Waiting For A Gulley Washer!

This morning at 4:00 am I was awakened with thoughts of a man from the first century BC named Honi! I have been reading “The Circle Maker” by Mark Batterson who starts the book out with a story told about this dude named Honi. Legend has it, that Honi lived in the generation before Christ that was threatened to be wiped out by draught. Miracles from God were only in distant memories and many people of that time had even stopped praying. But Honi believed that though God was not answering, He was still listening. A side note here, do we stop praying when we don’t get the answers we want? Anyway, the people asked Honi to pray for rain since he seemed to be the only one on speaking terms with God. Honi started by making a big circle in the sand and sat down. He promised to sit there until God sent rain to His people. The people stood around Honi, who sat in the middle of the twelve foot circle, waiting for something to happen. As Honi prayed, raindrops began to fall. The people began to celebrate but Honi was not done. He prayed for a hard rain, which followed and then finally a gully washer as we might say here in Illinois. Honi didn’t pray little prayers for a little god, he prayed bold prayers for a big God and it is said, God replenished the earth with raindrops the size of eggs.

Thinking of Honi and his bold prayers made me think about my prayer life. Do I pray bold prayers? Do I pray for a “sprinkle” when God wants to give me a “gulley washer”? So many times I timidly ask God for something only to apologize for it. “God, please give me this or that but only if you want, and God I am pretty sure you don’t want so I am ready for you to deny my request, amen”. Is this familiar to anyone other than me? I draw little circles for little prayers, that I could probably accomplish on my own if God doesn’t come through. Batterson says this is an insult to God! We need to pray God sized prayers! Prayers that are impossible without divine intervention. Do you have those kinds of needs? I know I do!

The bible tells us that we do not have because we do not ask, and “all things are possible…”! And is ANYTHING too hard for God? Was Honi on to something here?

Today in the wee hours, Honi, the sage of the first century BC, taught me to stay on my knees until I receive a “gulley washer”!