Recently I watched a video that was made many years ago. I watched as my mother spoke with clarity about the Bible lesson we were all discussing, her cheeks were smooth and her square chin was firm. I could see how blue her eyes were even through those great big glasses so popular in the early 80’s.
Then my began to dad speak, wow what a powerful voice that man had! When he spoke, it was like hearing the very voice of God. He looked into the eye of the camera and said, “Let me pray for you, put your right hand over your heart while I pray.” In the background I could hear myself playing the organ softly as he prayed.
I looked at my computer screen and his black eyes were seeing right through me as I placed my hand over my heart and listened to him pray, it felt as if he were praying just for me alone.
I thought how odd it was, when that prayer was prayed originally, I was listening to it from the organ stool, watching the back of his head and trying to see the countdown for the end of the program we were taping. Little did I know then that the prayer prayed so long ago would find me so many years later sitting at my computer feeling a little down, well honestly a lot down, and minister to me making me feel so much better.
If you think about it every word, we have ever said is still a sound bite somewhere in the atmosphere and that prayer was as fresh and good for me today as it was the day he said it.
This incident reminded me of something that happened back when we were recording those programs; we were close to the end of a program, we recorded 3 or 4 at a time, and were at ending recording the program to be shown that coming Sunday night at midnight when my dad spoke with authority and said, “Wait a minute I see someone grieving right now and I want to pray for you.”
He began to pray the most wonderful and comforting prayer I had ever heard him pray and I wondered who would be seeing that program on Sunday night that the prayer would be for or was it something he was feeling right then and maybe wouldn’t apply to anyone on Sunday… at least those were my thoughts as he prayed.
Sunday came and everything was good all day until we got a call that my grandfather, my dad’s father, had a heart attack and was in the hospital. My dad began to prepare to get a flight out to Los Angeles to be with him. As he was getting his suitcase ready, our program was on and suddenly we heard daddy speak from the TV saying, “Wait a minute I see someone grieving right now…” as he was speaking those words the telephone rang and it was the news that my grandfather had died.
My dad stood and cried as pitiful as a little boy would at losing his dad, the way I cried eight years ago when I lost him, and I realized that the prayer he was praying was for himself and for our family.
There is no time or distance in the Spirit, when a prayer is prayed over you, it works for you in the future the same way it does now.
When I am praying, I call on all the prayers that have ever been prayed over me because I know that God is still working through them on my behalf.
Matthew 26:39 Jesus prayed in the Garden “If it can be Your will let this cup pass from me; nevertheless not my will but Yours be done.”
Jesus knew the suffering that was coming, that He would be beaten beyond recognition and then hung on a cross to bleed and die for the human race who would revile and reject Him. He didn’t want to do it, but He was willing to do it if it was the will of His Father, God.
Then I look at myself with so many things that I need to know, and I am grateful that the prayer my dad prayed today, his voice ringing out so strong was for me now, right now, and if I listen to it again tomorrow or the next day it will still be as relevant then as it was all those years ago.
The Bible is the same, it is as fresh and relevant for us today as it was when it was inspired and written so long ago.
Hebrews 13:8 says it all, “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever.”
And to that I add Amen!
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