Grif.Net

04/11/15 Weekend Grif.Net – Empty Chair

04/11/15 Weekend Grif.Net – Empty Chair

A man’s daughter had asked the local minister to come and pray with her
father. When the minister arrived, he found the man lying in bed with his
head propped up on two pillows. An empty chair sat beside his bed.

The minister assumed that the old fellow had been informed of his visit. “I
guess you were expecting me,” he said. “No, who are you?” said the father.
“I’m the new minister at your church,” he replied. “When I saw the empty
chair, I figured you knew I was going to show up.” “Oh yeah, the chair,”
said the bedridden man. “Would you mind closing the door?”

Puzzled, the minister shut the door. “I have never told anyone this, not
even my daughter,” said the man. “But all of my life I have never known how
to pray. At church I used to hear the pastor talk about prayer, but it went
right over my head. I abandoned any attempt at prayer,” the old man
continued, “until one day, about four years ago, my best friend said to me,
‘Joe, prayer is just a simple matter of having a conversation with Jesus.

Here is what I suggest. Sit down in a chair; place an empty chair in front
of you, and in faith see Jesus on the chair. It’s not spooky because He
promised, ‘I’ll be with you always.’ Then, just speak to Him in the same way
you’re doing with me right now.

So, I tried it, and I’ve liked it so much that I do it a couple of hours
every day. I’m careful though. If my daughter saw me talking to an empty
chair, she’d either have a nervous breakdown or send me off to the funny
farm.”

The minister was deeply moved by the story and encouraged the old man to
continue on the journey. Then he prayed with him, anointed him with oil, and
returned to the church. Two nights later the daughter called to tell the
minister that her daddy had died that afternoon.

“Did he die in peace?” he asked. “Yes, when I left the house about two o’
clock, he called me over to his bedside, told me he loved me and kissed me
on the cheek. When I got back from the store an hour later, I found him
dead. But there was something strange about his death. Apparently, just
before Daddy died, he leaned over and rested his head on the chair beside
the bed. What do you make of that?”

The minister wiped a tear from his eye and said, “I wish we could all go
like that.”

~~
Dr Bob Griffin
[email protected] www.grif.net
“Jesus Knows Me, This I Love!”