Don't stop praying

Sometime ago I came across an account written by Bishop Coxe, who was describing his stay at an old feudal castle in England. The castle itself was so old that one of its towers dated back to the days of King John. The Bishop wrote that on the first morning of his stay when he went down for breakfast, he found the owner of the castle, his family and all the servants, assembled for Morning Prayer which was being conducted by the head of the family.  As the Bishop lifted his eyes, he noticed high overhead a massive beam that spanned the grand old hall and in old English it bore the following inscription. That house shall be preserved and never shall decay, Where the Almighty is worshipped day by day AD 1558

For hundreds of years the people of that old castle had turned their faces towards God each day in prayer and what they were doing is something which God expects and commands us all to be doing day by day. Daniel the prophet set aside three times a day for prayer and when you examine the example set by Jesus, we discover that prayer was at the very centre of His life. He regularly prayed by Himself when He was alone, He regularly prayed with His friends, He prayed every week in the synagogue, He prayed for those in trouble, He prayed for Himself, and He prayed before making major decisions.

Jesus set an example that no matter how busy we are, we are expected to take time out with God in prayer. No day should pass without it, no hurry for business, no arrival of friends, no trouble or sorrow and no joy or excitement should prevent us from taking regular time to touch base  with the Giver of Life. Those who are addicted to smoking make sure that they have regular smoke breaks throughout their day no matter how rushed they maybe. Christians in the same way should see to it that they have regular prayer breaks.

This is what should happen and yet so often prayer is not seen as a priority in our lives. In a survey conducted by the Diocese of Oxford, it was revealed that the main reason why people do not worship and pray regularly is not because they don't believe in God, but purely because they think that they are too busy to fit it in.

This notion of being too busy is somewhat amusing when you compare it to the life of Jesus and how busy He was! From dawn until dusk and than after dusk, Jesus was working and ministering to crowds of needy people. He was constantly giving of Himself, constantly under pressure and consciously aware of the dreadful death that lay ahead of Him, which was closer with each passing day.  He would have been exhausted by the end of each day.  Although He had all this work to do; a busy and stressful life beyond our imagination, He always actively set aside time to pray. He set the perfect example of how even in the midst of busyness, prayer was made a top priority! Those who say they haven't time to pray, are in a sense saying they are busier than Jesus was during His earthly ministry which is clearly impossible.

It has been suggested that for some people the word busy might as well stand for Being Under Satans Yoke. Once they neglect their prayer life, they will begin to spiritually drift and sadly this drifting is never in the direction of God but always in the direction of Satan's sphere of influence and bondage.

An individual Christian may be compared to someone swimming in the sea whilst the tide is going out. If they stop swimming in the direction of the shore and merely tread water, they do not stay where they are. Chillingly, they will be pulled by the tide into the ocean and to their death. So likewise unless a Christian ACTIVELY maintains their spiritual life through prayer etc, they wont stay were they are but will gradually drift ever further away from God.

Scripture teaches that we are all Fallen creatures with numerous character faults and failings. Unless we actively resist the pull of our fallen nature with the help of the Holy Spirit, we will be drawn into it more and more- to our death.  As it warns in Hebrews Ch 2 vs1-3 Therefore we must give all the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we should drift away..for how shall we escape hell if we neglect so great a salvation?

Some years ago a minister said to his congregation I have a question to ask which no one here will be able to answer. If angels from heaven were here they could not answer it. If the devil himself were here, he couldn't answer it either. Every eye stared at the minister, curious as to what this question might be. He gave them a few moments to think and then broke the intense silence by saying The question is this; how shall we escape hell if we neglect so great a salvation?

An active prayer life with the Lord prevents spiritual drifting just as surely as an anchor holds a boat against tide and storm. That old inscription noticed by Bishop Coxe was quite correct when it spoke of preservation and a lack of decay. It could just as easily have stated that PERSON shall be preserved and never shall decay who worships Almighty God day by day.

The benefits of praying should make prayer the very foundation of our lives, not some sort of after thought slotted in now and then. The truth is we need all the help prayer provides; for our very survival.  We neglect it at our peril. We need it for guidance, we need it for strength, we need it for comfort, we need it to prevent drifting, we need it to grow and we need it for security.

In his moving hymn about prayer, Joseph Scriven summarised it like this, What a Friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear. What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer. O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear, all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer. Have we trials and temptations, is there trouble anywhere? We should never be discouraged, take it to the Lord in prayer.  Can we find a Friend so faithful, who will all our sorrows share? Jesus knows our every weakness; take it to the Lord in prayer. Are we weak and heavy laden, cumbered with a load of care? Precious Saviour still our refuge: take it to the Lord in prayer. Do thy friends despise, forsake thee? Take it to the Lord in prayer. In His arms Hell take and shield thee; Thou wilt find a solace there.

How much easier life would be, if only individuals took everything to God in prayer!  Just think how many personal problems, relationship troubles and financial issues would be resolved, and how many fears would be laid to rest.

Are you finding it hard to stand up to the problems and pressures of life? Then get down on your knees! Cast your burden on the Lord and He will sustain you. Psalm 55v22.

Be careful to whom you listen

Some decades ago in America a train was travelling West in the depths of winter time. It was freezing cold, snowing heavily and owing to strong winds, there were blizzard conditions. On board there was a certain young woman with her baby who wanted to leave the train at one of the remote stations along the route. Owing to the remoteness of the region one of the tasks of the guardsman was to call out the names of the stations as they approached, so people would know when to disembark. The woman was a stranger to the country so on several occasions she went up to the guardsman and said "Please don't forget me; I need to get off at Redrock". Repeatedly the guardsman promised he wouldn't forget her and would certainly tell her when she was to get off.

As time went on, the train slowed to a stop as though coming into a station and a fellow traveller said to the woman, "that must be your stop now." With gratitude the woman gathered her things and hopped off the train into the storm. The train moved on again. Forty-five minutes later the guardsman came in and called out "passenger for Redrock! Your station is next"! Passengers explained to him that she had got off the last time the train had stopped. The guardsman's face changed to one of despair. "I promised her that I would let her know when to get off. We only stopped because of heavy snow on the track. She has got off to her death." Sadly his prediction was all too accurate. Rescuers found her frozen to death. Amazingly the baby was found alive, having been protected from the worst of the cold beneath his mother's coat.

Be careful to whom you listen! This true story reminds us of the vital importance of listening to correct information and instructions. Sometimes listening to the right person with the right knowledge is quite literally a matter of life and death. But this story also teaches us  an important spiritual lesson that has profound implications.

Every one of us is on the "journey of life". As we travel along, we need to make certain that we are listening to the right "person" and the correct information; otherwise we won't know what we are doing, where we are going, what decisions we are to make, or indeed how to prepare for our journey's end.


Many people today are in a state of confusion regarding a whole range of moral, religious and personal issues. For example, some are  confused regarding what to believe about God and which religion to follow. Others are confused about what should be considered as morally right and what should be seen as immoral. Still more are confused about what is happening to the world and uncertain about how to deal with their own personal problems such as who to marry, where to live, what job to take, and so on.

Often in this confusion people look to their fellow travellers thinking that they might know the answer but they too are just as confused and uncertain. One traveller might say "It's the next station" another might say with equal affirmation that the station has already been passed or indeed that there is no station at all! Fellow travellers don't really know the answers to the questions of life. The only One Who knows the answers is "The Guardsman" Himself. If that poor woman had trusted the guardsman rather than a fellow passenger she would have lived. In stead she put her faith in a well meaning passenger who obviously didn't know what he was talking about; and it cost her, her life.

So likewise, during the course of our lifetime, many fellow travellers will express their views on moral issues, belief systems and personal problems. For instance, some will say "there is nothing sinful about some particular kind of conduct or behaviour", others will say "believe in this religion" yet others may say "take this job, marry that man" etc. Some might  suggest trying clairvoyance, trying New Age rituals, trying crystals, trying this, trying that, for ever clutching at straws in their own personal confusion.

 No matter what others may say, let us soberly remember that there is only One Individual we should listen to and that is "The Guardsman" Himself; Jesus Christ. Our life depends on it. He alone knows the truth. He alone has the answers to our questions and so it is His instructions and commands we should follow. We should listen to Him alone; no one else. As Jesus said "I Am the Way, the Truth and the Life."(John Ch14v6).

One of the main  reasons why God has provided the human race with Holy Scripture is so that everyone can read exactly what He Himself is stating rather than be misled by what fellow travellers say. The Bible is the Word of God, so if we want to know what "The Guardsman" is saying or commanding on any particular issue, it is there for us to read. We ignore His written Word and listen to others, at our peril!

In 2nd Timothy Ch3v16 it states "All Scripture is given by the inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction and for instruction in righteousness." We need to trust and obey what the Lord Himself says about an issue rather than others, lest we be spiritually deceived. (See 1st Corinthians Ch6vs 9-11; Galatians Ch5vs 19-21; Ch6vs7-8; 2nd Timothy Ch3v13; Colossians Ch2v8; 1st John Ch3vs7-8).

In Proverbs Ch3 vs5-6 God gives a reassuring promise about guidance. It states "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and rely not on your own understanding. In all your ways obey Him and then He will guide and direct your path." What this means is that if we faithfully listen to and obey His commands in Scripture then we can be sure that we will indeed be guided to "get off at the right station," or make the right decision. We can be sure that we will indeed be shown what path we are to follow, what we really are to believe and what decisions we should make concerning "this or that or the other".

Throughout the journey of life we have to make many serious decisions. Friends and relatives will offer all sorts of contradictory advice but provided we listen to and obey the Lord, He will guide us concerning what is right and proper. Provided we remain faithful to Him, then He most certainly will show us the way we should go and the decisions we should make. Scripture promises that we will receive His guidance, so long as we follow and obey Him totally and completely.

Late in the 19th Century an acrobat arranged to walk a wire across Niagara Falls with another man on his shoulders. Many weeks of training went into preparing for this event. As the final moment for this event drew near, the rope walker cautioned his young colleague with the following words. "We are about to risk our lives, but we will get across safely if you do exactly as I say. I am the one walking the wire, the whole responsibility for that part is mine. I can do it safely. For your part you have nothing to do but match my movements completely. If I sway to the left, let yourself sway with me. If I sway to the right, do the same. Under no circumstances try to do your own thing. You must match your movements to mine so as to ensure harmony because without perfect unison we are both lost. There is only one thing for you to do;-sway with me."

All went well until they drew near the opposite side when the unexpected happened. The long vibration of the wire suddenly formed into separate waves, and each of these formed two more and so on. Soon the shortened wave like movements became so violent that the man could scarcely keep his feet where he placed them. It was a perilous moment, but the feat was accomplished and it was front page news across the country the next day.

After this, the young man who had played the secondary role upon the acrobat's shoulders settled down to private life and got married. In time he became an active leader in the church. He often commented, "I learned more about my relationship with God on that wire than in all of my life. I learned that the only safe way to get through trouble is to keep on fully obeying God. If I stop obeying, even for a moment or just a little then all is lost."

Provided we carefully listen to and fully obey the Lord, He will in turn guide us concerning the decisions we have to make in life. If we do as He says and as He guides, then we will get safely to the other side and disembark at the right station, if however, we disobey, then we will fall into the waters of deception and drown in the depths of despair.

The dangers of neglecting prayer and Bible study

The story goes that during the years of the Great Depression in America there was a foolish old farmer who tried to save money by feeding his mule on sawdust. He felt his mule was costing him far too much in oats, so he decided to mix a little sawdust in with its feed. This went on for a week without any apparent ill effects on the animal. As time went on the farmer continued to reduce the amount of oats and increase the sawdust. The mule didn't seem to notice the gradual change, so the farmer thought things were fine that is until one morning he found his mule dead.

Every so often I come across Christians who thought that they could maintain their relationship with God without feeding themselves spiritually. With the pressures of life they had become time poor meaning something time wise had to give. They looked around at what they could cut back on and thought that their Christianity and their relationship with the One Who suffered for them was costing them too much time. They felt it took too much time to go to Communion regularly, to read their Bible and pray and far too costly time wise to be in a house group or Bible study group. Gradually, bit by bit they reduced the amount of time they spent on these Godly pursuits. At first there didn't seem to be any adverse effects and so they reduced their time with God even further. Still there appeared to be little change until suddenly without warning, the whole spiritual edifice of their life came tumbling down and they found themselves desolate, alone, empty and in spiritual peril.

Without warning, they found themselves besieged by all sorts of different problems. These problems manifested themselves in a variety of ways such as in relationship issues, temptations, worries, a lack of peace, an inability to cope with the pressures of life and so on. Even old problems they had sorted out long ago returned with a vengeance. They noticed a change to their personality at an emotional and psychological level and they had a profound sense of being remote and distant from God. Owing to their starvation diet they had left themselves spiritually defenceless and being emotionally, psychologically and spiritually exhausted they were left in no condition or state of mind to face these troubles.

In Ephesians Ch 6 vs 10-18 St Paul gave a chilling warning to every Christian. He warned that unless a Christian ACTIVELY works at his spiritual life, he will become spiritually defenceless against the powers of darkness. He warned  that in this life we do not wrestle against mere flesh and blood but against the evil spiritual powers of this age... The primary location of this battle is in a persons heart and mind.

Repeatedly, Scripture states that the human race is set in the midst of a spiritual war and warns that there are spiritual forces at work attempting to influence peoples hearts and minds towards darkness and despair. The only way to counteract these dark influences upon us and keep these foes at bay is to actively take up the whole armour of God so that we many be able to stand in the evil day. Taking up the whole armoury of God means using everything God has given us for our protection and growth such as Holy Communion, Bible reading, praying and having regular fellowship with other Christians.

When a person turns to Christ and sets their heart on fire with love for Him, they need to keep on feeding the fire or it will go out. Every prayer time, and every Bible reading time, every Church attendance and fellowship time is like a piece of coal or wood being put on this fire to stop it going out. A person doesn't just become a Christian as though it was some one off event, they have to ACTIVELY REMAIN ONE, constantly feeding the fire of love and faith with spiritual logs and coals.

The individual Christian is sometimes likened to a fortress in the desert. When that Christian spends regular quality time with God by having a daily prayer time etc, the defences are well maintained, the weapons are oiled and polished, the walls are high, the gate is up and all is well. The danger comes when an individual thinks oh this is too time consuming, the walls become neglected, gaps develop, the gate falls down and before they know it their spiritual fortress is all but destroyed. The frightening thing is that such neglect actually invites attack. As we are warned in 1st Peter Ch5 v8-9 "Be sober and vigilant, because your enemy the devil walks about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. Resist him steadfast in the faith."  Moreover, like the mule and his sawdust, this spiritual neglect may be so gradual it can go unnoticed until something major happens.

Scripture teaches that making time for God is not an added extra to our life, it is a profound necessity. People are not saving time by neglecting their spiritual life, quite the reverse; it is an invitation to all sorts of problems which may take months or years of effort to resolve if indeed they can be at all. The old phrase A stitch in time saves nine truly has a spiritual application. Making time for our relationship with God is the most important thing we do, it is the deciding factor as to who has God in their life and who hasn't.

Divine intervention in times of conflict

Regular visitors to this website will know that it features many articles describing how God is active in today's world just as He was in Biblical times. When a person is in a right relationship with the Lord and prays to Him with a clean heart about some particular matter, they can expect their prayers to be heard and answered in some special way.

Recently, I came across an example of answered prayer which brings a special message of hope and encouragement to our troubled world. Although our world is full of conflict and strife, let us not despair, because God can and does answer faithful prayers in even the worst of situations and conditions. As we shall see, He answers prayers in a "conflict situation" just as easily as in times of peace and tranquillity.

This particular incident occurred during the Second World War, and took place amongst a stricken crew on board a submarine which was trapped on the seabed. The miracle of Divine Intervention which occurred would never have happened if it hadn't been for the Christian devotion of the subs commander, Rupert Lonsdale.

Both of Rupert's parents were devout Christians and with their help and guidance he too came to accept Jesus Christ as his Saviour during his teenage years. His personal relationship with God was based on repentance and faith in Christ and he firmly believed that through His Cross and Resurrection he had eternal life.

As a young man he joined the Royal Navy and in 1927 when he was 22 years old he volunteered for submarine service. Such were his gifts of leadership he was soon promoted and by 1934 was given his first command. Rupert did not fit the typical image of a submarine commander, swashbuckling and hard-drinking. Instead he was a quiet man with no wild ways. He was a man who took God and devotion to following God profoundly seriously. Shortly before the outbreak of war in 1939 he was further promoted and given command of a submarine called "Seal".

On Monday 29th April 1940, Seal sailed out from Immingham on a secret mission to lay mines where German shipping was pouring out of Northern Germany into the Atlantic. Unknown to Lonsdale and the crew it was regarded as a suicide mission by High Command and they weren't expected to return.

On the 4th May Seal successfully laid 50 mines across the appointed area and started to head for home. It was then that they were spotted by enemy aircraft. German UJ boats with underwater listening equipment were called in, and what followed was a deadly game of cat and mouse between the German Navy and Seal which went on for many hours. Finally, after an incredible 16 hours underwater, the crew sighed with relief feeling certain they had escaped death. The crew relaxed, and food was served. All of a sudden at about 19.00 a violent explosion rocked the sub and slowly it sank 90 feet to the seabed. Two rear compartments had been completely flooded with an estimated 130 tons of water entering the stern of the boat. There was no panic. Lonsdale was in the control room at the centre of the crisis. He remained calm, alert and focused. The weight of the crew's trust was on him. Their lives were in his hands. It was a crushingly lonely time for him.

After nightfall, Lonsdale gave the order to surface. Momentarily the sub began to rise but then it slowly sank back to the sea floor. The problem was that the weight of the water inside the boat was pressing the damaged stern into the mud. The bow was pointing upwards to the water's surface at an angle of 25degrees. They made several more attempts to surface but the stern would not budge. Every man onboard knew that they faced death. There was no ventilation and the air was becoming foul. Even in a sitting position they were gasping for air. To take 3 paces had the same effect as a 100 yard sprint under normal conditions. Seal had now become their metal coffin.

23 hours had now passed since Seal had dived and they had reached the end of all human resources. What happened next was God's part of the story and has been officially documented. Lonsdale turned to those around him in the control room and said "We have tried everything we can think of to get to the surface, but without result. None of us can think of anything else. I am going to call the crew together and we shall say some simple prayers. Our object will be to ask God to help us".

The very idea of praying stirred the crew. It is recorded that only 2 men out of the 59 refused to pray. This is how he began. "We have been in some tight spots before and we've come through. With God's help we shall do so again. I think it is time we said the Lord's Prayer together, but first I want to ask God to help us. "Dear God" he prayed, "we have tried everything in our power to save ourselves and we have failed. Yet we believe that You can do things that are impossible to men. Please, O Lord, deliver us. "Lonsdale started the Lord's Prayer and found himself joined with a lot of voices more full of reverence and feeling than he had ever believed possible. The sounds of praying eventually stopped. Lonsdale continued, "And now I think we should all quietly say our own prayers to God." He stood silent, head bowed. Finally the impromptu service was over.

The answer to their prayers came almost immediately when it flashed into Lonsdale's mind what they were to

do. He calmly explained to the crew that he had an idea but it would require the cooperation of them all to put it into action. Although they were feeling half dead, they rallied to his orders. First, he ordered a rope to be rigged up along the length of the slopping submarine. Then he ordered every man to climb up the slope to the forward part of Seal, by holding on to the rope. Lonsdale was using his men as human ballast in the hope that their combined weight at the front of the sub would provide enough leverage to loosen the stern. The forward compartments filled with men too weak to talk and Lonsdale gave final orders to surface. The last two tanks were blown and the engines were put on full power. Slowly, agonizingly, Seal shuddered from end to end. Then she broke free from the seabed and levelled out. Ever so slowly she then rose to the surface.

Lonsdale's lifestyle of prayer had long included brief "arrow" prayers that nobody knew about. Now he whispered "Thank you Lord". Most of the crew both then and upon later reflection were convinced that they had experienced Divine guidance and many of them came to a real faith in Christ as a result of it. Even one of the two men who had refused to pray was spiritually changed.

In order to save the lives of his crew Lonsdale surrendered Seal to the Germans and he and his men became prisoners of war. As a prisoner of war, Lonsdale helped conduct church services in the camps to which he was sent and after the war became an ordained minister in the Church of England.

Lonsdale witnessed for Christ in submarines, in prisoner of war camps and in more than half a dozen churches where he was a minister. He died in Bournemouth in 1999 aged 93 survived by his wife Ethne and son John. Over his study desk hung a painting with the words "Faith sees through tears written below it. "When I am down" he said "I find that kneeling and giving my life and problems to God enables me to find Him and His grace."

Rupert Lonsdale experienced many moving and tragic events in his life but his personal relationship with God grew closer each time. He was no "fair weather Christian" and his faith and trust in God is an example to us all. Having experienced and witnessed so much suffering he was once asked to define his basic beliefs. What he stated should be an encouragement to anyone who has, or is going through a time of suffering or loss.

This is what he wrote:

"I don't see how anyone cannot believe that there is a Power who created the universe. Some Mind must have created the orderliness of the stars and the solar system. Consider the phases of the moon; the regularity of the tides and seasons; the implanting of a magnetic North Pole; the fact of gravity. All these point to an infinite Master Mind beyond our understanding in greatness.

The Bible tells us that evil has entered into this creation. I believe in the everlasting mercy and patience of God, though if people carry on being rebels against God, it must end in being put out of His Kingdom.

I believe in Christ as the Son of God. No man ever spoke or acted as he did. His power over evil, His wisdom and love show that He was above all other men. He was the true image of God. Yet He was a man knowing weariness, frustration and suffering—tempted like us, yet without sin. Those around Him knew these truths.

The Bible tells us all this and I believe the Bible is true. Christ showed us what God is like. By faith in Christ, Christians have forgiveness and eternal life. Heaven is unspoilt by evil. Those who have never received God's forgiveness may not take their unforgiven sin into God's holy presence after death. During this life real believers grow more into Christ's likeness.

I also believe in the Devil, cunning, strong, and always ready to draw us away from being fashioned by God. The Devil can be successfully resisted when we ask for God's help.

Nothing will ever shake me from my belief that God is Love, despite the things I have seen happen to other people in war, not to mention the things that have happened to me. [Editor: Rupert's first wife died giving birth to his only child, his second wife died of cancer in 1961, and his third wife died of a brain tumour in 1986]. I believe that God has a plan for each one of us and we must put our lives in His hands. More needs to be written about the Holy Spirit, the Cross and the fact of the Resurrection which are the heart of my faith..."

When we watch the news and see tragic events unfold before our eyes, let us remember that God is there in the midst of it all, supporting, sustaining and strengthening. He is right there in the middle of such suffering ever ready and ever able to answer the prayers of the faithful no matter how great their particular difficulty may be - even the prayers of a submarine crew trapped on the seabed in war time!

Answered Prayer

One of the subjects people frequently ask me about is “prayer”.  Many thousands of books have been written over the centuries cataloguing examples of answered prayer and they make both inspiring and challenging reading.  Here are two fascinating examples of the many I have come across.

A number of years ago a strange incident occurred in a missionary’s hut in a remote part of Africa.  One night a missionary awoke with a start, having a strange feeling of being in imminent danger.  The moon’s rays shone through the window, but she could see nothing wrong.  She continued to have a feeling of great danger so she awoke her husband.  After a few moments of further peering they suddenly saw a hideous creature at the end of their bed – a huge cobra – head raised ready to strike.  Quickly her husband  reached for his rifle and shot it dead.

But what was it that alerted her to their danger?  Well many months later after they had returned home to Canada they mentioned the strange incident to a Christian friend.  After checking dates and times her friend then related that at the exact time they had been in danger, she had been sweeping the kitchen floor and had suddenly been overcome by an irresistible urge to pray for them.  “I had an overwhelming feeling that at that precise moment you were in great personal danger.  I got down on my knees and pleaded to God for your protection.  After some minutes, a sense of peace came upon me and I felt all was well.”

The other example comes from the Gracie family and their experience with the Titanic.  One Sunday night in April 1912 an American woman found she couldn’t sleep because of a peculiar feeling that her husband was in great danger.  The fear would not go away so she began to pray for her husband’s safety although she couldn’t understand why, since he was safely on board the so called “unsinkable ship”.  She prayed and prayed, but still the fear overwhelmed her.  The hours went on but she got no assurance and kept on praying until about 5 am.  Suddenly a sense of peace overwhelmed her and she went to sleep.

So what was happening while she was praying for her husband’s safety?  Her husband Colonel Gracie was among the doomed hundreds.  He personally had given up all hope of survival and was doing his best to help the women and children.  As the ship plunged to her watery grave, he was sucked down in the giant whirlpool.  Instinctively he began to swim under water, ice cold as it was.  Prepared for death, he was astonished to suddenly find himself reach the surface, and not only that, but next to an overturned lifeboat.  He was picked up by another lifeboat several hours later, the very time peace came to his praying wife.

In James Ch 5 v16 it says “pray for one another because the prayers of a righteous man avails much”.  This statement has been seen to be true on countless occasions – indeed many of you who read this will have your own personal and private examples of answered prayer.

I said that the catalogue of examples of answered prayer was both inspiring and challenging.   Inspiring yes! But how can they be challenging?  What I find so challenging is this – what if the Christian friend hadn’t bothered to pray for the missionaries?  What would have happened if she felt she was really too busy to pray – after all, she had this to do, that to do, the kids to get from school and all on a tight schedule.  Or what if Mrs Gracie hadn’t bothered to labour in prayer all night for her husband’s safety?  Suppose she had decided that reciting the Lord’s Prayer last thing at night was all the Lord required and left it at that!  She would have slept well but she would have been a widow by the morning.  When a person decides they are too busy to pray just think what damage they are doing to themselves and others.  Prayer changes the course of a persons life and so does a lack of prayer!  In 1st Thessalonians Ch5 v17we are commanded “to pray without ceasing”.  The next time you decide to miss your daily prayer time because you are too busy for spiritual matters just think what the consequences might be!  Prayer is vitally important and more things are wrought by prayer than this world knows about.