A Prayer Is Answered
Stories
Lectionary Tales For The Pulpit
Series II Cycle B
Virginia and Ralph wanted a child. They wanted a son, as a matter of fact. They wanted a son who would grow up to be a priest. They prayed night and day for this and before long Virginia was pregnant. She prayed she would have a son and that God would fulfill her only desire.
A son was born to them. He was a beautiful boy with lots of black hair and large, dark eyes. They named him Robert and presented him for christening.
After the christening everyone gathered around and Robert was passed around the great crowd of relatives. Amid all the oohs and aahs, Virginia went to the altar and knelt. She thanked God from the bottom of her heart for her son, her sweet little boy. She vowed she would do all she could to see that Robert would love God as much as she and Ralph loved God. She stayed for a long time at the altar before joining the party.
During the years while Robert grew up, Virginia and Ralph kept their promise to God to show Robert what a godly life meant to them. They took him to church and church school. They encouraged him to go on every youth outing. They took him on mission trips. They prayed every day for their silent wish for Robert to become a priest.
One day, when Robert was fourteen, he had a vision. He dreamed he was in a foreign country, leading worship before an enormous crowd. He was speaking with passion and the people listened. He felt very good about it.
Robert spoke to his parents about his vision and they quietly told him he had to pray about it. He would have to make the decision on his own if he felt called to fulfill that dream and become a speaker, a leader, an evangelist. Silently, they hoped.
For two years they didn't hear of Robert's dream. They didn't want to push. They didn't want to influence his decision. Just because he had experienced the church did not guarantee anything. Still, they hoped. And then one day, he came to them and announced that he felt he should be a priest. He wanted to be a pastor, a leader, a speaker. He wanted to share what he knew to be the truth of God's love.
Their joy was limitless and they thanked God without ceasing. Robert graduated from college and then went to seminary, studying, practicing, and questioning. He felt strongly about his vocation and his calling to be a pastor. While everyone else in his class seemed to have a dramatic story, Robert always said his was very cut and dried, very boring.
But Virginia didn't see it that way. She knew that Robert was an answer to prayer. Finally, on the night of his graduation, Virginia and Ralph told their son their story. They gave thanks to God together. And they watched as their son became a missionary and great evangelist. And Robert grew great in his wisdom and strong in his faith and the favor of God was upon him.
A son was born to them. He was a beautiful boy with lots of black hair and large, dark eyes. They named him Robert and presented him for christening.
After the christening everyone gathered around and Robert was passed around the great crowd of relatives. Amid all the oohs and aahs, Virginia went to the altar and knelt. She thanked God from the bottom of her heart for her son, her sweet little boy. She vowed she would do all she could to see that Robert would love God as much as she and Ralph loved God. She stayed for a long time at the altar before joining the party.
During the years while Robert grew up, Virginia and Ralph kept their promise to God to show Robert what a godly life meant to them. They took him to church and church school. They encouraged him to go on every youth outing. They took him on mission trips. They prayed every day for their silent wish for Robert to become a priest.
One day, when Robert was fourteen, he had a vision. He dreamed he was in a foreign country, leading worship before an enormous crowd. He was speaking with passion and the people listened. He felt very good about it.
Robert spoke to his parents about his vision and they quietly told him he had to pray about it. He would have to make the decision on his own if he felt called to fulfill that dream and become a speaker, a leader, an evangelist. Silently, they hoped.
For two years they didn't hear of Robert's dream. They didn't want to push. They didn't want to influence his decision. Just because he had experienced the church did not guarantee anything. Still, they hoped. And then one day, he came to them and announced that he felt he should be a priest. He wanted to be a pastor, a leader, a speaker. He wanted to share what he knew to be the truth of God's love.
Their joy was limitless and they thanked God without ceasing. Robert graduated from college and then went to seminary, studying, practicing, and questioning. He felt strongly about his vocation and his calling to be a pastor. While everyone else in his class seemed to have a dramatic story, Robert always said his was very cut and dried, very boring.
But Virginia didn't see it that way. She knew that Robert was an answer to prayer. Finally, on the night of his graduation, Virginia and Ralph told their son their story. They gave thanks to God together. And they watched as their son became a missionary and great evangelist. And Robert grew great in his wisdom and strong in his faith and the favor of God was upon him.
