"The effective fervent righteous prayer of God's children avails much."
James 5:16


Matthew just wouldn't give up...
It was almost two years ago that we arrived in North Carolina with all of our cages. We had dog cages, cat cages, and cages for frogs. We even had one for our dear pet rat named Ratface--who has since departed to that great Cheese Slab in the Sky. (His parting was especially hard for me, mainly because I wondered why he could not have done this before we left California, rather than right after he arrived in NC!)

In October, our cat disappeared. My son Matthew was devastated. He searched and searched for Sheba, but could not find her anywhere. Every night he would pray asking God to bring home his pet. One night as he was praying, I thought it might be a good idea to gently insert the idea that perhaps Sheba had joined Ratface and they were enjoying a bite of cheese together.

"No, Mom, I really think Sheba's alive. She's just lost. I'm not going to give up on praying for her."

Silently, I prayed for the wisdom to teach my son that sometimes we don't get the answer we want from God. Sometimes, we are asking the impossible, such as in this case where I, frankly, suspected Bathsheba was dead.

I was driving my son to school in the drizzle of a Spring rain when I thought I spied her. She was sitting at the end of a long driveway that led off the main road. I didn't have time to stop, but after school we went over to check. I did my best to prepare my son for the likelihood that this was just a cat that looked like Sheba. He did his best to assure me that God was giving him back his cat. 

We barely had time to pull into the driveway before Matt was jumping out of the car, for there sitting on the porch step was....you guessed it....our lost kitty. A kind woman told us the story. Sheba showed up at her door during a bad storm. She was starving and surely on her last few days of life. This kind-hearted woman took her to the vet and like the good Samaritan paid to have her given a new lease on life. She even tried to find us, but eventually gave up. For almost five months she fed and pampered our cat, but on this day she was more than happy to return him to a brightly beaming boy who never gave up on prayer.


Never, Never give up....
Do you have a need that you keep bringing before God? Perhaps it is for someone you love. They have wandered far from the fold and more than anything else you want to see their safe return. Does it feel like the Savior is ignoring your cry? Persist in your prayers. Never give up! God's promise to us is that it will make a difference.

This week we are reminded about the importance of prayer as we gather together to pray for our nation and its leaders on the National Day of Prayer.The effectual fervant prayer of God's righteous avails much. It was through the prayer of one righteous man named Nehemiah that the heart of a king was moved by God; and Nehemiah was allowed to take on the project of rebuilding Jerusalem's walls. All around us, the walls of morality and godly absolutes are crumbling...we must persist in our prayers...joining together to pray for God to move in the hearts of those who as our leaders may have the power to help us rebuild those walls.


Keep on believing...
At my house, there's a young boy named Matthew who knows for a fact that the effective, fervent, righteous prayer of God's children avails much. And I'm confident that one very spoiled cat ... now nicknamed Lazarus for having risen from the grave...agrees.


--J.Brown 1997






WOMmiscshwom74287428