Not long after Dallas Theological Seminary was founded in 1924 it went through a period of financial difficulties leading it to the point of bankruptcy. The creditors were expected to foreclose at noon on a particular day. When the appointed day arrived, the founders of the seminary met together in the morning to ask God to intervene and save the school.
In that meeting was Dr. Harry Ironside, pastor of Moody Church in Chicago. When it was his turn to pray, he prayed in his characteristic straightforward way: “Lord, we know that the cattle on a thousand hills are thine. Please sell some of them and send us the money.”
While they were praying, a tall Texan came to the business office and asked to speak to the board of directors because he had a gift he would like to present to the school. Knowing the severity of the situation, the secretary interrupted the prayer meeting and introduced the Texan.
Handing a check to Dr. Lewis Chafer, the president of the seminary, the Texan drawled, “I just sold two railcar loads of cattle in Fort Worth. I’ve been trying to make a business deal go through and it just won’t work, and I feel God is compelling me to give you this money. I don’t know if you need it or not, but here is the check.”
When Dr. Chafer looked at the check he saw that it was for the exact amount needed to cover the debt. “Harry!” He shouted, “God sold the cattle!”
I love that story! It’s true too! God loves to meet the needs of his people. The Apostle Paul wrote: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” Philippians 4:6 God is interested in the desires of our heart. As we face situations in life, we are to pray… to petition… to express thankfulness and then offer our requests to God — and then trust Him.
Now, here’s the really great part, God always provides answers to our requests that are the very best for us. Oh, I admit, the answer isn’t always what I prefer the answer to be, but I have to trust that God knows better than me. And when we learn to trust in God’s goodness for our lives… we experience a wonderful state of mind because verse 7 of Philippians 4 says: “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:7
When we present our needs to God and trust him to meet them in his goodness, we experience a peace that almost doesn’t seem to make sense… because it is a peace given by God.
Today, we are going to talk about prayer. Prayer is perhaps the most important of all spiritual disciplines, because prayer is us expressing our heart to God. Prayer demonstrates faith that God knows what is best for my life. And prayer gives us the opportunity to hear God speak.
Are you anxious about something? Then thankfully petition God with your request and ask him to bring you a peace that transcends all understanding. God cares. He cares about your heart… he cares about your mind… he cares about YOU.
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