From the time our children were wee things, we read to them every evening. For a number of years, we would take turns, one night Dad reading to my dauighter while I read to my son, the next night the reverse. Around this time, Bill had been reading something by Mark Twain—probably Tom Sawyer or Huckleberry Finn. The wonderful descriptions were part of the delight in reading Twain.
This event took place on January 5, 2005, when she was babysitting some little boys in our neighborhood. As she related the story to Dad, he saw a charming picture with spiritual application.We live in a rural area, where homes are on lots that are at least an acre in size. Neighbors own goats, pigs, donkeys, chickens, even emus, in addition to the horses you would expect to see. She babysat two little neighbor boys for a couple years. She often took them for walks around the neighborhood.
On this particular day, they walked to a field where a couple of horses grazed in a field edged with a split-log fence. She had taken the boys to see the horses many times before. The older boy was brave enough to touch the horses, but it had always been hard for the four-year-old to muster the courage to reach out to the great beast and touch it. He knew he should be able to do it. He liked to see the horses but he wanted to be bold enough to touch them. This time he told her, “You take my hand and make me touch the horse. I’ll be tugging away, but you take my hand and make me do it!” Even though he knew he would be resistant—tugging away—he wanted her to help him overcome and do what he knew he had should do.
In our communication with God, our prayers should express the desire to have God’s help to accomplish what He wants us to accomplish—despite our resistance. It is similar to when we asking a friend to keep us accountable. The attitude is the same. We want the friend to challenge us to do what is right. In the Christian walk, we know that we want to change a habit, do the right thing, stop laziness, and have a closer walk with Him. Why is it that we keep resisting—keep tugging away? But we can ask for God’s help.
“God, please keep taking me toward right behavior. Please make me do it—give me the strength. Help me to claim the power I have in You, God. I may be tugging away, but take my hand and make me do it!”
At the very least, this applies to any excuses for disobedience or even laziness in my walk with God. “God, please keep drawing me to You, to Your truth, to obedience. Even when I pull away, even when I resist of disobey in rebellion. Even when I am lazy or tired, and I make excuses, draw me close to You, for I desire to worship and obey.”
I want God to keep taking my hand, keep drawing me closer to doing what I know is right, what I know I should be doing.
