MOTHER'S EMPTY CHAIR

 

A woman's daughter had asked the local minister to come and pray with her mother.

When the minister arrived, he found the woman lying in bed with her head propped up on two pillows. An empty chair sat beside her bed.

The minister assumed that the woman had been informed of his visit. “I guess you were expecting me, he said.”

“No, who are you?” said the mother.

The minister told her his name and then remarked, “I saw the empty chair and I figured that you knew I was going to be showing up.”

“Oh yeah, the chair,” said the bedridden woman.

“Would you mind closing the door?” the woman asked.

Puzzled, the minister shut the door.

The woman began speaking very quietly. “I have never told anyone this, not even my daughter, but, all of my life I have never known how to pray. At church I used to hear the pastor talk about prayer, but, it went right over my head. I abandoned any attempt at prayer, until one day, four years ago; my best friend said to me, Betty, prayer is just a simple matter of having a conversation with Jesus. Here is what I suggest. Sit down in a chair and place an empty chair in front of you. In faith see Jesus sitting across from you on that chair. It's not spooky because he promised; I will be with you always. Then just speak to him in the same way you're doing with me right now. So, I tried it and I've liked it so much that I do it a couple of hours every day. I'm careful though. If my daughter ever sees me talking to an empty chair, she'll either have a nervous breakdown or send me off to the funny farm.”

The minister was deeply moved by the story and encouraged the woman to continue on the journey. Then he prayed with her, anointed her with oil, and returned to the church.

Two nights later the woman’s daughter called to tell the minister that her mother had died that afternoon.

The minister asked “did she die in peace?”

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

The minister wiped a tear from his eye and replied almost in a whisper; “I wish we could all go like that.”

Prayer is one of the best free gifts we receive. Here’s both a thought and a prayer:

I asked God for water, He gave me an ocean.
I asked God for a flower, He gave me garden.
I asked God for a friend, He gave me all of YOU.
If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.

Happy moments, praise God.
Difficult moments, seek God.
Quiet moments, worship God.
Painful moments, trust God.
Every moment, thank God.

Don’t forget to check out “Joe’s Big Blue Marble” http://joecampher.blogspot.com