Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
Matthew 6:8
When I was growing up, I was often ill and seldom participated in athletics. By the time I was in college, I was so insecure about my lack of athleticism that I tried to compensate by wearing the right kind of athletic shoes and using the right kind of sports equipment. I hoped that people who saw me performing below par would assume I was having a bad day.
The college I attended in New England required credit in physical education in order to graduate. One day, I returned from P.E. and attempted to remove my shoe without untying it first. The sole tore away, rendering the shoe useless. I went to take off the other shoe and the same thing happened again.
In order to participate in the class, I had to have sneakers. My parents were poor and I did not want to ask them for help. I only had eighteen dollars in the bank and the kind of shoes that I wanted cost about twenty-six dollars. I prayed earnestly that God would give me a new pair of shoes.
The campus bookstore had cheap no-name brand sneakers in a clearance bin for six dollars. They not only looked dreadful; the soles were a hard plastic that only looked vaguely like the soft rubber soles on a real athletic shoe.
I told the Lord, “I know you will provide a new pair of sneakers, because you’ve promised to meet my needs. I have to have the shoes for class. While I don’t really need Converse All-Stars®, they are the best brand. It would mean so much to me if you would make it possible for me to have a pair of leather Converse All-Stars. I don’t have enough money, and I don’t have a ride to the mall. I have to have the shoes by next Tuesday. Even if I can’t have the shoes that I want, please don’t make me get the cheap ones from the bookstore. If you will make it possible for me to get a pair of leather Converse All-Stars, I will be careful to give you all the praise. I know you love to give good gifts to your children, so I’m asking you to please do this for me. I thank you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
The next morning, when I stopped by the mailroom to check my box, I heard some guys behind me reading a sign that had just been posted on the bulletin board: “Look at this. Leather Converse All-Stars for sale. Just nine dollars. Too bad. Wrong size.”
I turned around as they walked away. The sign read: “Brand new leather Converse All-Stars for sale. Only worn one half hour. Size 8 ½ D. Color: Purple. If interested, put a note in Box 56.”
Amazed that the shoes were my size at a price I could afford – the only negative was the idea that the shoes might actually be purple – I immediately wrote a note saying I wanted the shoes, put it in Box 56 and waited for a reply.
That evening, there was a hurriedly scribbled note in my mailbox. I deciphered the handwriting as best I could: “THE SHOES ARE YOURS! COME TO SHEPPARD HALL AND ASK FOR JOE SNOOK.”
I had already been perplexed by the low price for a pair of new shoes. Now, I was mystified and skeptical. I knew the hall director in Sheppard Hall. She was a single lady and her name was not Snook. What kind of joke was this? Purple shoes? Why would someone named Joe be living in a girls’ dorm? Why would someone sell new Converse All-Stars for a third the price?
When I arrived in the lobby and asked for Joe Snook, the desk worker immediately called for Jo Ellen to come downstairs. This tall blonde athlete was indeed the owner of a pair of leather Converse All-Stars, and when she opened the box, they were, indeed, purple. There was no mistaking the color.
“Why are you selling them?” I asked.
“They’re not my size.”
“Then, why did you buy them? Did you just like the color?”
“No, actually, I hate the color.”
“So, why did you buy them?”
“I honestly don’t know. They’ve just been sitting in my closet since last spring.”
“When did you decide to sell them?”
“It was kind of strange. Thursday evening I was sitting in my room doing homework right before supper. All of a sudden, the thought popped into my head, ‘You need to sell those shoes.’ So, I made a sign and put it on the bulletin board Friday morning. Then, I got your note in my box.”
I told Jo Ellen about my prayer right at the time that she got the idea to sell the shoes. And, I bought them hoping that perhaps with time the color would fade. My whole reason for wanting leather Converse All-Stars was that I wanted to look cool.
God gave me a pair of purple leather Converse All-Stars. In 1974, white guys in Massachusetts did not wear purple sneakers. God gave me purple sneakers, and every time I wore them I was reminded that purple is the color of royalty and I am a child of the King. Literally, every time I ever wore the sneakers someone would say, “Where did you get those shoes?” And, I would get to tell them the story about my heavenly Father who answers prayer.
God loves to give good gifts. God also has a sense of humor. I had been specific about the type of shoes I wanted; I just didn’t mention the color. He knew the reason I wanted Converse is so my ego would be satisfied that I looked sharp. God asked, “How do you like purple?”
I love my Father. Not only does He have a sense of humor, He met my need. Not just the need for shoes; He met my need for an on-going reminder of whose I am. The color purple made the shoes a wonderful witnessing opportunity to all kinds of folks. I got to tell people, “God answers prayer. God meets needs.” I still have those shoes on a shelf in my study. The children at the Ranch love to tell that story to new students and then ask me to let them see the shoes.
We all need to learn to pray humbly, expressing our dependence on God. But, I believe many people are afraid to pray specifically because they want to give God an out. Whether through laziness or unbelief, they never get specific in their requests. We need to learn to pray specifically, so that our answers to prayers will be recognized. Then, as we see God working, we can respond, “Thank you, Father!”
Do you really believe God answers prayer? Are you ready to pray specifically? What do you really want?
FEATURED RESOURCE:
Book
“Hearing His Voice” The Life of Prayer, Book 2
