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A Wagonload of Prayers

By Arlene Allen

Who ever heard of prayers being loaded in a wagon? It seems that a poor man who lived in the country had an accident and broke his leg, which meant he was laid up for a long time, unable to work.

His family was large and he had no money saved, so someone thought it would be a good idea to hold a prayer meeting at the church to pray for the family. The announcement was made, and the night came to hold the prayer meeting. One after another, each believer asked God to help the family, to send them food and care for their needs.

Suddenly, there was a loud knock on the church’s door. There stood a young farm boy who said, “My dad could not attend the prayer meeting tonight, so he sent his prayers in a wagon.” And there was the wagon, loaded with pumpkins, potatoes, meat, canned goods, apples, and many other produce of the farm.

No doubt the people in the prayer meeting felt ashamed of themselves for asking God to do for the poor man what they themselves should have done. The Lord I’m sure was satisfied with the farmer who sent his “prayers” in a wagon.

The truth is we often waste time asking God to do things which we ought to be doing ourselves. Someone has said that if it is not worthwhile to try to answer our own prayers, we should not bother God with them. Perhaps that farmer should have attended the prayer meeting, but if he was absent because he was busy loading his wagon for the poor man, we can feel sure the Lord excused his absence.

ARLENE ALLEN is national director of the national Women's Ministries Department and editor in chief of WTOnline.

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