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" After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be
thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us
this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And
lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and
the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen." Matthew 6:9-13

A man's daughter had asked the local pastor to come and pray with her father. When
the pastor arrived he found the man lying in bed with his head propped upon two
pillows. An empty chair sat beside his bed. The pastor assumed that the old fellow
had been informed of his visit.

"I guess you were expecting me," he said.

"No who are you?" asked the father.

The pastor told him his name and then remarked, "I seen the empty chair, I figured you
knew I was going to show up."

" Oh yeah the chair," said the bedridden man. " Would you mind closing the door?"
At church I used to hear the pastor talk about prayer, but it went right over my head. I
abandoned any attempt at prayer," the old man continued. " Until one day four years
ago my best friend said to me Johnny, prayer is just a simple matter of having a
conversation with Jesus. Here is what I suggest. Sit down in a chair; place an empty
chair in front of you, and in faith see Jesus on the chair. It's not spooky because he
promised; " I'll be with you always." Then just speak to Him in the same way you're
doing right now. So, I tried it and I've liked it so much that I do it a couple hours
everyday. I'm careful though. If my daughter saw me talking to an empty chair, she'd
either have a nervous breakdown or send me off to the funny farm."

Two nights later the daughter called to tell the pastor that her daddy had died that
afternoon.

" Did he die in peace?" he asked.

" Yes, when I left the house about two o'clock, he called me over to his bedside, told
me he loved me and kissed me on the cheek. When I got back from the store an hour
later, I found him dead. But there was something strange about his death.
Apparently, just before daddy died, he leaned over and rested his head on the chair
beside the bed. What do you make of that?"

The pastor wiped a tear from his eye and said, " I wish we could all go like that."

I received this story via e-mail one Saturday afternoon. I do not know who the author
is nor was the author identified on the e-mail anywhere. I used this story here
because it touches my heart deeply. I think about it often and yes I often find myself
sliding an empty chair next to me when I pray or when I am writing such as now. I feel
at peace with myself when I envision Jesus sitting next to me helping me write. I often
envision Him looking over my shoulder guiding the words, placing thoughts in my
head.

Prayer is such an important part of our spiritual lives. Daily communication with the
Lord will reduce stress, help us figure out our problems, and is great for the health of
body, mind, and spirit. As the story suggests, prayer is simply talking with God. "
Ask and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened
unto you: For every one that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be
opened. Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a
stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how
to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in
heaven give good things to them that ask him?" (Matthew 7:7-11). Do not be afraid to
ask God for guidance, support, or help when in need for ourselves, for our families, for
our friends, for humanity, and yes for our enemies. Especially for our enemies for they
to are the children of God. Prayer is for all these things, but it is also for thanksgiving,
confession, celebration, and especially for fellowship. But remember this, God already
knows what you need. " And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as hypocrites are:
for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets,
that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But
thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou shut thy door, pray to
thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee
openly. But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think
that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Be not ye therefore like unto them:
for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him." (Matthew
6:5-8).

We have decided to plant a flower garden. We have selected the plants we wish to
grow. We purchase the seeds and dream of how beautiful they will become. We
select our location for the garden and plant the seeds we purchased. We even water
the garden after we are finished planting. However, after we are finished we forget
about the garden. The seeds may start to grow but the neglect will take its toll.
Weeds will soon overcome the garden and our beautiful dream will diminish because
of the neglect. The same is true of prayer. We can start a relationship with God. Start
by attending our local church and even begin reading His Word. We dream of how
beautiful our lives will become. However, without daily communication with our Lord
our beautiful dream will diminish because of the neglect. The power of prayer is
strong. We will find the results of our daily communication with our Father not only
satisfying but habit forming. I find that throughout the day I am in prayer with God
without even realizing that I am praying. You do not have to be in any special place
and there is no special time to pray. The first step in any relationship is
communication. So by all means pull up a chair and have a conversation with God.