~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ NOTES FROM THE VALLEY - August 19, 2000 "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for you are with me." Psalm 23. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ TOPIC: THE GIFT OF PRAYER - PART 2 In last week's edition, I talked to you about how God, through my wife and children, revealed His desire for an intimate and continuous prayer relationship with us. He gave us prayer as an open line of communications to Him. He made it available to us anytime and anywhere and that's exactly how He wants us to use it. In any situation, He's there for us and ready to respond. That was the first of two revelations I received about prayer. The second came through the study of His Word, under the guidance of His Holy Spirit, and focused on God's response to our prayers. As I mentioned last week, I used to think prayer was a solitary activity? I can't begin to tell you the thrill that shot through me the instant the Holy Spirit revealed just how wrong I was about that. The truth is, things get very crowded when any child of God begins to pray. For no matter where we are or what our reason for seeking Him, at the very first utterance of God's name: - the Holy Spirit comes to guide our prayers, - Jesus rises at the right hand of the Father to receive and intercede for our prayers, and - God our Father silences all of heaven to hear us; to focus His love and attention on us. And one more thing happens. At the very first utterance of God's name by one of His children, as the trinity that is God mobilizes for His response, the foundations of the earth quiver in anticipation of His movement and the devil and all his cohorts scurry for the darkness and cringe on their knees in fear. All within the moment of time that it takes for us to turn our hearts towards God and call out His name, "Abba - Father." God has provided everything for us. He wants to be everything to us: Our shelter from the most violent storm; Our strength in our greatest moment of weakness; and Our provider in our greatest moment of need. The one who helps us find understanding in the midst of our confusion. The one who gives us confidence in the midst of a doubt-filled world. For all my efforts here and in last week's edition, I don't think there are any words that can really describe all that happens between God the Father and one of His children when they enter into the earnest communion of prayer. If you've been there, you know what I mean. If you haven't, then I pray you will be one day soon. I know that Cathy and I could not face the things we go through in this life without Him, without the precious moments shared with Him in prayer. I'm so grateful, so blessed, just knowing He's always waiting there for us. And I promise you - He promises you - He's waiting there for you too. I am, as always, a work in progress, sheltered under His wings and overwhelmed by His love, Steve Hall THE WEIGHT OF PRAYER (Received from Inner Reflections - Author Unknown) Louise Redden, a poorly dressed lady with a look of defeat on her face, walked into a grocery store. She approached the owner of the store in a most humble manner and asked if he would let her charge a few groceries. She softly explained that her husband was very ill and unable to work, they had seven children and they needed food. John Longhouse, the grocer, scoffed at her and requested that she leave his store. Visualizing the family needs, she said: "Please, sir! I will bring you the money just as soon as I can." John told her he could not give her credit, as she did not have a charge account at his store. Standing beside the counter was a customer who overheard the conversation between the two. The customer walked forward and told the grocer that he would stand good for whatever she needed for her family. The grocer said in a very reluctant voice, "Do you have a grocery list?" Louise replied "Yes sir!" "O.K." he said: "Put your grocery list on the scales and whatever your grocery list weighs, I will give you that amount in groceries." Louise, hesitated a moment with a bowed head, then she reached into her purse and took out a piece of paper and scribbled something on it. She then laid the piece of paper on the scale carefully with her head still bowed. The eyes of the grocer and the customer showed amazement when the scales went down and stayed down. The grocer staring at the scales, turned slowly to the customer and said begrudgingly, "I can't believe it." The customer smiled and the grocer started putting the groceries on the other side of the scales. The scale did not balance so he continued to put more and more groceries on them until the scales would hold no more. The grocer stood there in utter disgust. Finally, he grabbed the piece of paper from the scales and looked at it with greater amazement. It was not a grocery list, it was a prayer, which said: "Dear Lord, you know my needs and I am leaving this in your hands." The grocer gave her the groceries that he had gathered and placed on the scales and stood in stunned silence. Louise thanked him and left the store. The customer handed a fifty dollar bill to John as he said, "It was worth every penny of it." It was sometime later that John Longhouse discovered the scales were broken; therefore only God knows how much a prayer weighs. THE CHAIR Leslie Weatherhead tells the story of an old Scot who was quite ill, and the family called for their minister. As he entered the sick room and sat down, he noticed another chair on the opposite side of the bed, a chair which had also been drawn close. The pastor said, "Well, Donald, I see I'm not your first visitor for the day." The old man looked up, was puzzled for a moment, then recognized from the nod of the head that the pastor had noticed the empty chair. "Well, Pastor, I'll tell you about that chair. Many years ago I found it quite difficult to pray, so one day I shared this problem with my pastor. He told me not to worry about kneeling or about placing myself in some pious posture. Instead, he said, 'Just sit down, put a chair opposite you, and imagine Jesus sitting in it, then talk with Him as you would a friend."' The aged Scot then added, "I've been doing that ever since." A short time later the daughter of the Scot called the pastor. When he answered, she informed him that her father had died very suddenly and she was quite shaken for she had no idea death was so near. Then she continued, "I had just gone to lie down for an hour or two, for he seemed to be sleeping so comfortably. When I went back he was dead." Then she added thoughtfully, "Except now his hand was on the empty chair at the side of the bed. Isn't that strange?" The minister said, "No, it's not so strange. I understand." WITH A SMILE AND A PRAYER (Found in Illustrations Unlimited - James S. Hewett) A young soldier who was fighting in Italy during World War II jumped into a foxhole just ahead of some bullets. He immediately tried to deepen the hole for more protection and was frantically scraping away the dirt with his hands. He unearthed something metal and brought up a silver crucifix, left by a former resident of the foxhole. A moment later another leaping figure landed beside him as the shells screamed overhead. When the soldier got a chance to look, he saw that his new companion was an army chaplain. Holding out the crucifix, the soldier gasped, "Am I glad to see you! How do you work this thing?" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A farmer was visited by one of his city relatives. Before dinner the farmer bowed his head and said grace. His relative jeered, "This is old-fashioned; nobody with an education prays at the table anymore." The farmer admitted that the practice was old and even allowed that there were some on his farm who did not pray before their meals. Justified, the relative remarked, "So enlightenment is finally reaching the farm. Who are these wise ones?" The farmer replied, "My pigs." THE ONLY WORDS NEEDED (Shared by Sharon Paxton of Guidewords - Author Unknown) Father, Your will be done. Nothing more. Nothing less. Nothing else. Amen SOME THOUGHT BY OTHER ON PRAYER Do not pray for easy lives, Pray to be stronger men. Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers, Pray for powers equal to your task. Phillips Brooks Prayer is the rope that pulls God and man together. But it doesn't pull God down to us: it pulls us up to him. Billy Graham If I could hear Christ praying for me in the next room, I would not fear a million enemies. Yet distance makes no difference. He is praying for me now. Robert Murray McCheyne Never wait for fitter time or place to talk to him. To wait till you go to church or to your room is to make him wait. He will listen as you walk. George Macdonald People often say to me: "I don't seem to be able to say my prayers; what ought I to do?" I reply: "Talk to God as you are talking to me; even more simply, in fact." St. Paul writes that the truest prayer is sometimes a sigh. A sigh can say more than many words. Paul Tournier Prayer is simple, as simple as a child making known its wants to its parents. The armour is not to fight in, but to shield us while we pray. Prayer is the battle. The prayer of the feeblest saint on earth who lives in the Spirit and keeps right with God is a terror to Satan. The very powers of darkness are paralyzed by prayer. Oswald Chambers How much prayer meant to Jesus! It was not only his regular habit, but his resort in every emergency. When perplexed he prayed. When hard pressed by work he prayed. When hungry for fellowship he found it in prayer. He chose his associates and received his messages upon his knees. If tempted, he prayed. If criticized, he prayed. If fatigued in body or wearied in spirit, he had recourse to his one unfailing habit of prayer. There was no emergency, no difficulty, no necessity, no temptation that would not yield to prayer. S. D. Gordon, Quiet Talks on Prayer. A FEW FINAL WORD FROM THE CHILDREN One night I went into my 8-year-old daughter's bedroom to pray with her before she went to sleep. In the course of her prayer she said, "Jesus, please lock the doors if they haven't been locked." I held back a chuckle at her unexpected request and thought nothing more about it. The next morning I opened the front door to find the keys outside in the lock. I stood amazed at how the Lord led my little girl to pray--and thanked him for his protection. Susan Starnes, Louisville, KY ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I recently prayed with my 5-year-old son as he accepted Jesus into his life. I carefully explained that Jesus now lived in his heart. Several days later, he was sitting at the table with his head down, holding open the neck of his T-shirt, speaking very quietly. I asked what he was doing and he told me, "Just talking to Jesus." Ann Musico, Pomona, NY ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I was tucking our preschooler in for the night when she asked if she could pray. Delighted, I told her it was a great idea to talk to Jesus. As she began praying, her words kept getting softer and softer until only her lips were moving. Then she said "Amen." "Honey," I said, giving her a hug, "I didn't hear a word you said." "That's okay, Mama," she responded. "I wasn't talking to you." Helen B. Poole, Canon City, Colorado ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ An elderly gentleman passed his granddaughter's room one night and overheard her repeating the alphabet in an oddly reverent way. He asked her, "What on earth are you up to?" She explained, "I'm saying my prayers, but I can't think of exactly the right words tonight, so I'm just saying all the letters. God will put them together for me, because he knows what I'm thinking." Unknown. ________________________________________________ Copyright © 1998-2000 by Stephen J. Hall - Weekly letters of encouragement to Christians written by Stephen J. Hall unless otherwise indicated. Notes from the Valley and Humor from the Valley are never intended to offend anyone. They're meant only to brighten your day and encourage you along the way. Most of "Notes" and "Humor" are a collection of items provided to me by subscribers and friends. Credit is given to both the contributor and to the true author, where known. If you are blessed by them, please feel free to make copies and pass them along to others. If you have something you'd like to contribute to a future edition or would like to ask us a question or make a comment, please contact us at: sossteve@... ________________________________________________ Your love, God, is my song, and I'll sing it! I'm forever telling everyone how faithful you are. I'll never quit telling the story of your love - how you built the cosmos and guaranteed everything in it. Your love has always been our lives foundation, your fidelity has been the roof over our world. (Psalm 89:1-3 The Message)