Pausing to Gather Strength

The Rev. King Duncan once told about a soldier named Jim Bolton who was once out on a military training exercise in the Mojave Desert. His crew had become separated from the rest of the troops, and one of the vehicles in their convoy had become stuck. It had lost its traction and had come to rest at the edge of a sand cliff above a fifty-foot drop. The tires were hopelessly buried in the sand, and the soldiers in the unit tried to free it several times unsuccessfully. Meanwhile, the rest of the company was getting farther away.

After many unsuccessful attempts, when the troops were hot, tired, and discouraged, the commander gathered the men together to pray. It seemed kind of out of place for a group of soldiers, and some of the group were uncomfortable with the idea. But after spending a few minutes in prayer, Jim remembers that everyone seemed refreshed.

One last time they tried to free the vehicle from the sand, and this time they were successful. Jim said that he didn’t know whether their prayer actually dislodged the vehicle from the cliff’s edge or not. But when they took the time to pray, they had a chance to focus their attention on God, momentarily relax, and gather their strength.

I certainly believe in the power of prayer. Time spent in prayer is time in which we do gather strength. We also gather hope, and peace, and a fresh perspective. It is a powerful resource. And best of all, it is available to us at any time.

Let us pray: We turn to you now, O God, and we pause even for a moment in your presence. We turn over to you any worries or anxiety we may be feeling. We ask you to renew our strength and fill us with your peace; through Jesus Christ. Amen.