God Can Show Up Even at the Eleventh Hour
Zeph Dim of Alagbado, Lagos, Nigeria
Learn of me, and listen to my words; walk in the meekness of my Spirit and you shall have peace in me. -Doctrine and Covenants 18:2n
David, our little boy, was learning to walk. As he was standing, holding on to a chair, his mother walked past him to the balcony. He stretched his neck to see where his mother was. On sighting her, he released his hold on the chair and started walking towards her. First step, second step, on the third step he fell. He rested a while and looked around for help. No one came to his rescue. Where I stood, I held my breath. Then he got himself up to try again. After a few steps he fell again. Then came the screaming. That was when his mother rushed back to pick him up.
As I reflected over the incident, it got me thinking. If falling when learning to walk made babies not try again, then nobody would have ever learned how to walk. Our little boy who cannot walk now will soon walk and not fall, run and not stumble. That can only happen if he continues not minding how many times he has fallen. It is his persistence that yields the desired result.
This took my mind to the Bible story of the woman with the issue of blood. For 12 good years she had been spending all her money seeking a cure. Not minding all the disappointments, she still believed that her healing would come. That was her situation until the eventful day when she encountered Jesus and was healed. “…for she said, ‘If I but touch his clothes, I will be made well'” (Mark 5:28).
I have been in trying times, when at the eleventh hour-when it seemed all hope was lost-God showed up. In our prayer lives, you observe that sometimes you have to encourage yourself to persist in believing even when it seems that the answer would never come. And surely in most unexpected ways, the answers do come. Though sometimes it may seem difficult, it often pays when we never give up on our faith.
Prayer Phrase
Let your world of beauty capture me.
Spiritual Practice
Growing a Gracious, Generous Heart
Open your heart to God’s grace and generosity with a “breath prayer.” Let your breathing slow and deepen. Be aware of God’s breath moving in and out of your heart. Spend several minutes focusing on breathing in God’s generosity. With each breath, silently name one gift for which you are thankful. Let your heart expand to contain God’s gracious outpouring of love. With each breath out, name one gift you want to share from the overflow of your heart.
Today’s Prayer for Peace
Engage in a daily practice of praying for peace in our world. Click here to read today’s prayer and be part of this practice of peace.
