From a secular worldview Ann's marriage was miserable. Her husband was not affectionate, never called just to say "hi," and was often critical and sarcastic. Nor did he live a Christian lifestyle. At times, Ann wondered if he cares about her at all. She even thought about divorce.

A former missionary to Papua New Guinea wrote that their Bible College was built on land between two clans that traditionally was their fighting grounds. When feelings were high one time, the tribes planned a fight right on their campus. The campus had two part-time security guys, and minimal fencing, so they had no way to prevent the fight. Instead, everyone just stayed indoors on that assigned night and prayed.

When John Robb worked with World Vision, he helped lead teams into war zones of unreached people groups. He brought leaders together in various nations initiating reconciliation and prayer. He began to notice that it was the power of prayer that was able to unite the formerly hostile leaders.

One morning my husband called from San Francisco and asked me to deliver a message to his secretary. I promised I would, thought about it once during the day, decided to wait until later, and that evening realized I had failed to follow through on his request. Soon he would be calling and what would I say? I hated to admit that I had not called.

For two years, Ann struggled with depression. What had happened to the ever-flowing spring God promises in Isaiah 58:11? Then she attended a retreat that focused on the Holy Spirit's ministry. Her thirsty soul soaked up the teaching on being filled with the Spirit and walking in the Spirit, and she soared to a mountain top experience.

When I was a girl I read the Aesop fable about the Sun and the North Wind having a contest. The North Wind boasted that it had great strength. The Sun argued that there was greater power in gentleness. So they decided to have a contest.

God told the nomadic Israelites they would come to wells they had not dug. (Deuteronomy 6:11) What a refreshment it must have been for the weary travelers to come to supplies of water that their own efforts had not produced.