Prayer

In the book Conspiracy of Kindness there's a story about a boy asking his father, Joe, if there is a God. Joe honestly told his boy that he didn't know. The boy later wrote on a card, "Dear God, if you are real and if you are there, send people who know you to Dad and me." He rolled the card and inserted it into a helium balloon that he purchased from a vendor. He retied the string around the balloon opening and let it loose. He told his father, "I'm going to send a message to God—airmail." The man didn't say anything to him. He didn't want to discourage his boy. Joe silently appealed, "This is silly, but God, I hope you're watching."

The man and his son pulled into a free car wash a few days later. A great church in Cincinnati was wash­ing cars as an outreach to the community. Joe asked, "How much?" The pastor told him, "It's free. No

strings attached."Joe was puzzled. "But why are you doing this?" The pastor replied, "We just want to show you God's love in a practical way."

Joe's heart opened wide and he asked, Are you guys Christians?" The pastor replied, "Yeah, we're Chris­tians."

Joe asked, "Are you the kind of Christians who believe in God?" Pastor Sjogren replied, `Yes, we're that kind of Christians." Joe said, "I guess you're the answer to one of the strangest prayers God's ever received."

"I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me" (Prov. 8:17, NIV).

"God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us" (Acts 17:27, NN).