Jeremiah 29:12 (ESV)
Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I
will hear you.
Have you ever felt the urge to pray for someone and then
just put it on a list and said, "I'll pray for them later"? Or has
anyone ever called you and said, "I need you to pray for me, I have this
need"? After teasing the following story -- it may change the way you
think about prayer, the way you pray and when you pray. I hope you will be
blessed by this as much as I was.
A missionary on furlough told this true story while
visiting his home church in Michigan...
"While serving at a small field hospital in Africa, every
two weeks I traveled by bicycle through the jungle to a nearby city for
supplies.
This was a journey of two days and required camping
overnight at the halfway point. On one of these journeys, I arrived in the city
where I planned to collect money from a bank, purchase medicine and supplies,
and then begin my two-day journey back to the field hospital.
Upon arrival in the city, I observed two men fighting,
one of whom had been seriously injured. I treated him for his injuries and at
the same time talked to him about the Lord. I then traveled two days, camping
overnight, and arrived home without incident.
Two weeks later I repeated my journey. Upon arriving in
the city, I was approached by the young man I had treated. He told me that he
had known I carried money and medicines. He said, 'Some friends and I followed
you into the jungle, knowing you would camp overnight.
We planned to kill you and take your money and drugs. But
just as we were about to move into your camp, we saw that you were surrounded
by 26 armed guards. At this, I laughed and said that I was certainly all alone
in that jungle campsite. The young man pressed the point, however, and said,
'No sir, I was not the only person to see the guards. My five friends also saw
them, and we all counted them. It was because of those guards that we were
afraid and left you alone.
We don’t always know the circumstances when we are urged
to pray. We just have to be willing to listen
to God’s tug on our heart and to pray.
Dear Lord, help our hearts and ears be open when You speak
to us. Help us to not put it off but to pray right away when You tell us to. In
the Name of Jesus, Amen.
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