"GROCERY LIST"

Linda Maxwell, poorly dressed lady with a look of defeat on her face, walked into a grocery store. She approached the owner of the store in a most humble manner and asked if he would let her charge a few groceries. She softly explained that her husband was very ill and unable to work. They had seven children and they needed food. 

John Long, the grocer, scoffed at her and requested that she leave his store. Visualizing the family needs, she began to beg, "Please, sir! I will bring you the money just as soon as I can." John told her he could not give her credit, as she did not have a charge account at his store. 

Standing beside the counter was a customer who overheard the conversation between the two. The customer walked forward and told the grocer that he would stand good for whatever she needed for her family. 

The grocer in a flippant voice asked, "Do you have a grocery list?" Louise replied, "Yes sir." "Okay" he said, "put your grocery list on the scales and whatever your grocery list weighs, I will give you that amount in groceries." 

Louise hesitated a moment with a bowed head. Then she reached into her purse and took out a piece of paper and scribbled something on it. She then laid the piece of paper on the scale carefully with her head still bowed. 

The eyes of the grocer and the customer showed amazement when the scale went down and stayed down. The grocer, staring at the scales, turned slowly to the customer and said begrudgingly, "I can't believe it." The customer smiled and the grocer started putting the groceries on the other side of the scales.

The scale did not balance so he continued to put more and more groceries on them until the scales would hold no more. The grocer stood there in utter disgust.

Finally, he grabbed the piece of paper from the scales and looked at it with greater amazement. It was not a grocery list. It was instead a prayer which said: "Dear Lord, you know my needs and I am leaving this in your hands." 

The grocer gave her the groceries that he had gathered and stood in stunned silence. Louise thanked him and left the store. The customer handed a fifty-dollar bill to the grocer and said, "It was worth every penny of it." 

It was sometime later that the grocer discovered the scales were broken reaffirming only God knows how much a prayer weighs.

God wants to answer our prayers. Not only does He want to answer our prayers but He wants to shower us with good gifts of blessings (Matthew 7:11). Some of us think walking with Jesus means an endless series of miracles, burning bushes, warm fuzzies, sensations of peace that pass all understanding and every prayer answered in seconds so life will be peachy keen. Unfortunately, that is not the norm for most of us.

 Doubts and wavering levels of faith are also part of our Christian lives. My granddad Green was a longtime fire and brimstone Southern Baptist minister in Muskogee who described God's silence as a lesson in maturing our faith and increasing our desire to be closer to God. God knows we wrestle with doubts as evidenced by His teaching that faith as small as a mustard seed can move mountains. (Matthew 17:20)

God also left us example after example of those on the all saints team who wrestled with doubts and wavering faith. Isaiah asked God, "why have you hidden your face from us" (Isaiah 64:7) or David lamenting about "no signs from God" (Psalms 74:9).

 When prayers seem to go unanswered, faith fizzles and it feels like God has bolted the locks on the Pearly Gates, we cannot fully understand Jesus is all we need until we experience Jesus is all we have.

 Loving God and Father, purify our hearts to know You are more valuable to us than answered prayers or great blessings. Increase our faith to mature our relationship with You knowing You know how much our prayers weigh. Reassure us in times of doubt and disquiet to know we are always "In the Presence of the Lord."