Wednesday, 23 July 2008

• A reminder that in adversity there is blessing…

   

  LITTLE OLD LADY

   

  There was a little old lady, who every morning stepped onto her front porch, raised her arms to the sky, and shouted:

  ‘PRAISE THE LORD!’

   

  One day an atheist moved into the house next door. He became irritated at the little old lady. Every morning he'd step onto his front porch after her and yell:

  ‘THERE IS NO LORD!’

   

  Time passed with the two of them carrying on this way every day.

  One morning, in the middle of winter, the little old lady stepped onto her front porch and shouted:

  ‘PRAISE THE LORD!

  Please Lord, I have no food and I am starving, provide for me, oh Lord!’

   

  The next morning she stepped out onto her porch and there were two huge bags of groceries sitting there.

  ‘PRAISE THE LORD!’

  She cried out. ‘He has provided groceries for me!’

   

  The atheist neighbor jumped out of the hedges and shouted:

  ‘THERE IS NO LORD;

  I bought those groceries!!’

   

  The little old lady threw her arms into the air and shouted:

  ‘PRAISE THE LORD!’

  ‘He has provided me with groceries and 

  MADE THE DEVIL PAY FOR THEM!’

   

  Who are we to tell the Lord how to answer our prayers? I was told by a wise ‘old’ lady that all prayer is answered: On time, every time, in God’s time. Sounds trite, I know.

   

  I think that the world believes that God is obligated to answer prayer exactly as we ask… Oh God, give me a house, a car, a million dollars.  So what happens when all we get is a tent, a scooter, and cash enough for today’s need? The world sees God as a failure; we see Him as a provider. We know that He will provide all our needs, not necessarily our wants.

   

  Are we willing to accept God’s answer to our prayers? Sometimes He says, “Yes.” Sometimes He says, “No.”  And, sometimes He says, “Not now.” Do we only rejoice when we hear, yes, or do we also rejoice when the answer is no? No means so many good things in reality. It means He loves us so much that he looks out for our future well being, too. Yes and No are like oars on a rowboat; too much of one or the other and you will end up going in circles. It takes both to steer a straight course.

   

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