Hear thou in heaven their prayer. . . . —I Kings 8:45
Some of us were discussing the power and mystery of prayer, how sometimes it seems to bring about great change, and sometimes not. Often discussions like this fade away like a summer breeze, leaving nothing behind. But this time, I remember the words of a young minister who happened to be with us.
"I'm sure," he said, "that the warehouses of heaven are bursting with wonderful answers to prayer that never get delivered because requests for them never come in. The people with the problems don't ask for help because they don't really believe they can be helped, or that they deserve to be helped, or that the mighty power that created the universe could possibly be concerned about their human difficulties. So the prayer-answer sitting up there in heaven may be blocked by doubt, which after all is the opposite of faith."
He looked at us with a smile. "Think about this the next time you have a problem and hesitate to pray about it. The shipping department up in that heavenly warehouse may just be waiting to hear from you."
I have thought about it. And it does make a difference.
Father, when I send You my prayer requests, remind me of the postage stamp of faith.
—Arthur Gordon