David Hume once said that there really isn’t any way to prove a relationship between a specific cause and effect.
Today, we try to show statistical probability, if we can control all the variables. However, statistics is a much abused tool, because very rarely, if ever, can we be sure we have eliminated all possible causes other than the one we are measuring in a particular relationship.
That said, I’ll be offering several small stories from many unproven, but to my prejudiced mind, probable answered prayers.
Years ago we were a home away from home for young people traveling in a non-denominational Christian repertory theater ministry. Teams of four or five covered different areas of the country, but at Thanksgiving one year three different groups called to ask if they could spend the holiday with us.
We had started a new business the year before in what unfortunately had turned into a recession and work and money were now often scarce. After some serious prayer, I agreed to add fifteen hearty eaters to our family of eight. When I mentioned the Thanksgiving invasion to some friends, they kindly offered a couple of venison roasts for our meal. The next morning an unprecedented gift of several ducks and a dozen quail arrived by mail from a distant relative. We now had the ingredients for an authentic Thanksgiving feast.
What we didn’t have was a chef. My cooking skills are minimal. And I had never cooked any of these before. I did wonder if I wasn’t pushing a bit, but the knowledge that if I ruined any of these gifts, there wasn’t going to be a Thanksgiving dinner, prompted me to ask God for someone to cook our feast. In my experience with prayer, there’s a test of faith before the answer. This was no exception. The first two vans of hungry young people arrived the morning before, none of whom admitted to any cooking experience, but who did pool their resources to buy some pies to add to our meat and vegetables. The last group arrived late Wednesday evening, after I had stepped out in faith and begun thawing all our treasures. I stood at the door welcoming each as they came in the door with the question, “Do you by any chance know how to cook ducks and quail?” The next to last person, replied, “No, but Chris used to be a chef at a fancy restaurant in San Francisco. Maybe he does.”
And yes, the very last person out of the van was Chris and he did indeed know how to cook all the wild things God had sent for our Thanksgiving feast.
Luke 12:29 And do not keep striving for what you are to eat and what you are to drink, and do not keep worrying.
I confess that I am a congenital worrier, but the goodie for that baddie is that being a wus leads to constant prayer and prayer kindles an awareness of God.