An old woman leaned hard against the railing of the stairs.
Using the sturdy post as a support, she slowly and painfully came to her knees.
She looked at the point where she knelt and a tear rolled down her cheek.
It had been forty-four years since she had made that silent promise.
Forty-four years of obedience and respect.
Each night she had knelt in the center of the main hallway of her home and lifted her prayers to the Lord.
Sometimes they were prayers of Thanksgiving, sometimes they were prayers of decision, sometimes they were prayers of obedience because there was no understanding...
but, mostly they were just common prayers of praise and quiet thoughts between friends.
As the tear passed her cheek and fell to the floor she softly said, "Lord, you know I want to be in the middle of the hall, but these old bones just won't let me leave the rail.
" She felt the warm embrace of an old friend and though there was no one in the room, she was not alone.
She opened her prayer in Thanksgiving; praising the Father for the simple accomplishments of the present - like allowing her arms to hold in place long enough to pin up her hair.
And, she praised Him for her health.
And as always, she still offered Him praise for protecting her family some forty years past, when without a penny and no place to turn, He had kept her family from losing their home.
As her knees began to stiffen and the pain ran down her legs, her heart remembered the words of her husband, now gone more than a year...
It was almost spring.
There seemed to be a breath of newness in everything.
The mother of seven inhaled deeply each time she pushed up a window and let fresh air in that room for the first time in a long winter.
She bounded from room to room...
calling to the kids to look out at the birds and blooming flowers.
So alive, so beautiful, and yet so heart broken.
It was that day that she and her husband walked slowly, hand in hand, around the town that God had brought them to.
It was in that walk that they had decided to bring their family together on their knees and pray for strength.
They were not going to tell the kids what was at risk.
They did not need to know about the actions the bank would take tomorrow against their home.
They just needed the children to know that when in life you struggle, there is no better place to be than with family, on your knees before the Lord.
It was only a prayer of a few sentences, yet it lasted for an hour.
The interruptions of the youngest children caused an elongation of the effort - yet, the parents continued.
First the mother prayed, then the children who wanted to, then the father.
Each in different words, all with the same heart...
" Lord, please protect this family"...
"Give us courage to do whatever you desire"...
"Your will be done".
He smiled at her.
She smiled at him.
Both were content with their example of obedience.
Both were proud of their beautiful family.
Then, moans and groans broke the moment.
The teens complained about the length of time they had been on the hard wood floors.
The Middle children questioned, "What is happening? Mom, are you sick?" The moment was changed back to reality.
The soothing deep voice of her husband quieted the children.
His words were, "Mom and I are fine- nothing is wrong with this family.
And boys, the Lord suffered a huge amount of pain on the cross for us, surely our knees can endure this out of respect for Him.
" Knees can endure...
knees can endure...
knees can endure...
and then he smiled at her, and she smiled at him as he faded away.
Her prayers continued.
She praised the Lord for the warm weather and the low heating bill.
She praised the Lord for the health of her friends.
She gave thanks for the visits of her children and grandchildren.
Then she especially prayed for the new one on the way.
She chuckled to herself and said, "That will be twenty-seven, Lord.
" She sighed with great satisfaction.
She was so wrapped up in her prayers that she hadn't heard the door.
Everyone knew she had an open door policy, but usually they knocked.
She was gently surprised as the warm touch of her son sent shivers down her arm.
He said, "I knew you would be here.
" "Where else would I be, son?" "No mom, I knew you would be on your knees.
" With voice cracking and tears in his eyes, he said, "Is it alright if I join you? I heard when you're struggling, there's no better place to be than with family, on your knees before the Lord.
"
Using the sturdy post as a support, she slowly and painfully came to her knees.
She looked at the point where she knelt and a tear rolled down her cheek.
It had been forty-four years since she had made that silent promise.
Forty-four years of obedience and respect.
Each night she had knelt in the center of the main hallway of her home and lifted her prayers to the Lord.
Sometimes they were prayers of Thanksgiving, sometimes they were prayers of decision, sometimes they were prayers of obedience because there was no understanding...
but, mostly they were just common prayers of praise and quiet thoughts between friends.
As the tear passed her cheek and fell to the floor she softly said, "Lord, you know I want to be in the middle of the hall, but these old bones just won't let me leave the rail.
" She felt the warm embrace of an old friend and though there was no one in the room, she was not alone.
She opened her prayer in Thanksgiving; praising the Father for the simple accomplishments of the present - like allowing her arms to hold in place long enough to pin up her hair.
And, she praised Him for her health.
And as always, she still offered Him praise for protecting her family some forty years past, when without a penny and no place to turn, He had kept her family from losing their home.
As her knees began to stiffen and the pain ran down her legs, her heart remembered the words of her husband, now gone more than a year...
It was almost spring.
There seemed to be a breath of newness in everything.
The mother of seven inhaled deeply each time she pushed up a window and let fresh air in that room for the first time in a long winter.
She bounded from room to room...
calling to the kids to look out at the birds and blooming flowers.
So alive, so beautiful, and yet so heart broken.
It was that day that she and her husband walked slowly, hand in hand, around the town that God had brought them to.
It was in that walk that they had decided to bring their family together on their knees and pray for strength.
They were not going to tell the kids what was at risk.
They did not need to know about the actions the bank would take tomorrow against their home.
They just needed the children to know that when in life you struggle, there is no better place to be than with family, on your knees before the Lord.
It was only a prayer of a few sentences, yet it lasted for an hour.
The interruptions of the youngest children caused an elongation of the effort - yet, the parents continued.
First the mother prayed, then the children who wanted to, then the father.
Each in different words, all with the same heart...
" Lord, please protect this family"...
"Give us courage to do whatever you desire"...
"Your will be done".
He smiled at her.
She smiled at him.
Both were content with their example of obedience.
Both were proud of their beautiful family.
Then, moans and groans broke the moment.
The teens complained about the length of time they had been on the hard wood floors.
The Middle children questioned, "What is happening? Mom, are you sick?" The moment was changed back to reality.
The soothing deep voice of her husband quieted the children.
His words were, "Mom and I are fine- nothing is wrong with this family.
And boys, the Lord suffered a huge amount of pain on the cross for us, surely our knees can endure this out of respect for Him.
" Knees can endure...
knees can endure...
knees can endure...
and then he smiled at her, and she smiled at him as he faded away.
Her prayers continued.
She praised the Lord for the warm weather and the low heating bill.
She praised the Lord for the health of her friends.
She gave thanks for the visits of her children and grandchildren.
Then she especially prayed for the new one on the way.
She chuckled to herself and said, "That will be twenty-seven, Lord.
" She sighed with great satisfaction.
She was so wrapped up in her prayers that she hadn't heard the door.
Everyone knew she had an open door policy, but usually they knocked.
She was gently surprised as the warm touch of her son sent shivers down her arm.
He said, "I knew you would be here.
" "Where else would I be, son?" "No mom, I knew you would be on your knees.
" With voice cracking and tears in his eyes, he said, "Is it alright if I join you? I heard when you're struggling, there's no better place to be than with family, on your knees before the Lord.
"