Cowboy Poetry  by Bill Jones

Jake, the rancher, went one day to fix a distant fence.
The wind was cold and gusty and the clouds rolled gray and dense.

As he pounded the last staples in and gathered tools to go,
The temperature had fallen, the wind and snow began to blow.

When he finally reached his pickup, he felt a heavy heart.
From the sound of that ignition, he knew it wouldn’t start.

So Jake did what most of us would do if we had been there.
He humbly bowed his balding head and sent aloft a prayer.

As he turned the key for the last time, he softly cursed his luck.
They found him three days later, frozen stiff in that old truck.

Now Jake had been around in life and done his share of roaming.
But when he saw Heaven, he was shocked — it looked just like Wyoming!

Of all the saints in Heaven, his favorite was St. Peter.
(Now, this line ain’t needed but it helps with rhyme and meter)

So they set and talked a minute or two, or maybe it was three.
Nobody was keeping’ score — in Heaven time is free.

“I’ve always heard,” Jake said to Pete, “that God will answer prayer,
But one time I asked for help, well, he just plain wasn’t there.”

“Does God answer prayers of some, and ignore the prayers of others?
That don’t seem exactly square — I know all men are brothers.”

“Or does he randomly reply, without good rhyme or reason?
Maybe, it’s the time of day, the weather or the season.”

“Now I ain’t trying to act smart, it’s just the way I feel.
And I was wondering’, could you tell me — what the heck’s the deal?!”

Peter listened very patiently and when Jake was done,
There were smiles of recognition, and he said, “So, you’re the one!!”

“That day your truck, it wouldn’t start, and you sent your prayer a flying,
You gave us all a real bad time, with hundreds of us trying.”

“A thousand angels rushed, to check the status of your file,
But you know, Jake, we hadn’t heard from you in quite a long while.”

“And though all prayers are answered, and God ain’t got no quota,
He didn’t recognize your voice, and started a truck in Minnesota.”

It is good to keep in touch. That is what prayer is for, what it is all about. You keeping in touch with God. I wrote about prayer yesterday, and may stay on this topic for a few more days yet. For today, just consider what Luther’s Small Catechism says about prayer.

What is prayer? Prayer is speaking to God in words and thoughts.

 To whom should we pray? We should pray to the true God only, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, not to idols, saints, or anything God has created.

What should be the content of our prayers? In our prayers we should ask for everything that tends to the glory of God and to our own and our neighbor’s welfare, both spiritual and bodily blessings. We should also praise and thank God for who He is and what He has done.

 How does God answer prayer? God hears the prayers of all Christians and answers in His own way and at His own time.

Think on this today, and I’ll share some more thoughts about prayer tomorrow.