Will the real Jesus please...
Illustration
"Will the real Jesus please stand up?"
Jack and his wife had prayed often that their 20-year-old son, Allen, would stop drinking. He had been kicked out of two colleges because of his alcohol addiction.
The parents received a phone call from the police late one night, informing them that Allen had been in an accident and was arrested for drunk driving. As a result, Allen spent two months in jail, was deprived of his driver's license and was required to attend Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. In addition, his parents paid the huge fine that Allen owed.
Jack's faith was threatened. He said to his wife, "Why is all this happening to us? Haven't we prayed and prayed about this problem? Haven't we been taught that Jesus answers prayer? And didn't we believe as we prayed?"
His wife saw things differently. In her view, everything that had occurred with Allen was a direct answer to their prayers. She said to Jack, "Answers to prayer do not arrive in neatly wrapped packages. This arrest prepared the way for our son's reform. Allen would learn nothing if he didn't have these consequences to pay. What did you expect to happen when you prayed? And now we need to pray that his AA meetings will be productive. And we must thank God that no one was injured."
Jack and his wife had prayed often that their 20-year-old son, Allen, would stop drinking. He had been kicked out of two colleges because of his alcohol addiction.
The parents received a phone call from the police late one night, informing them that Allen had been in an accident and was arrested for drunk driving. As a result, Allen spent two months in jail, was deprived of his driver's license and was required to attend Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. In addition, his parents paid the huge fine that Allen owed.
Jack's faith was threatened. He said to his wife, "Why is all this happening to us? Haven't we prayed and prayed about this problem? Haven't we been taught that Jesus answers prayer? And didn't we believe as we prayed?"
His wife saw things differently. In her view, everything that had occurred with Allen was a direct answer to their prayers. She said to Jack, "Answers to prayer do not arrive in neatly wrapped packages. This arrest prepared the way for our son's reform. Allen would learn nothing if he didn't have these consequences to pay. What did you expect to happen when you prayed? And now we need to pray that his AA meetings will be productive. And we must thank God that no one was injured."
