I received something in email today, and being fitting for the season, I wanted to share it with you.
Those of you who know me, either personally or through this blog, know that
I BELIEVE IN THE POWER OF PRAYER.
I have seen prayer change circumstances in lives where it seemed there were no solutions to be had, and
I have been the receipient of answered prayers many, many times myself.
Before I share with you what I got in my email, let me remind you of the following story.
Do you know the story in the bible of the widow's oil?
(2 Kings 4)
The widow's husband died leaving debts that had to be repaid, and creditors were coming to take her sons into slavery in order to repay the debt. Her husband had been a servant of the prophet Elijah. She sought out the help of Elisha, another prophet. She was a woman of great faith, and told the prophet that she didn't want to lose her sons but didn't know how she would pay the debt.
Elisha, the prophet, asked her what she had in the house. She told him she had only one pot of oil.
(In those times, oil was used for cooking, healing, and making soaps and shampoos - so it was a necessity.)
Elisha told her to go into the village and borrow all of the jars and containers she could, and bring them back to her home. When she returned, he told her to start filling the jars with what little oil she had.
She began to fill the jars, and one after another, her oil continued to flow.
At the end of the jars, she told Elisha there were no more, and suddenly her oil ran out.
Elisha told her to go out in to the village and sell all of the oil, pay off her husband's debts, and then use the rest to live on for her and her sons.
Her faith saved her sons and made provision where she thought there was no way.
.....Oh what a little faith can do....
The story above is what came to mind when I read this email today.
The Grocery List
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, and they had seven children and they needed food.
John Longhouse, the grocer, scoffed at her and requested that she leave his store at once.
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, since 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 this.'
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 stood in stunned silence.
Louise thanked him and left the store. The other customer handed a fifty-dollar bill to the grocer and said; 'It was worth every penny of it. Only God Knows how much a prayer weighs.'
What a touching story!
Our God is a god of provision my friends! He knows ours needs even before we do.
I can't tell you how many times I've prayed for one thing only to get another. It took a while for me to realize that what I thought I needed didn't fit into the plan He had for me. You see, he was already waiting for me at the end of line before I ever started the walk.
I'm not sure why I felt so compelled to share this story, but I do know that many of you, myself included, are dealing with some difficult situations in your life this year, and I just wanted to be able to say that no matter what you are facing, it only takes a little faith to fix it.
There truly is power in prayer, if only you'll believe.
And, I also wanted to encourage you to think about the needs of others.
If you HAVE, and you know others who HAVE NOT, then please, try to think of a way to help if you can.
There will be many children who will go without this Christmas. Can you help with even one gift?
How about taking some of your kids' old toys down to a woman's shelter, or a homeless shelter.
Or taking a small bag of canned or boxed food to the food bank.
Are you donating coats? Gloves? Socks? How about tucking a few dollars in the pocket or inside the glove or socks. Imagine the surprise on someone's face when they put their hands in the pockets!
Do you have little ones in daycare? Ask the teacher if there are any families that need help with gifts this year.
One of the things I like to do is buy a portrait package for someone who can't afford it. You can buy them at the Walmart photo place for about $20. Some people never have the luxury of a family portrait.
I also like to buy those gift sets, like the cocoa/tea/coffee ones, and give a free movie rental certificate with it.
Little things mean a lot to people who have nothing.
I'm on a mission to make everyone remember that, and to do something to help.
I hope you all are having a wonderful holiday season!
Let me know in the comments if you've been able to do something to help someone else this year, or what you've encouraged your children to do for others.
If you aren't commenting, then I'm gonna worry that you aren't performing angel duty! :)
