By Joan Clayton
I never went to bed in my life and I never ate a meal in my life without saying a prayer. I know my prayers have been answered thousands of times, and I know that I never said a prayer in my life without something good coming of it.
~Jack Dempsey
I rushed out of the feed store, eager to get home, when I heard her. I turned to see a darling little filly in a small fenced-in area in the parking lot. It seemed cruel to keep this beautiful animal penned up in a four-by-nine stall. Drawn by her beauty, I walked over to her. Her soft warm nuzzle against my bare arm that hot summer day almost made me cry.
"Hi! You're a pretty lady!" I rubbed her nose and she immediately responded with a series of neighs that seemed to say, "Buy me."
I hurried home and tried to go about my business as usual, but I kept hearing an echo in my thoughts. "Love me."
I had recently begun to seek a closer walk with God. I had a yearning in my heart to know God in a deeper way. My husband, Emmitt, did not understand my new commitment and worried I'd go "overboard with religion."
"Dear Lord," I prayed, "please don't let me turn Emmitt away from You. Draw him toward You. More than anything in the world, I want him to love You with all his heart."
I took Emmitt to see the horse, which I already called Lady in my thoughts. Emmitt had a very tender spot for animals, especially horses, and we bought her on the spot!
Since we lived at the edge of town and had an acre of backyard, we thought caring for her at home had more advantages than taking her to our small farm. Emmitt didn't admit how much he loved Lady, but I caught him many times talking to her from the window and he spent all his extra time outside with her. He brushed her mane and tail and led her around the backyard with her halter. When he took her halter off, she followed him anyway. Lady became a privileged character, and she knew it. She ran around inside the yard with the dogs, shaking her beautiful head and prancing like a circus pony.
We kept our animals safely enclosed inside a chain-link fence, but Lady and the dogs ran the length of the fence every time a car went by. One day I found her chasing cars with them. "Oh no! She thinks she's a dog!"
As we loved, enjoyed and laughed at our playful filly, she grew into a very beautiful animal. Summer came, and she ate everything that grew through the chain-link fence and everything she could reach over it. Rose bushes, trees, nothing within her reach was safe. The last straw occurred when she pulled the window screen off the bedroom window. She peeked in.
I finally persuaded Emmitt to take Lady to the farm. Although he couldn't spend as much time with her there, our yard improved considerably.
What a thrill to see her in her newfound freedom. She held her magnificent head and tail high, running like a racehorse.
Then it happened. Emmitt came home from the farm with sorrow written all over his face. "Lady's suddenly gone lame. I can't figure out what happened. She was all right this morning. The vet just left and he can't find anything wrong."
I'll admit that at times I had been a bit jealous of Lady because Emmitt spent so much time with her, but the thought of her hopping around on three legs made my heart ache, too.
Three weeks later, after shots, liniment rubs and many anxious moments, she had not improved at all.
One day a friend just "happened" to loan me a tape about a man who prayed for his horse and it got well. Emmitt and I listened intently to the tape and discovered that God cares about what we care about, even animals.
"Come on," he shouted, jumping up. "We're going to the farm right now and pray for Lady!"
It was a balmy summer night. The moonlight reflected on Lady, and the three of us seemed to sense the awesome beauty and wonder of God. A myriad of stars twinkled overhead, and the distant cooing of doves gave the midnight peace a holy hush. Lady neighed to us in her usual way as we walked up to her. She put her velvety soft nose against Emmitt's shirt and stood motionless on three legs.
"Thank You, Lord," he prayed aloud, "for showing me how real You are. Whether You heal Lady or not, my life will never be the same. And how I praise You for that."
Then Emmitt poured out his heart to God. I cried knowing that no matter how God chose to answer Emmitt's prayer for Lady, He had begun a new work in Emmitt's life.
From that moment on, I had a new husband. He awakened the next morning with a renewed zest for living, grateful for everything in this wonderful world our God has made. We could hardly wait to get to the farm. As we pulled into the gate I saw Lady, still hobbling around on three legs. I hurt most of all for Emmitt's sake.
"I don't care if Lady is crippled the rest of her life, I praise God for everything!" he said.
I silently shot up a prayer of thanksgiving as Emmitt expressed his newfound faith.
It was a gorgeous day at the farm. Lady neighed to us in her loving way. Even the birds seemed to say, "Bless you."
"No use keeping Lady shut up in the lot like this. I'll open the gate. At least maybe she can limp around and eat a little green grass," Emmitt suggested.
The instant he opened the gate, something seemed to quicken in Lady.
She shot out of that gate with her head and tail held high, running like the wind! A thoroughbred could not compare with her beauty. She galloped the full length of the pasture and back to us on four strong, sturdy legs.
It was then I looked at my husband. Tears streamed down his face and his arms stretched toward Heaven in thanksgiving. My heart leaped; the feelings I felt for this man overwhelmed me and I loved him more than ever.
Not only had God answered Emmitt's prayer for Lady, He answered my prayer for Emmitt.
I never went to bed in my life and I never ate a meal in my life without saying a prayer. I know my prayers have been answered thousands of times, and I know that I never said a prayer in my life without something good coming of it.
~Jack Dempsey
I rushed out of the feed store, eager to get home, when I heard her. I turned to see a darling little filly in a small fenced-in area in the parking lot. It seemed cruel to keep this beautiful animal penned up in a four-by-nine stall. Drawn by her beauty, I walked over to her. Her soft warm nuzzle against my bare arm that hot summer day almost made me cry.
"Hi! You're a pretty lady!" I rubbed her nose and she immediately responded with a series of neighs that seemed to say, "Buy me."
I hurried home and tried to go about my business as usual, but I kept hearing an echo in my thoughts. "Love me."
I had recently begun to seek a closer walk with God. I had a yearning in my heart to know God in a deeper way. My husband, Emmitt, did not understand my new commitment and worried I'd go "overboard with religion."
"Dear Lord," I prayed, "please don't let me turn Emmitt away from You. Draw him toward You. More than anything in the world, I want him to love You with all his heart."
I took Emmitt to see the horse, which I already called Lady in my thoughts. Emmitt had a very tender spot for animals, especially horses, and we bought her on the spot!
Since we lived at the edge of town and had an acre of backyard, we thought caring for her at home had more advantages than taking her to our small farm. Emmitt didn't admit how much he loved Lady, but I caught him many times talking to her from the window and he spent all his extra time outside with her. He brushed her mane and tail and led her around the backyard with her halter. When he took her halter off, she followed him anyway. Lady became a privileged character, and she knew it. She ran around inside the yard with the dogs, shaking her beautiful head and prancing like a circus pony.
We kept our animals safely enclosed inside a chain-link fence, but Lady and the dogs ran the length of the fence every time a car went by. One day I found her chasing cars with them. "Oh no! She thinks she's a dog!"
As we loved, enjoyed and laughed at our playful filly, she grew into a very beautiful animal. Summer came, and she ate everything that grew through the chain-link fence and everything she could reach over it. Rose bushes, trees, nothing within her reach was safe. The last straw occurred when she pulled the window screen off the bedroom window. She peeked in.
I finally persuaded Emmitt to take Lady to the farm. Although he couldn't spend as much time with her there, our yard improved considerably.
What a thrill to see her in her newfound freedom. She held her magnificent head and tail high, running like a racehorse.
Then it happened. Emmitt came home from the farm with sorrow written all over his face. "Lady's suddenly gone lame. I can't figure out what happened. She was all right this morning. The vet just left and he can't find anything wrong."
I'll admit that at times I had been a bit jealous of Lady because Emmitt spent so much time with her, but the thought of her hopping around on three legs made my heart ache, too.
Three weeks later, after shots, liniment rubs and many anxious moments, she had not improved at all.
One day a friend just "happened" to loan me a tape about a man who prayed for his horse and it got well. Emmitt and I listened intently to the tape and discovered that God cares about what we care about, even animals.
"Come on," he shouted, jumping up. "We're going to the farm right now and pray for Lady!"
It was a balmy summer night. The moonlight reflected on Lady, and the three of us seemed to sense the awesome beauty and wonder of God. A myriad of stars twinkled overhead, and the distant cooing of doves gave the midnight peace a holy hush. Lady neighed to us in her usual way as we walked up to her. She put her velvety soft nose against Emmitt's shirt and stood motionless on three legs.
"Thank You, Lord," he prayed aloud, "for showing me how real You are. Whether You heal Lady or not, my life will never be the same. And how I praise You for that."
Then Emmitt poured out his heart to God. I cried knowing that no matter how God chose to answer Emmitt's prayer for Lady, He had begun a new work in Emmitt's life.
From that moment on, I had a new husband. He awakened the next morning with a renewed zest for living, grateful for everything in this wonderful world our God has made. We could hardly wait to get to the farm. As we pulled into the gate I saw Lady, still hobbling around on three legs. I hurt most of all for Emmitt's sake.
"I don't care if Lady is crippled the rest of her life, I praise God for everything!" he said.
I silently shot up a prayer of thanksgiving as Emmitt expressed his newfound faith.
It was a gorgeous day at the farm. Lady neighed to us in her loving way. Even the birds seemed to say, "Bless you."
"No use keeping Lady shut up in the lot like this. I'll open the gate. At least maybe she can limp around and eat a little green grass," Emmitt suggested.
The instant he opened the gate, something seemed to quicken in Lady.
She shot out of that gate with her head and tail held high, running like the wind! A thoroughbred could not compare with her beauty. She galloped the full length of the pasture and back to us on four strong, sturdy legs.
It was then I looked at my husband. Tears streamed down his face and his arms stretched toward Heaven in thanksgiving. My heart leaped; the feelings I felt for this man overwhelmed me and I loved him more than ever.
Not only had God answered Emmitt's prayer for Lady, He answered my prayer for Emmitt.
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