February 25, 2008

Where Is Your Dependence?

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. — 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Recently, a woman battling cancer explained how the treatments she was taking drained her physical energy. Her husband died years ago, so she is left alone to struggle through the most basic of routines — “Like going to the grocery store,” she said shaking her head. “There are times when I just don’t have the energy to walk from the back of a crowded parking lot to the front door of the store. So, I pray.” She laughs lightly at the thought because she has gained a reputation, especially with her grandchildren, for her prayers being answered in this area. “They all want to go places with me now because I ask God to give me a parking place up front. And without fail He does! The other day my granddaughter borrowed my car to run an errand and a few minutes later my cell phone rang. I was sure something had happened to her but no, she called to tell me that amazingly she was driving through the store’s parking lot when she spotted an open place right up front! We laughed because even though she had not prayed for this, it was as if God knew my car was in the parking lot.” Moments later she thoughtfully asked, “Why don’t we pray like this for other needs we have in life? Sometimes, I just don’t stop to pray about the things I think are insignificant or the things I believe I can solve on my own. When really, I should stop and pray for His best all the time.”

In a 1946 interview with the Atlanta Journal Constitution, Dr. Forrest told reporter Bill Boring, “I have never once taken up a collection for the schools. I have always depended upon prayer as an answer to all of our problems.”

“So [the] Toccoa Falls schools,” writes Boring, “were endowed by prayer and supported by prayer—the prayers of thousands of alumni, all over the world, and the prayers of the students who gather each night in a group to ask God’s help and guidance before going to bed.” What an awesome testimony this was to Dr. Forrest’s faith in God and to his strong belief that He would provide all that was needed to the college. In Philippians the apostle Paul reminds us of a simple but timeless truth. He writes, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (vv. 4:6-7). And a few verses later he concludes with this thought, “And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (v. 19). Whatever your need is—big or small— you can trust Him to answer and give you His best when you pray.

(Taken from the online devotional book Grace in the Wilderness © 2008, tfchistory.com)