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Prayer
During the month of
November, I usually preach and write about prayer, so I decided to
relate a humorous story a friend related to me a few years ago. My
friend indicated the event actually happened, but I have my doubts.
It may turn out to be a parable, but whether the story is factual,
fictional, or hypothetical, the bottom line can teach great lessons.
It seems a preacher
had a kitten that climbed a tree in his backyard and then began
“meowing” loudly because it was afraid to come down. The preacher
coaxed the kitty with soft talk, offered it warm milk, and even
climbed part way up the tree, but all to no avail. The tree was not
sturdy enough to climb all the way to the cat, so the preacher tied
a rope to the highest limb he could reach, connected the other end
to his car, and then moved the car to pull the limb low. The last
little tug was too much. The rope broke, catapulting the cat
completely out of sight. The preacher was broken hearted and feared
he might have killed his cat. All he could think of doing was pray,
"Lord, I commit this kitten to your keeping."
A few days later he
saw one of his church members at a grocery store. Everyone in town
 knew
the woman hated cats, but the preacher noticed that she had cat food
in her shopping cart. He asked, “Why on earth are you buying cat
food?” She replied, “You cannot believe what has happened! My
little girl had been begging for a cat, so I told her to pray to God
for a kitten. In fact, I said if God gave her a cat, I would let
her keep it. I watched my child go out in the yard, get on her
knees, and ask God for a cat. You may not believe this, but I saw
it with my own eyes. While she was praying, a cat came flying out
of the blue sky, with its paws outspread, and landed right in front
of her. She watches over that cat with love that cannot be
measured.”
Several lessons can
be learned from this parable.
1)
Be
careful what you pray for; it may land in your back yard.
2)
Prayers may be answered in unusual ways.
3)
When we perceive God at work in our lives, attitudes
can be reversed.
4)
What
may appear to be disaster in one place may turn out to a blessing in
another.
5)
On this
side of death, we feel the loss of a loved one; however, on the
other side of death, God is waiting to bless His new arrival with
love that cannot be measured. During this time of year when people
pause to count their blessings, don’t forget to thank God from Whom
all blessings flow.
By: Eli Borden |
