Dear
Lord, the pompous man shouted at the altar of an old church.
“I have
done it all Lord,
I have
completed all that you wanted me to do.
I have
written so many books based on your word
I have
sung so many hymns at every occasion
I have
been directly or indirectly involved in a whole lot of mission work
I have
done it all Lord. I am ready to go home.
The
elderly priest sitting at the back of the church heard this man's prayer
And gave
a small chuckle.
The man
had just left and an unkempt man barely able to walk steadily
Fell at
the altar
“Lord you
have to help me.
Sarah
won’t let me in, she had warned me if I drink again she will surely leave me.
Father
you know she's all I got and I don’t want her to go.
Father
please help me overcome this weakness.
The rate at
which I am going I don’t know when my boss will relieve me of my job.
Father
please help me.
The
elderly priest looked at his assistant and nodded his head to him
And
together they both made the way to the front to where the broken man lay at the
altar.
“Son, the
priest said as he bent down and touched the man by his shoulder.
The man
in his disoriented state looked up in confusion.
Slowly he
was able to recognize the priest and stood up unsteadily.
“Father”,
the man said. “Don’t worry” the priest interrupted him
God is
close to the broken hearted.
How many
children do you have?”
He hung
his head in silence
“Oh I
see! Would you like to help out at the orphanage when you are free?
The
children will be truly blessed to have young adults like you to serve them.
The man
nodded.
And true
to his word he was there at the orphanage every weekend spending time with the
children.
In time,
he no longer drank and he looked so happy.
One day,
he came to meet the priest smiling ear to ear.
What is
it Peter? The priest asked
“I am
going to be a father.”
“Oh I am
so happy for you”, the priest answered warmly.
“When you
put your own pain past you and decided to help the helpless.
God has
given you your heart's desires and answered your prayers.
God bless
you, my son.
Walk in
his ways and watch him bless you in ways you can never imagine.
Luke
18:10-14 CJB
10 "Two men went up to the Temple to pray, one a
Parush and the other a tax-collector.
11 The Parush stood and prayed to himself, `O God! I thank
you that I am not like the rest of humanity -- greedy, dishonest, immoral, or
like this tax-collector!
12 I fast twice a week, I pay tithes on my entire income, .
. . '
13 But the tax-collector, standing far off, would not even
raise his eyes toward heaven, but beat his breast and said, `God! Have mercy on
me, sinner that I am!'
14 I tell you, this man went down to his home right with
God rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but
everyone who humbles himself will be exalted."
