Susanna Wesley was well-known for the disciplining of her children. However, behind that discipline were many prayers and tears. Her children knew that daily she went to her room for secret prayer for them. An hour in the morning and another in the evening were set aside for communion with God. After prayer Susanna would rejoin her family, bright, cheerful, and calm.

Karen Mains and her husband attended her 50th high school reunion. Throughout the whole two days, she heard testimonies about spiritual journeys. One friend referred to a chat in the locker room with a Christian friend and how certain words spoken about Jesus Christ had helped to inform a spiritual conversion. Another said, “I was raised Catholic, but I really became serious about faith after I met and married my wife.” These kinds of encounters happened over and over.

I read this quote by H. MacGregor: “With the single exception of adoration, in which God alone is the object, there is nothing higher than intercession.” The rest of the chapter was on intercession, but that sentence stopped me. There is nothing higher that we can do than simply adore God.

The Old Testament prophet Habakkuk was perplexed. Wickedness and oppression were out of control in Judah, but God did nothing. Habakkuk determined to ask God and to stay before Him until God answered: “I will climb up into my watchtower now and wait to see what the Lord will say to me and how he will answer my complaint” (2:1).

Angela awoke from a haze of anesthesia and opened her eyes. The hospital room swirled around her, as she struggled to focus on her obstetrician sitting next to her bed.

I was looking for recipes for Sunday dinner. “Dear Lord, help me to find something to fix for guests,” I prayed, and suddenly God had me looking at my motives. Did I want to impress with my cooking skills? If so, God wasn’t that concerned about helping me. He wanted to help me if I wanted to fix a good dinner for the right reasons.

Paul wrote that “every man shall bear his own burden,” but in the same chapter (Galatians 6 KJV) he also stated, “Bear ye one another’s burdens.”

One summer day some years ago, a young Japanese man came to the door. It was in the upper 90’s, and I knew that the young salesman had a hot miserable job. He asked if I wanted to buy one of his pictures. Well, no, I really didn’t want any. He asked then if I would like to give him a donation for his schooling. I shook my head no and closed the door, but not before I saw his look of disappointment. That hurt look haunted me, and the Lord used that incident to show me my lack of love.