THERE ARE OVER 600 STORIES AND COMMENTARIES ON THIS BLOG THAT BEGAN NOV 24, 2009. IT IS ADDED TO DAILY.
THE STORY BELOW HAPPENED TO ME ALMOST SIXTY YEARS AGO.
NEIL WYRICK
HE WAS A YOUNG MAN, IN HIS MID-TWENTIES AND NOT LONG OUT OF SEMINARY.
HE RECEIVED A "CALL" TO A MINISTERIAL CHALLENGE, THE STARTING OF A NEW CHURCH. IT WAS WHAT HE HAD ALWAYS WANTED, BUT THE TIMING DIDN'T SEEM QUITE RIGHT.
HE HAD BEEN AT HIS FIRST PASTORATE OUT OF SEMINARY FOR SUCH A VERY SHORT TIME. SO HE PAUSED BEFORE ANSWERING THE LETTER AND PRAYED ABOUT IT.
AND THOUGH HE STILL WANTED TO ACCEPT THE CALL, HE FINALLY SENT A LETTER (SENT IF FIRST CLASS AIR MAIL, THAT'S THE WAY IT WAS DONE BACK IN THE 1950'S) TO THE HOME MISSION COMMISSION TURNING IT DOWN.
OF COURSE, BEING THE KIND OF PERSON HE WAS, HE COULDN'T STOP HIS MIND FROM GOING OVER AND OVER HIS DECISION AND SO HE CONTINUED TO PRAY ABOUT IT. SOON HE FOUND HIMSELF SAYING A STRANGE AND UNNERVING PRAYER, "LORD, IF I GET A SECOND CHANCE AT THIS CALL, I WILL CONSIDER IT MORE CLOSELY."
HE FELT THIS WAS IS A FOOLISH PRAYER, BUT HE HAD TO PRAY IT. IT SEEMED RIGHT TO DO SO. THREE WEEKS LATER, HE RECEIVED A LONG DISTANCE TELEPHONE CALL ASKING HIM, "ARE YOU GOING TO COME AND START A NEW CHURCH OR NOT?"
THE COMMISSION HAD NEVER RECEIVED HIS LETTER. THIS WAS HIS SECOND CHANCE. HE TOOK UP THE NEW PASTORAL CHALLENGE OVER 1000 MILES AWAY. GOD HAD HEARD HIS PRAYER AND KNEW HIS PRESENT AND FUTURE NEEDS.
A FEW YEARS LATER, HE WAS OFFERED THE JOB OF HEAD OF MEN'S WORK IN HIS DENOMINATION.
IT WAS TEMPTING, HE STILL LOVED A CHALLENGE, BUT ONCE AGAIN HE TOOK IT TO THE LORD IN PRAYER AND ASKED THAT IF IT WAS NOT RIGHT THAT HE KNOW IT. HE TURNED IT DOWN. GOD HAD HEARD HIS PRAYER AND KNEW HIS PRESENT AND FUTURE NEEDS.
HE WAS THEN OFFERED THE JOB AS ASSOCIATE EDITOR OF HIS DENOMINATION'S OFFICIAL CHURCH MAGAZINE. HE LOVED TO WRITE. HE LOVED TO EDIT. IT WAS A DREAM JOB COME TRUE, BUT FOR SOME REASON IT DIDN'T SEEM RIGHT AND SO HE PRAYED, "IF IT IS A JOB I SHOULD NOT TAKE, LET ME KNOW IT." AND ONCE AGAIN HE TURNED AN OPPORTUNITY DOWN. GOD HAD HEARD HIS PRAYER AND KNEW HIS PRESENT AND FUTURE NEEDS.
IN ANOTHER UNDERTAKING HE DID ALL THE RIGHT THINGS, EVERYTHING WAS FALLING IN PLACE AND SUCCESS WAS CERTAIN. BUT HE HAD MISGIVINGS AND WONDERED IF HE SHOULD SUCCEED IN THIS PARTICULAR MODE OF ACTIVITY, AND SO HE PRAYED, "DEAR LORD, IF IT IS NOT RIGHT FOR ME, LET ME FAIL." AND GOD HEARD HIS PRAYER AND ANSWERED HIS PRAYER AND WHERE IT SEEMED HE COULD NOT FAIL, HE DID. GOD KNEW HIS PRESENT AND FUTURE NEEDS.
AND SO HE LEARNED TO PRAY WHAT HE CALLED "FAILURE PRAYERS." FOR THERE WERE TIMES WHEN HE WAS CERTAIN WHAT HE WANTED, BUT NOT CERTAIN HE SHOULD HAVE IT. AND SO HE WOULD PRAY THE PRAYER THAT HAD BECOME A HABIT WITH HIM, "GOD, I HAVE THOUGHT IT THROUGH BUT IF I HAVE REACHED THE WRONG CONCLUSIONS, BRING ME THE BLESSING OF FAILURE RATHER THAN THE CURSE OF SUCCESS."
AND GOD HEARD HIS PRAYERS AND WHERE FAILURE WAS A BLESSING AND SUCCESS WOULD HAVE BEEN A CURSE, GOD TOOK CARE OF HIS PRESENT AND FUTURE NEEDS.
HE HAS HAD SEVERE ILLNESSES AND ACCIDENTS AND FINANCIAL REVERSALS AND ALWAYS HE HAS THOUGHT LONG AND HARD, AND PRAYED EVEN LONGER AND HARDER. AND GOD HAS ALWAYS TAKEN CARE OF HIS PRESENT AND FUTURE NEEDS.
THE BIG PICTURE...AH YES...ALWAYS THAT...THE BIG PICTURE.
REMEMBER THIS IS A TRUE STORY, AND IF YOU ARE PERHAPS WONDERING HOW I CAN BE SO SURE OF THE TRUTH OF IT ALL, WELL, YOU SEE, I KNOW THE MAN QUITE WELL. VERY WELL, INDEED, BECAUSE YOU SEE, I HAVE BEEN SPEAKING OF MYSELF.
AND, OH YES, IN LOOKING BACK...ALL THOSE OPPORTUNITIES I TURNED DOWN...IN RETROSPECT...THEY WERE THE RIGHT DECISIONS.
EPHESIANS 5, 15-17
"BE WISE"
BE VERY CAREFUL, THEN, HOW YOU LIVE--NOT AS UNWISE BUT AS WISE, MAKING THE MOST OF EVERY OPPORTUNITY, BECAUSE THE DAYS ARE EVIL. THEREFORE DO NOT BE FOOLISH, BUT UNDERSTAND WHAT THE LORD'S WILL IS.
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STARTING THIS WEEK ON HIS OTHER BLOG WYRICK'S WRITINGS...SERIALIZATION OF ANOTHER OF HIS BOOKS SIXTY PLUS AND NOT HOLDING
TO READ THIS BOOK
CLICK ON THE FOLLOWING URL
HTTP://WYRICKSWRITINGS.BLOGSPOT.COM
EACH WEEK THERE IS ALSO A SERIALIZATION OF HIS NOVEL RUST ON MY SOUL AND SERIALIZATION OF ANOTHER OF HIS BOOKS 60 PLUS AND NOT HOLDING
MANY OF THE IDEAS IN THIS BOOK FOR BETTER LIVING ARE GOOD FOR ANY AGE. (THIS BOOK IS ABOUT DEALING POSITIVELY WITH THE CHALLENGES OF GETTING OLDER AND FOSTERS THE BELIEF THAT "IF WE WOULD HAVE NEW KNOWLEDGE, WE MUST GET A WORLD OF NEW QUESTIONS." (SUSANNE K. LANGER)
TO VISIT NEIL'S OTHER BLOG WYRICK'S WRITING (A VARIETY OF SERIALIZATIONS; A NOVEL ON SUNDAY AND TUESDAY AND THURSDAY VARYING SUBJECTS) (3 TIMES A WEEK ADDED TO)
CLICK ON THE FOLLOWING URL
HTTP://WYRICKSWRITINGS.BLOGSPOT.COM
TO VIEW HIS ONE MAN DRAMAS ON FILM (SEE BY MILLIONS, LIVE AND ON FILM AND ON VIDEO)(MARTIN LUTHER, BEN FRANKLIN, CHARLES WESLEY, ABRAHAM LINCOLN)
CLICK ON THE FOLLOWING
HTTP://WWW.SPEAKERNEIL.COM/
A QUOTE BELOW FROM TOMORROW'S ONE A DAY BLOG ENTITLED LIFE; A TRIP ON THE WAY TO A DESINATION
ALL THE TRIUMPH THAT WAS PRESENT AS CHRIST RODE INTO JERUSALEM WENT DOWN THE TUBE AT GOLGOTHA.
IT WASN'T UNTIL THE RESURRECTION THAT THINGS WENT FROM WORSE TO WONDERFUL.