I cannot touch. Pushing the prayer envelope is usually done by something that poses a threat to my sanity or safety.
The Apostle Paul practiced a mature prayer life and prescribed it for every believer. I’ve seen so many wonderful answers to my own prayers even when I sometimes prayed without faith. I believe that if I could see into the spirit world and the good effects of my prayers I would have to say “Why didn’t I pray more?” Christ Jesus wants us to pray and delights in showing Himself strong on our behalf. He says, “Talk to me for nothing is too hard for me to do for you. I can even take care of the nastiest man alive.”
Ken
www.devotionstoday.blogspot.com
