“It is I. Do not be afraid.” John 6:20
Many times I forget to pray. I remember to do so when I am in difficulty already. I am like the disciples in John chapter 6, who went out in a boat and the wind became so strong. When they rowed three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they began to be afraid. Why didn’t they bring Jesus with them? He obviously wanted to come along but they left Him behind.
Jesus always wants to walk with us on our journeys, near or far. He wants to accompany us during hard times and times of refreshing. If we are not used to bringing Him along, and we suddenly need Him because we encounter a setback, a storm, a disappointment or mountain, we may be too hesitant to call on Him. We can get into the habit of being self-reliant, and over confident. We like being in full control, but we never are. We should be like little children dependent on God who loves us so much.
When Annie Clayton was just 5 years old, she and her sister Vanie had to go on long walks just to collect scraps of wood to heat their home. One time, Annie’s sister collapsed as she was just recuperating from cholera. Both of them didn’t know what to do, but Vanie remembered their mother’s instruction to pray if they got into any trouble. Annie helped Vanie get down on her knees and held her up while they both prayed for help.
Down the road, a man got out of a factory, looked up and down the street, then went back inside. He did this several times until finally he saw them, and carried Vanie home. He told their mother that he owned the ink factory and was busy working on the payroll checks. But his eyes clouded up and his vision blurred. “I had a plain impression that someone on the street wanted to see many years ago, James Rogers of the Alabama Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church told the story of Annie Clayton of San Jose, California. As a child, she and her sister Vanie took a long walk one Saturday morning to collect some scraps of wood as fuel for heating their family’s home. As they returned, Vanie collapsed from the lingering effects of cholera and was unable to proceed.
Annie, who was only five years old, was helpless and they sat beside the road not knowing what to do. Finally Vanie said, “You know, Annie, that a good while ago mother told us that if we ever got into trouble, we should pray, and God would help us. Now you help me get down upon my knees, and hold me up, and we will pray.” So there on the sidewalk, the two sisters prayed earnestly for someone to come along to help them. Then they resumed sitting on the curb waiting to see how God would answer their prayers.
Far down the street, they spotted a man who walked out of a factory and looked curiously up the street, and the girls thought perhaps he was the one God would send. But the man went back into the factory. Presently he came out again, looked up the street again, and reentered the factory. Then man walked out of the factory a third time, wear his hat and walking toward them.
Approaching the children, the man said in a broken German accent, “O children, what is the matter?” When they explained the situation to him, the German hoisted Vanie up in his brawny arms and carried her all the way home.
Once the girls were safely delivered, the gentleman told his story. He was the proprietor of an ink factory, and he had been working hard on payroll checks for his men. Suddenly as he was pouring over his books his eyes had clouded up and his vision had blurred. He had a plain impression that someone on the street wanted to see him, so he stepped outside and tried to focus his eyes up and down the street. Seeing no one, he returned to his desk and tried to work.
The darkness in his vision was even worse, and the impression was even greater. So he walked outside again, puzzled. Then he returned to his work again, but his fingers would not grasp the pen. He found himself unable to write a word; moreover the impression on his mind was urgent. So he fetched his hat and walked up the street in bewilderment until he saw the girls who had prayed earnestly for someone to come along and help them.e, so I stepped outside and couldn’t see anyone. I returned to my work but my vision became even darker so I walked outside again. The third time I could not even grasp my pen! I couldn’t write! So I fetched my hat and walked until I found your girls.”
Jesus always wants to accompany us. Before we go anywhere, start a new job, embark on a new adventure, let us ask Him to walk with us.
