Jump In

Lent is a time for prayer.   Actually, every day is the right time, but Lent helps us focus on our needed conversations with God.  Otherwise, God seems a distant friend with our being the one failing to reach out and correspond.  Even a simple “Hello” and “Thanks for being there when I need you,” can suffice.

Prayer can help us mend our ways and change our habits and behavior.   But that’s only if we act on that prayer and not wait for some clear and obvious answer from God.  

We all know prayers are not always answered perhaps because we ask for what God cannot possibly deliver.  Waiting for a miracle independent of our own efforts to partner with God to find a solution or acquire that strength to overcome odds stacked against us, is unwise.

We’ve all heard the following story.   A farmer is in Iowa during a flood.  The river is overflowing.  Water is surrounding the farmer’s home up to his front porch.  As he is standing there, a boat comes up. The man in the boat says, “Jump in, and I’ll take you to safety.” The farmer crosses his arms and says stubbornly, “Oh no thanks, I put my trust in God.” The boat goes away.

The water rises to the second story.  Another boat comes up.  The man says to the farmer, who is now at the second floor window, “Hurry, jump in. I’ll save you.” The farmer again says, “Oh no thanks, I put my trust in God.” The boat goes away.

Now the water is inching over the roof.  As the farmer stands on the roof, a helicopter comes over, and drops a ladder. The pilot yells down to the farmer, “I’ll save you. Climb the ladder.”The farmer yells back, “Oh no thanks, I put my trust in God.”  The helicopter goes away.

The water continues to rise and sweeps the farmer off the roof into the swiftly moving water. Unfortunately, he drowns.

The farmer goes to heaven.  God sees him and says, “What are you doing here?” The farmer says, “I put my trust in you, and you let me down.” 

God says, “What do you mean, let you down? I sent you two boats and a helicopter!”

Let’s pray and not fall prey to our own false hope that help always will come without our own intervention.

Deacon David Pierce