Not long ago, I was in a Christian bookstore in Independence, Missouri. Looking through the displays, I noticed a new book written by Mark Batterson titled, Draw the Circle. The title was catchy, so I picked it up and looked through the pages, until I fell upon a particular page where the author issued a challenge. I’m always up to new challenges, so I read on.
The challenge read as follows: “Pray on your knees at the same time every day for 40 days and watch for the miracles that come to you.” Wow! I thought. I have prayed all my life, but not on my knees, so I thought I might give it a try and see what happens. I was in one of those down cycles that Christians get into from time to time, and I needed a boost—a spark in my heart that could ignite a flame of passion for life once again.
That night, as I was preparing for bed, I remembered the book and the challenge. So I took off my shoes—Moses was told to do this in the Book of Exodus out of respect for God—and knelt beside my bed to pray. I said, “Dear Lord, I am accepting this challenge and I ask for your perfect will to be done in my life. May I once again feel a sense of purpose in my life. I am willing to do whatever is your will for me. In Jesus’ name, amen.”
For the next 40 days I prayed this same prayer in the same way. On the morning of the 41st day, I awoke early with the thought planted in my mind to write a book. I had never written a book before, so this would be a new experience for me. Believing it might be the Lord who planted that idea in my mind, I offered a prayer and went to my computer, and then I opened up Microsoft Word to begin. As I did so, the words started to flow from my mind onto the pages, and I haven’t stopped writing since.
*excerpt from Hallowed Be Thy Name, now available in print and Kindle eBook at www.amazon.com
Gene Groner, author and biographer geneallengroner@gmail.com
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