A religious man was stuck on top of his roof. Floodwaters surrounded him and are getting higher.
Another man comes by in a rowboat. “Get in, get in!” the man says.
The religious man replies, “No, I have faith in God; he will grant me a miracle.”
Later, a motorboat comes by. The guy at the controls tells him to get in.
“No, I have faith in God. God will save me. There will be a miracle.”
Then, a helicopter overhead throws down a ladder. Yelling through a bullhorn, someone in the crew on board tells him to climb up and get in the helicopter. Waving them off, for a fourth time, the man turns down an offer of help.
Finally, a guy clinging to a floating piece of driftwood floats by. This time, the water is up to the religious guy’s neck. The guy on the driftwood reaches out to him, tries to pull him off the roof. “No! Let me go!” he says stubbornly. “God is going to save me!”
He drowns.
The religious man arrives at the gates of heaven with broken faith. He says to St. Peter, “I thought God would grant me a miracle. I’ve been let down.”
“I don’t know what you’re complaining about,” Peter says. “We sent you two boats, the guy with some room on the driftwood, and a helicopter.”
Miracle stories are spectacular. They get your attention. They leave people scratching their heads. “How did that happen?” they ask.
They defy explanation.
Sometimes what was once considered a miracle is explained by new information. Other times, an explanation defies skeptics for dozens, even hundreds of years.
Miracle stories are interesting because of the puzzle aspect. They’re a mystery.
They’re answers to prayers.
Usually, though, an answer to a prayer doesn’t come in the form of a miracle. Obvious miracles involve a seeming suspension of natural laws. As in the story above, someone in a boat offering you a way off of your roof during a flood doesn’t involve a suspension of natural laws.
Praying is a good way to spend your time before going to sleep. It’s good to thank God for the things that are going right in your life or the things you’re grateful for. Then it’s good to pray for an improvement in areas that aren’t going so well.
It’s important to pray with intentionality. When you do so, you can keep track. That’s important. Prayer is a form of speech, even if it’s mental. You wouldn’t want to speak carelessly, nor should you pray carelessly.
If you pray carelessly, like the man in the joke that started out this post, you’ll be inclined to miss when your prayer is granted. You’ll also fall into the mental trap of the atheist who’s stuck thinking that everything can be explained.
“Dear Lord, I have no money. I want to win the lottery.”
If you don’t pray with intentionality, you’ll miss the opportunity to work overtime. You won’t notice the tax refund that you didn’t take. Whatever.
Prayers get answered, though not always dramatically. When you pray before going to sleep, take time to say “thanks.” Try to see God’s invisible hand working in your life. That awareness can be enhanced by paying attention to your subconscious that comes from paying attention to your dreams.
Also on the blog:
James Cobb, RN, MSN, is an emergency department nurse and the founder of the Dream Recovery System. His goal is to provide his readers with simple, actionable ways to improve their health and maximize their quality of life.
We use some affiliate links. If you click on a link and make a purchase, we may receive a commission. This has no effect on our opinions.