Faith is so simple, yet it is quite extraordinary! Bottom-line: “This is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith.” (I John 5:4)
Consider the
following inspirational story as an illustration of the simplicity and security
that is part and parcel of the Christian faith.
A man’s daughter
had asked her pastor to stop by and pray with her father. When the minister arrived, he found the man
lying in bed with his head propped up on two pillows. An empty chair sat beside his bed, so the
minister assumed that the old fellow had been informed of his visit.
“I guess you
were expecting me,” he said. “No, who
are you?” anxiously queried the father. “I’m
the new minister at your church,” he replied.
“When I saw the empty chair, I figured you knew I was coming.” The bedridden
man paused before he responded, “Oh yeah, the chair…would you mind just closing
the door?”
Puzzled, the minister shut the door. The elderly man began to confess. “I have never told anyone this, not even my daughter,” he said. “But all of my life I have never known how to pray. At church I used to hear the pastor talk about prayer, but it went right over my head. So I abandoned any attempt at prayer,” the old man continued, “until one day about four years ago when my best friend explained it to me. “Joe, prayer is just a simple matter of having a conversation with Jesus. Here is what I suggest. Sit down in a chair; place an empty chair in front of you, and by faith see Jesus on the chair. This isn’t strange or spooky because He promised, ‘I'll be with you always.’ So you can speak to Him like you’re talking to me right now.”
“Suddenly, prayer made all the sense in the world,” the aging man admitted. “So, I tried it and I like it so much that I do it a couple of hours every day. I’m careful though. If my daughter ever saw me talking to an empty chair, she would either have a nervous breakdown or send me off to the funny farm!”
The minister was deeply moved by his story and encouraged the old man to continue his spiritual journey. Then he paused and prayed with him, anointed him with oil, and returned to the church. Two nights later, the daughter called to tell the minister that her father had passed away that afternoon.
“Did he die in peace?” the pastor asked. “Yes, before I left the house around two o’clock, he called me over to his bedside, told me he loved me and kissed me on the cheek. When I got back from the store an hour later, he was gone. But there was something rather strange about his death. Apparently, just before Daddy died, he leaned over and rested his head on the chair beside the bed. Pastor, what do you make of that?” The minister wiped a knowing tear from his eye and said, “I wish we could all go home like that.”
Puzzled, the minister shut the door. The elderly man began to confess. “I have never told anyone this, not even my daughter,” he said. “But all of my life I have never known how to pray. At church I used to hear the pastor talk about prayer, but it went right over my head. So I abandoned any attempt at prayer,” the old man continued, “until one day about four years ago when my best friend explained it to me. “Joe, prayer is just a simple matter of having a conversation with Jesus. Here is what I suggest. Sit down in a chair; place an empty chair in front of you, and by faith see Jesus on the chair. This isn’t strange or spooky because He promised, ‘I'll be with you always.’ So you can speak to Him like you’re talking to me right now.”
“Suddenly, prayer made all the sense in the world,” the aging man admitted. “So, I tried it and I like it so much that I do it a couple of hours every day. I’m careful though. If my daughter ever saw me talking to an empty chair, she would either have a nervous breakdown or send me off to the funny farm!”
The minister was deeply moved by his story and encouraged the old man to continue his spiritual journey. Then he paused and prayed with him, anointed him with oil, and returned to the church. Two nights later, the daughter called to tell the minister that her father had passed away that afternoon.
“Did he die in peace?” the pastor asked. “Yes, before I left the house around two o’clock, he called me over to his bedside, told me he loved me and kissed me on the cheek. When I got back from the store an hour later, he was gone. But there was something rather strange about his death. Apparently, just before Daddy died, he leaned over and rested his head on the chair beside the bed. Pastor, what do you make of that?” The minister wiped a knowing tear from his eye and said, “I wish we could all go home like that.”
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