THE FAIRY TALE OF PRAYER
1 THESSALONIANS 5:17
JACK AND THE BEANSTALK (fairytales4u.com/story/jackand.htm)
Once upon a time there lived a poor widow who had an only son named Jack. She was very poor, for times had been hard, and Jack was too young to work. Almost all the furniture of the little cottage had been sold to buy bread, until at last there was nothing left worth selling except for the cow, Milky White. One sad day Milky White gave no milk, and then things looked bad indeed.
[At this point in the story, I would counsel the widow and her son Jack to pray.]
"Never mind, mother," said Jack. "We must sell Milky White. Trust me to make a good bargain," and away he went to the market. For some time, he went along very sadly.
[It is at this point that Jack should be lifting this entire situation to God in prayer. God please aid me in selling the cow. Please give me discernment in what to do and who to sell it to. While he was gone, his mother should be diligently praying for her son that he make good decisions and finds favor when selling the cow. There is power in prayer especially when all people involved are lifting up the same situation in prayer.]
Jacked walked along until he met a butcher. "Where are you going ?" asked the butcher. "I am going to market to sell the cow,” said Jack. "It's lucky I met you," said the butcher. "I will save you the trouble of going so far." With this, he put his hand in his pocket, and pulled out five curious-looking beans. The butcher said about the beans, “they're the most wonderful beans that ever were known. If you plant them overnight, by the next morning they'll grow up and reach the sky. But to save you the trouble of going all the way to market, I don't mind exchanging them for that cow of yours."
[Again, when faced with this monumental choice, it would be advisable for Jack to pray about the opportunity presented to him. Prayer is talking with God when our spirit connects with Him. Prayer is both talking to God and listening to Him.]
"Done!" cried Jack, who was so delighted with the bargain that he ran all the way home to tell his mother how lucky he had been. But oh how disappointed the poor widow was! "Off to bed with you!" she cried; and she was so angry that she threw the beans out of the window into the garden. So poor Jack went to bed without any supper, and cried himself to sleep.
The rest of Jack’s story which is familiar to most of us does include a giant beanstalk, but it also includes murder, theft, destruction, more disappointment, materialism, greed, and death. For some reason and somehow, the story does end with a “happily ever after.”
1 Thessalonians 5:17 says, “pray continually”
THE THREE BEARS (fairytales4u.com/story/threbear.htm)
Once upon a time there was a pretty girl named Goldilocks who lived in a far-off country. One day she was sitting on the hearthrug playing with her two kittens, and you would have thought she was as happy as a queen, and quite contented to stay where she was instead of wanting to run about the world meddling with other people's property.
[When faced with temptations and urges that we know are wrong, this is definitely the time to pray and ask God for guidance and strength to resist temptation. In communicating with God, we are connecting ourselves with His power and He will lead us away from temptation and show us a way out.]
But it happened that she was rather a mischievous little maid, and could not resist teasing her pets, so one of them scratched her, and then she would play with them no longer. She got up and trotted away into the wood behind her mother's house, and it was such a warm, pleasant day that she wandered on and on until she came into a part of the wood where she had never been before.
[Whenever we face the unknown, prayer should always be our first reaction. There is nothing unknown to God and He can direct our paths, give us discernment in making decisions, and help our reactions to the unknown. If we want to face the unknown with God Almighty at our side, we must come to Him in prayer.]
Now, in this wood there lived a family of three bears. The first was a great big bear, the second was a middle-sized bear, and the third was a tiny bear. They all lived together in a funny little house, and they were very happy. Goldilocks stopped when she came to the bears' house, and began to wonder who lived there.
"I'll just look in and see," she said, and so she did; but there was no one there, for the bears had all gone out for a morning walk, whilst the soup they were going to have for dinner cooled upon the table. Goldilocks was rather hungry after her walk, and the soup smelled so good that she began to wish the people of the house would come home and invite her to have some. She looked everywhere… under the table and in the cupboards… she could find no one. At last she could resist no longer, but made up her mind to take just a
little sip to see how the soup tasted. The soup had been put into three bowls--a great big bowl, a middle-sized bowl, and a tiny bowl. Goldilocks helped herself to a spoonful of soup from the great big bowl.
[Again, when faced with temptations and urges that we know in our gut are wrong, this is definitely the time to pray and ask God for guidance and strength to resist temptation.]
You know how this familiar story continues and ends. Goldilocks gives into every whim that comes into her dead. She breaks into someone’s house, eats their food, uses their property, and foolishly falls asleep in the house of the bears. Goldilocks has a criminal record before she is an adult and is on the watch list of the park service for disturbing wildlife and their habitat. She runs home fearful and scared and as the familiar story closes we honestly do not know if she has learned her lesson or not and can only assume a “happily ever after” ending.
1 Thessalonians 5:17 says, “pray continually”
HANSEL AND GRETEL (fairytales4u.com/storybook/brothersgrimm.htm#2H_4_0020)
Once upon a time there lived a poor wood-cutter with his wife and his two children. The boy was called Hansel and the girl Gretel. He came upon hard times and food was hard to come by and this worried him greatly. At night, he tossed about in his anxiety and he groaned and said to his wife: 'What is to become of us? How are we to feed our poor children, when we no longer have anything even for ourselves?”
[It is definitely time to diligently pray when you are tossing and turning about stress and issues in life. Worry can plague us. Prayer calms our spirits and lets us cast all our anxieties on God for He cares for us. There is nothing wrong with bringing your physical needs before God and asking Him to provide.]
“I'll tell you what, husband,” answered the woman, “early tomorrow morning we will take the children out into the forest to where it is the thickest; there we will light a fire for them, and give each of them one more piece of bread, and then we will go to our work and leave them alone. They will not find the way home again, and we shall be rid of them.” “No, wife,” said the man, “I will not do that; how can I bear to leave my children alone in the forest? The wild animals would tear them to pieces.” “Fool!” said his wife, “then we’ll all die.”
[To be honest, I am pretty sure that before getting married, one should diligently pray about God’s will for you in regards to a spouse. Once married, God’s design for us is for a lifetime and we must consult Him and listen to what He says about such decisions BEFORE we make them. Our marriages must be a topic of prayer because marriage is hard enough and is even more difficult without prayer.]
[Also, it should occur to us when we have a horrible attitude and horrible words are coming out of our mouths or we know our heart isn’t right, that we should pray. Prayer can correct our wayward attitudes, wrong thinking, and errors in emotions because prayer aligns us with God and can correct us.]
The two children had also not been able to sleep for hunger and had heard what their stepmother had said to their father. Gretel wept bitter tears, and said to Hansel: “Now all is over with us.”
[When you get grievous news or someone in our lives disappoints us, it is time to pray. When tough decisions are swirling around us, it is time to pray. When our heart is broken because of something we have overheard, it is time to pray.]
When day dawned, but before the sun had risen, the woman came and awoke the two children, saying: “Get up, you sluggards! We are going into the forest to fetch wood.” They went to the woods. The children fetched wood and while they were busy working they were left by themselves by the parents. Hansel and Gretel sat by a fire, and when noon came, each ate a little piece of bread, and as they heard the strokes of the wood-axe they believed that their father was near. It was not the axe, however, but a branch which he had fastened to a withered tree which the wind was blowing backwards and forwards. They were alone.
[When we find ourselves alone, in distress, betrayed by those who love us, or perhaps lost in the forest of life, it is time to pray and turn to our Heavenly Father who never leaves us or never forsakes us. We can ask for His presence in our lives through prayer.]
The rest of the story of Hansel and Gretel is odd as most original fairy tales seem to be. They wander in the woods, find the wonderful edible house of a witch who tries to eat them, escape, and eventually find their way back home because of a duck. Once home, they find that it is only their father who greets them for their step-mother has passed away and they live “happily ever after.” That is not the ending I remember, but these stories often change over time. In the end, we have a story of child neglect, theft, cannibalism, witchcraft, lying, deception, and huge obvious marriage issues.
1 Thessalonians 5:17 says, “pray continually”
THE MOUSE, THE BIRD, AND THE SAUSAGE (fairytales4u.com/storybook/brothersgrimm.htm#2H)
Once upon a time, a mouse, a bird, and a sausage, entered into partnership and set up house together. For a long time all went well; they lived in great comfort, and prospered so far as to be able to add considerably to their stores. The bird's duty was to fly daily into the wood and bring in fuel; the mouse fetched the water, and the sausage saw to the cooking. They prospered.
[It is always appropriate when blessings are flowing and life is going well to pray. We can pray and be thankful for the blessings God has given and for the blessings He will give. Prayer is not just a spiritual discipline to have when life is poor or stressful, but a holy habit when life is good and pleasing. Prayer is thanking God for blessings. Prayer is listing off all the good things God has done. Prayer is giving God credit for His provision in our lives.]
It came to pass, that the bird, while out one day, met a fellow bird, to whom he boasted about his arrangements and the prosperity he had. The other bird sneered at him for being a poor simpleton, who did all the hard work, while the other two stayed at home and had a good time of it. For, when the mouse had made the fire and fetched in the water, she could retire into her little room and rest until it was time to set the table. The sausage had only to watch the pot to see that the food was properly cooked, and when it was near dinner-time, he just threw himself into the broth, or rolled in and out among the vegetables three or four times, and there they were, buttered, and salted, and ready to be served.
[Whenever we face criticism of difficult words or we come upon someone who rubs us the wrong way, we should pray. We should pray for a right attitude and to allow God’s perspective to prevail rather than the sinful perspective of the people around us. Prayer can help us fend off the poor influences around us.]
Influenced by those remarks, the bird next morning refused to bring in the wood, telling the others that he had been their servant long enough and had been a fool. They therefore drew lots, and it fell to the sausage to bring in the wood, to the mouse to cook, and to the bird to fetch the water.
[Whenever you have changes in life situations, we should pray. Whenever change occurs whether good or bad, we should pray that we deal with the changes well. Change is scary for most of us. Change leads to the unknown which can bring fear, stress, and feelings of inadequacy. Change should drive us to prayer.]
The roommates switched jobs. The sausage started in search of wood, the bird made the fire, and the mouse put on the pot, and then these two waited till the sausage returned with the fuel for the following day. But the sausage remained so long away, that they became uneasy, and the bird flew out to meet him. He had not flown far, however, when he came across a dog who, having met the sausage, had regarded him as food, and so seized and swallowed him. The bird picked up the wood, and flew sadly home, and told the mouse all he had seen and heard. They were both very unhappy, but agreed to make the best of things and to remain with one another. So now the bird set the table, and the mouse looked after the food and, wishing to prepare it in the same way as the sausage, by rolling in and out among the vegetables to salt and butter them, she jumped into the pot; but she stopped short long before she reached the bottom, having already parted not only with her skin and hair, but also with life.
[Before jumping into situations, we should pray for guidance from out Heavenly Father. We should talk to Him and also practice listening to what He has to say. It does take practice and habit to talk intimately with God and to hear His voice.]
Presently the bird came in and wanted to serve up the dinner, but he could nowhere see the mouse. In his alarm and flurry, he threw the wood here and there about the floor, called and searched, but no mouse was to be found. Then some of the wood that had been carelessly thrown down, caught fire and began to blaze. The bird hastened to fetch some water, but his pail fell into the well, and he after it, and as he was unable to recover himself, he was drowned.
I guess there is no “happily ever after” in this story… maybe for the dog who got to eat sausage.
1 Thessalonians 5:17 says, “pray continually”
YOUR LIFE IS NOT A FAIRY TALE
I am going to lay out for you a truth that I am sure you already know, but sometimes we forget because we live in our own little worlds and we at times lose touch with reality. Your life is not a fairy tale. Your life is NOT a fairy tale. “Happily ever after” is never assured and we deal with real world issues and real life. We did notice that the four fairy tales we briefly looked at did help us uncover situations that we all face at one time or another.
We face…
Decisions and opportunities that have to be accepted or rejected
Economic hardships and downturns
Temptation inside of us and outside of us that lead us into sin and away from God
The unknown and change
Stress and worry that keep us up and night
Relationship issues in marriage, with children and grandchildren, in friendships, and with co-workers
Hearing bad news that breaks our hearts
Feelings of loneliness, loss, fear, and brokenness
Times of prosperity and blessings and goodness
Blessings of good friends and family and productive relationships
Criticism and restlessness
1 Thessalonians 5:17 says, “pray continually”
WATCHMAN NEE ON PRAYER (“Let Us Pray”)
Watchman Nee, a church leader and Christian teacher in China in the 1920s-1940s and spent the last 20 years of his life in prison for being an evangelist, says in his book Let Us Pray that, “The central purpose of prayer is to prepare for Christ a glorious church that is conformed to Him.” That means as we are living out 1 Thessalonians 5:17 which says, “pray continually” we are constantly being conformed to look like God through prayer. That is the purpose of prayer… that we might look more like God because we communicate with Him.
TALKING AND LISTENING (Dave Stone, panel.secc.org/upload/sermon/notes/notes-205.pdf)
Prayer is two-sided communication with God. Prayer is us connecting our hearts and spirits with God. Prayer is also God connecting with us and sharing His heart and spirit with us. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 says, “pray continually” which also tells us that this give and take conversation between us-and-God and God-and-us should be a continual ongoing process, a constant good habit, and steady active attitude in our daily lives.
Prayer is about Talking.
Prayer, like any conversation, involves talking to God. Prayer is talking and sharing and complaining and asking and crying and praising. We can always tell Him about ourselves and about what’s going on in our minds and hearts and emotions. We can bring up difficult circumstances and ask for help on how to deal with them. We can reflect on good blessings we have received and we can tell Him what we appreciate about Him.
Here are 6 practical tips on talking to God:
1. Try to have a set time and setting to pray.
2. Remove the distractions so you can focus on talking to Him.
3. Praise and thank God for His goodness, mercy, blessings, strength, power, and grace.
4. Confess your sins and fears which enables God to forgive and extend grace.
5. Pray for others.
6. Pray that you will walk by the Spirit and ask that God would guide your steps.
Prayer is also about Listening.
Prayer is quietness before God and listening and being still and waiting and patience. This is most difficult when it comes to prayer because we feel like we are just sitting silent in an empty room or listening to the wind blow. Prayer is a give and take communication which should be continually ongoingly part of our daily lives.
Here are 6 practical tips on listening to God:
1. Have some Christian music to listen to because God can speak through music.
2. Read Scripture as part of your prayer time or listen to Scripture being read to you… expecting a specific answer to your prayers to come through the verses.
3. Begin your day by praying Samuel's prayer, "Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening." This is a powerful prayer that engages our hearts with a right attitude.
4. Surround yourself with good Christian friends who can speak truth to you.
5. Have a journal to record what you are learning.
6. Spend a few minutes before worship services praying for ears to hear what God has to say.
1 Thessalonians 5:17 says, “pray continually”
Do it.
CONCLUSION IN PRAYER
