The story is told of two sisters in Christ whose husbands were both engaged in serving the Lord. One sister had come to visit the other one day, and, as they chatted together, each busily worked mending a pair of pants worn by her husband.
During the course of their conversation, one of the sisters began to describe the many discouragements that her husband had been encountering of late in his service for the Lord.
“My poor John is so discouraged,” she sighed. “Those he tries to help don’t seem to appreciate him, he has seen no souls saved through his gospel outreach, and we are struggling financially. Why, just the other day he said he feels as though he may have missed the Lord’s mind in his service. He’s wondering if he should get a secular job, because nothing seems to be going right there’s just no blessing.”
The other sister, though listening quietly to her sad comments, seemed quite surprised.
“Why,” she remarked, “at breakfast this morning, my husband said just the opposite. He too has found many difficulties, and we have also had some financial struggles. But the Lord has always provided our needs, and my husband is excited about the ministry the Lord has given him. He told me that the Lord seems more precious to him now than ever before.”
There was a prolonged silence as the two sisters continued mending their husbands’ pants one patching the knees, the other patching the seat.
How very much is mentioned in the Word of God concerning prayer and the vital importance of praying. The words “pray,” “prayer” and “praying” are mentioned 659 times in the KJV Bible! Yet, perhaps, the prayer meeting is the most sparsely attended among the gatherings. How sad that it is so in view of the many times our blessed God encourages us in His Word to pray and in view of the innumerable answers He has given to our prayers.
One of the old writers mentioned that prayer is a mighty engine. He wrote those words during the days of the industrial revolution in England and America—days when the mighty energy of the steam engine was being discovered and put to use.
Today, prayer is still a mighty engine mightier than the most powerful computer, space shuttle or nuclear power plant. Yet we must with sorrow and shame admit how little time we spend making use of the divine, infinite power of prayer.
Let us hear the Word of God and allow our hearts to be stirred up more to earnest prayer.
Ed.