Several years ago at Cambridge S. D. Gordon shared the story about a young politician in the House of Congress that had concluded God did not exist, even going so far as to give a series of lectures on why there was no God. The young politician shared that one night while sitting in the House of Congress “a feeling came over me that the God whose existence I thought I could disprove was right above me”. At first he believed that he was catching the flu which was clouding his thinking, so he began taking long walks over a period of several days hoping he could shake this feeling, but he could not.

Finally after several days he went home and his wife shared that she had made a covenant to pray with several friends until he committed his life to Christ. When he inquired as to the day she began this prayer he realized it was the evening he felt the presence of God. “I was tremendously shaken” he would later share. Shortly thereafter he surrendered his life to God. But this is only half the story.

Wanting to know the rest of the story S. D. Gordon spoke with the man’s wife. She told him that she had felt a pressing need to begin praying for her husband that fateful night. As she knelt to pray she sensed God saying, “Are you praying for the results that will come if your husband is converted?” She replied, “O God, I am praying for anything You think is good, if only my husband may know You and become a true believer.” When she finished praying she had no doubt that God was about to do something wonderful.

As Gordon concludes the story, the man was set to become governor, and his wife to become the first lady. Instead he left his position with the state and became a pastor, leaving behind a lucrative career and home for a job “with a very different social position and a very different income”. Yet they were never happier. After speaking with the wife Gordon commented, “I never met a woman who had more of the wonderful peace of God in her heart, and of the light of God in her face, than that woman.” What a powerful picture of what Jesus taught when he said we “shouldalways prayand not give up” (Luke 18:1).

Tobin Crenshaw

Twominutesermon.com