Effectual, Fervent Prayer

 •  4 min. read  •  grade level: 4
 
"No," said the lawyer, "I shall not press your claim against that man. You can get someone else to take the case, or you can withdraw it, just as you please."
"Think there isn't any money in it?"
"There would probably be a little money in it; but it would come, as you know, from the sale of the little house. That man has occupied it and called it his `home' for years. I don't want to have anything to do with the matter."
"Got scared out of it, eh?"
"Not at all."
"I reckon the old fellow begged to get off?"
"Well, yes, he did."
"And you caved in, I suppose?"
"Well, yes."
"What did you do?"
"I believe I shed a few tears."
"The old fellow begged hard, you say?"
"No, I didn't say; he didn't speak to me."
"Well, I ask you, who did he talk to?"
"His father in heaven."
"He took to praying, did he?"
"Yes, but not for my special benefit. I may as well tell you. It was this way. After finding the little house, I knocked on the outer door. It stood partly open. No one heard me, so I stepped into the little hall, and looked through another partly open door into what may have been the sitting room. There upon a bed with her silver head high on the pillows was an old lady. She looked just like my mother did when I last saw her on earth. I was going to knock again when she said: `Come, Father, begin: I am ready now.'
"Down on his knees went the silver-haired old man, still older I suppose than his wife. I couldn't have knocked then for the life of me. Well, he began. First, he reminded God that they were still His submissive children, 'Mother and him,' and no matter what He saw fit to bring upon them, they would not rebel against His will. Of course, it was going to be hard for them to go out homeless in their old age, especially with poor mother so sick and helpless. Still, they had seen sadder things than that. But oh, how different might it now be, if even one of their boys had been spared to them!
"Then his already trembling voice broke, and a thin white hand stole from under the coverlet. It moved softly over his snow-white head. Soon he went on to repeat that nothing could hurt so bad again as had the loss of their three sons—unless mother and himself had to be separated!
"At last he fell to comforting himself with the fact that the gracious Lord knew that it was no fault of theirs that mother and he were about to lose their little home. It would mean the poorhouse for them, a place they prayed the Lord to deliver them from entering, if He might so will.
"Then he quoted a number of promises from Scripture about the safety of those that put their trust in the Lord. Yes, I should say he begged hard. In fact, it was the most thrilling plea to which I ever listened. And in conclusion he prayed for God's blessing upon those who were about to demand justice."
Pausing a moment in silence, the lawyer continued slowly, saying, "And I believe I would go to the poorhouse myself than stain my heart and hands with the prosecution of such a case as that."
"Scared you might defeat that prayer, eh?"
"Bless your soul, man, you could not defeat that prayer. I tell you, he left it all subject to the will of God! Yet he did not fail to make known his desires, claiming that we had been commanded to make our requests known unto God. But of all the pleading I ever heard, that was the most impressive. You see, I was taught that kind of thing myself in my childhood; and why I was sent there to hear that prayer, I am sure I don't know—but I hand the case over."
"I wish you hadn't told me about the old fellow's prayer," said the client uneasily.
"Why not?" asked the lawyer.
"Well, because I do not want the money that the little place would bring. But like you, I also was taught the Bible straight enough when I was a youngster. I would hate to run counter to what you have just told me. I wish you hadn't heard a word of it. Another time don't listen to what was not intended for your ears!"
The lawyer smiled. "You are wrong again, my dear fellow! It was intended for my ears, and yours too. God intended it so. I remember hearing my mother sing about God moving in a mysterious way."
"Well, my mother used to sing the same song," said the troubled client, crumpling the claim-papers in his fingers. Rising to his feet he stood irresolute a moment. Then came the decision. "You can call them in the morning if you like, and tell 'Mother and him' that the claim has been met."
"In a mysterious way," added the lawyer smiling.
"Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble, and He delivered them out of their distresses." Psalm 107:6.