—A Lesson on Prayer!

DFO 1637 10/83

1. THE LORD SHOWED ME THE ANSWER TO YOUR PHOTO PROBLEM OF BLURRY LETTERING ON THE POSTER! It came like a picture in the early morning. Often when I wake up early before Maria does, I'm thinking & praying about things, & it just came in a flash just as clear as a picture! I don't know if you know what the term "print frame" means, it's like a picture frame with a piece of glass in front & then it has this felt backing with a clamp—which photographers use for making fedayee prints. I just got a picture of it! I don't know if it will solve your problem or not, but at least that's what I got!

2. I'D EVEN FORGOTTEN I EVER USED TO USE ONE OF THOSE THINGS, SO IT MUST HAVE BEEN THE LORD! I just suddenly saw a picture of that little print frame I used to use, just as clear as anything! Once in awhile I get a good idea from the Lord! Don't give me any credit for it, I was just thinking & thinking what could be done & I just saw a picture & heard the words just as clear as anything: "Print Frame!"

3. THAT'S WHY I SAY MY JOB IS THE EASIEST ONE OF ALL—I GET MY STUFF SO EASY IT'S NO PROBLEM, IT'S NO WORK! If you'd stopped & really prayed about it‚ He probably would have given you a picture of the answer! Well, when I don't get answers & I don't know what to do, I found that's still the only thing I can do—pray!

4. I CAN'T ALWAYS EVEN SAY I'M ACTUALLY PRAYING! I'm just puzzling about it sometimes & asking‚ "Why? What's the solution to this?"—And apparently the Lord counts that for me in the nature of a prayer. I want to know the answer so He gives it to me! I've gotten more of my little inventions around here & little ideas to solve problems that way, just by a flash of revelation, a picture! What easier solution could you have than just to see a picture of the answer?

5. I THINK SOMEONE ASKED ME SOMETHING YESTERDAY & THAT KNOCKED IT STRAIGHT OUT OF MY HEAD & MADE ME FORGET IT! I completely forgot to tell you about it until I was, of course, again kind of thinking & praying about things during the night, & it came back to me. I'd even forgotten that I'd forgotten to tell you! It wasn't their fault! They didn't know I was going to forget anything, they didn't even know I had anything to remember, so it was my fault!

6. SOMETIMES MAYBE THE LORD JUST LETS US HAVE A PROBLEM IN ORDER THAT HE CAN GIVE US THE ANSWER! He likes to have us pray & find out we can't always solve all our problems & that we need His help! After all‚ if we could figure it all out & solve all our problems, we wouldn't need Him! So the Lord lets us have a little problem now & then to show us we need Him & we have to pray. He likes to give us answers to remind us that we're dependent on Him & we need Him‚ & besides, He likes us to love Him & appreciate Him. So PTL! Amen? He likes us to appreciate His help & to love Him for it—like a father!

7. THAT'S THE WAY WE FEEL WITH OUR KIDS—WE LIKE TO ANSWER THEIR QUESTIONS & SOLVE THEIR PROBLEMS & GIVE THEM ANSWERS IF THEY'LL ASK! A lot of times they just try to struggle through, like doing a puzzle for example. Sometimes poor Techi will get so frustrated she'll almost cry! And I'll say‚ "Well, why didn't you ask me? I could have showed you easily what to do! Why don't you ask me?" So now when she's starting on a puzzle I say, "Listen, if you strike a tough spot or anything difficult & you can't make it, just tell Daddy & I'll try to help you!" So it's the same situation with our kids as with us & the Lord.

8. IT'S PRIDE, IT'S INDEPENDENCE WITH A CHILD LIKE THAT! They don't want to ask, they don't want to admit they can't solve it, they don't want to admit that they haven't got the solution. They always want to be grown up & older & smarter & show that they're big & they don't need help, & therefore they try to do it themselves to the point of frustration & even weeping because "The Doorknob's Too High!" (See No.1141)—Whereas all they had to do was to ask & you have a simple answer to a simple problem that's simple for you but difficult for them!

9. ALL THE ANSWERS ARE SIMPLE FOR THE LORD & ALL THE SOLUTIONS ARE EASY FOR HIM! He just gives me solutions in a flash like that, just a picture!—But they're difficult for us, just like they're difficult for the child. And the poor child sits there & gets flustered & frustrated & fussy & even cries because he can't solve it—instead of asking! He doesn't want to admit that he doesn't know the answer & that he can't figure it out for himself.—Especially independent little rascals like some of ours!

10. TECHI IS SO SMART, SHE HATES TO EVER ADMIT THAT SHE DOESN'T KNOW SOMETHING! In her reading she'll just go ahead & read some word that looks like it rather than admit she doesn't know that word!—And it's a bit of pride, wanting to pretend you know something that you don't, that you don't want to admit that you don't know!

11. WELL‚ IT'S EXACTLY THE SAME THING WITH US IN A WAY WHEN WE DON'T PRAY FOR A SOLUTION TO A PROBLEM. It's because either we just plain forget—& that's very negligent to forget to pray—or we're not willing to admit that we don't know the answer & that we have to ask for it. So one or the other‚ either way, it's a slip! If you forget to pray‚ that's almost as bad as not wanting to pray! Well, that's a pretty good little lesson! We wouldn't have gotten that if this hadn't happened! PTL!