Peter and Joy were spending their summer vacation at their aunt and uncle’s farm in the country. During breakfast one morning, Aunt Margaret told them some sad news. She said that their Uncle Bob had to let his hired man, Joe, go because he had left the field gate open for the third time in two weeks. As a result, the horses had gotten out onto the road. Peter and Joy were very disappointed since Joe was their special friend on the farm.
When they prayed together after breakfast, the children added a special request that Joe would be able to come back to the farm.
As they walked across the farmyard, Joy said, “I’m sure Joe is being blamed for something he didn’t do.”
“I agree,” replied Peter. “He’s always careful about all the gates. In fact, he’s gone back lots of times to make sure they were fastened.”
“Look, Peter! Here comes Joe!”
Both children waved to the young man who was coming down the road carrying a basket. He told them he was sure he had fastened the gate each time and that he would like to know how it opened by itself. Joe seemed unhappy, and the children tried to cheer him up.
“We believe you, Joe.”
Then Peter told Joe about their prayer and asked if he had prayed about it too. Joe smiled and said that he did not believe in prayer.
This came as a surprise to Peter and Joy. They told him that they prayed about lots of things. They shared with him some of the answers they had gotten to their prayers.
“Well, guess I’d better get busy. I’m going to pick blueberries,” Joe said as he jumped off the gate they had all been sitting on.
“Sounds like fun! Can we come along too?” asked Peter.
“Sure, but you’d better ask your Aunt Margaret first.”
In a flash, Joy swung off the gate, saying to Peter, “You wait here. I’ll run and ask Aunt Margaret if we can go.”
Peter sat on the fence watching Ginger and Clover, Uncle Bob’s two horses in the next field. Then something strange happened. The horses came up to the gate, and Ginger put his head over it and began to work on the latch with his mouth. Imagine Peter’s surprise when the gate opened and out trotted the horses down the road.
The children’s prayer had been answered. The mystery of the open gate was now solved! But Peter realized he’d better do something quick—the horses were out and headed down the road again!
He called over to Joe who was picking blueberries, and he came running. Peter told him what had happened, but Joe didn’t wait to hear much. Telling Peter to go get his uncle, Joe took a shortcut across a field hoping to catch the horses.
Ginger and Clover, who were enjoying their freedom, soon saw Joe waving a stick when they turned on the bend in the road. They stood still for a moment, and then they turned obediently and trotted back. They had not gone far when they met Peter and his uncle in the pickup. They followed the horses home and locked them up in the stable.
Later back at the house, Peter explained to everyone what Ginger had done. When Uncle Bob heard, he laughed and said, “Now I know why Ginger was sold so cheaply—mine aren’t the only gates that horse has opened.” Then he turned to Joe and said, “I’d like to thank you for your promptness in getting the horses. And I’m sorry for blaming you wrongfully. I hope you will continue to work on my farm.”
Joe thanked him and said he was glad it was all straightened out and that he would like to continue working on the farm.
Peter and Joy were so pleased. Everything had turned out as they had prayed it would. They explained to Joe that God was answering their prayer at the very moment when Joy told Peter to wait at the gate while she went to ask Aunt Margaret about picking blueberries. If Peter had gone with her, he would not have seen Ginger open the gate.
This impressed Joe very much, and he thought to himself how he wanted to learn more about the children’s prayer-answering God.
Wouldn’t you like to learn more about the loving God who has promised to those who believe in Him, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:11<<To the chief Musician for the sons of Korah, A Song upon Alamoth.>> God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. (Psalm 46:1))? It is only by admitting that we are sinners and accepting the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior that we can have these promises: “The Lord is my helper” (Hebrews 13:66So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me. (Hebrews 13:6)). And, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” (Hebrews 13:55Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. (Hebrews 13:5)).
Won’t you accept Him as your very own Savior right now?
ML-02/24/2019