Learning to Pray!
When I was a kid growing
up on the farm in NW Ohio, getting away from the
chores and work that were assigned to me was like
a sense of freedom. Sunday morning,
Sunday evening, and Thursday evening were weekly
freedom from the farm times. You could find
all of our family at the friendly church on the corner
in Wauseon, Ohio, on those times. I would be
less than honest if I tried to convey that all of
this time was spent in quiet solitude being a perfect
Mennonite little boy! In addition to all of
the Biblical teaching that was absorbed, there was
a lot of fun and lifelong relationships were built.
My best friend during those
days was John Hess who is now a doctor in Tasmania. News this week of
his father Jake Hess passing on, at the age of 96,
to be with the Lord brings back many incredible memories. Getting
to sit during the church service with John’s
family included sitting with his Dad of course, and
if I had really been good that week, I might spend
all of Sunday with the Hess’s. Jake was
very patient with kids and he was also a business man
selling baby chicks and animal feeds of all kinds to
farmers. I remember his willingness to keep a
horse or two that we could ride and also teach us the
safety rules that allowed us to ride the family’s
Cushman motor scooter. He was knowledgeable about
the local sports scene and noticed all of my games
that I played even though I attended a different high
school than his son.
But Jake's influence on me
didn’t stop there. When
I sat next to him during church, I noticed that when
I wanted to ask him a question during prayer time,
he was not available to me. His head was bowed;
his hands were clasped together and humbly set upon
his lap. When the prayer was over, he always
responded to my questions. To this day, whenever
I pray, I always try to pray just like Jake! I
fold my hands just like he did; I focus on what God
wants to tell me; and I trust that anyone who needs
me will wait until I listen for God’s voice speaking
to my heart. Our pastor at Idlewild talked today
about sermons being lived as more powerful than the
ones that are preached. For all the sermons I
have heard on prayer, as good as they have been, none
have had an impact on me like watching Jake!
Matthew 5:15-16 (RSV) “Nor do men light
a lamp and put it under a bushel, but on a stand,
and it gives light to all in the house. Let your
light so shine before men, that they may see your
good works and give glory to your Father who is in
heaven.”
Monday Morning
Message Sent 6/28/10
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