"GET DOWN"

Charlie lived in the middle of a big city. His family was poor, but they were a happy family. They were happy because each one in the family, including Charlie, had accepted the Lord Jesus as his Savior. Even though Charlie was only eight years old, he knew he was a sinner and had asked the Lord Jesus to wash away his sins. Because Charlie believed what the Bible says, he knew for sure that he would be in heaven with the Lord Jesus someday. Charlie was old enough to realize anyone who knows they are going to Heaven someday is happy.

One day Charlie's grandfather was visiting them and he gave Charlie a silver dollar. Charlie had never had a silver dollar before. He was so pleased with it that he kept looking at it, turning it over and over. He would put it in his pocket and then take it out to look at it again. How shiny and bright it was. He thought of many things he could buy with it.

Later that afternoon Charlie reached into his pocket to take out his silver dollar again. It wasn't there! Where did it go? He turned all four of his pockets inside out, but it wasn't in any of them. He looked everywhere he had remembered going that day. He started looking in his house. He even checked down in the basement. Then he ran outside where he had been playing games on the sidewalk, but he couldn't find it. Charlie felt so bad he began to cry.

When he still had not found it by evening, he was really "down in the dumps" so he just went to bed. He was so unhappy that he didn't even take the time to pray.

As he tried to go to sleep, a small, still voice seemed to say, "Charlie, you didn't pray." He would turn over and try to forget about it, but pretty soon the same small voice would remind him again not praying.

Charlie tossed and turned for quite a while. Each time he was about to fall asleep, he would hear the voice in his mind saying, "Charlie, you haven't prayed."

Finally, he sat up in bed and said to himself, "Maybe I had better pray after all."

Charlie climbed out of bed and knelt down on the floor beside his bed. "Ouch! What's that?" His knee was pressing down on something cold and hard.

It was his silver dollar!

Just like Charlie, we forget to pray. Also, like Charlie we ignore that small voice reminding us the best place to fight our fears, losses and sadness is on our knees. Charlie would've found his silver dollar much earlier if he had listed to his small voice.

God tells us in plain and simple language "Get down on your knees before the Master as it's the only way you'll get on your feet" (James 4:10). Mercifully for us, God knows we can be so rebellious we have horns holding up our halo but thankfully, God loves us more than we can imagine and deserve.

God's love is never one and done but a never ending love (Isaiah 54:10). Even when we ignore God's voice as Charlie did several times, God doesn't stop loving us but keeps reminding us to talk to Him. Whether we are so sick we need two beds or so scared as a sinner in a cyclone, we need to get down on our knees and pray for God to take control.

Heavenly Father, thank You for your patience and never ending love for us. Thank You for Your loving persistence to keep whispering reminders for us to pray and talk to You. Thank You for making silver linings out of every cloud. Grant us Your wisdom to know when things seem impossible and the outcome is hopeless, You do Your best work in us but we must "get down on our knees and pray!”