But for you, O LORD, do I wait; it is you, O Lord my God, who will answer. – Psa. 38:15

I read a great short story the other  day that really left me with a deeper understanding of what it means to watch and pray. The story is called Expectation Corner by Emily Steele Elliott written back in 1828. You can read the entire story online here: Expectation Corner

It’s a short story about a man named Adam, who lives in a little cottage on Redeemed Land. The reason why it was called Redeemed Land was because long ago there was a rebellion among the people which devastated the land and placed all of its citizens under bondage. But the land Owner sent his son to live among the cottage people. The Son rescued and bought back the people and leased their property back to them and even gave them special rights and privileges of love and favor while they lived in the land. If they had a request or a need all they had to do was refer to their book of the Covenant and write up their need on a slip of paper and send it to the Owner of the land. Each day the Land Owner would send out his messengers to his various storehouses where each request was filled with the request or with something better and then delivered on wagons to every home.

Unlike his neighbors who lived richly around him, Adam lived poor in the land. His windows were dulled over and darkness filled his little house. He often complained about his own lack of fresh water. His next door neighbor would often remind him that he needed only to check his pipes to make sure they were connecting to the right place and that they were not blocked then he could enjoy the fresh water from the living fountain just over the hills like he did. But Adam never got around to checking it and he never wiped the dust from his windows that would have flooded his little house with so much sunlight. Adam never took advantage of the rights and privileges that his citizenship in the Redeemed Land afforded him.

Adam was old and weak. He just didn’t consider himself to be the scholarly type like his neighbors and his sight wasn’t that good to look things up in the Covenant-book. One day his good natured neighbor Widow Full-joy talks him into sending his request into the rich Father, who lived in the Great Palace and reminded Adam of how difficult it is for the rich Father to watch his children go around poorly clad and complaining of scarcity when he had provision stored for them at his Great House according to the Covenant-book that laid on Adams table.

With Widow Full-joy’s help and encouragement, Adam drafts up a petition and sends it off to the Great House. Widow Full-joy reminds Adam that in accordance to the Covenant-book in sending in his petition, he must wait by continuing in prayer and watch for the delivery to be made.

The very next day a messenger from the Great House arrives at Adams house in answer to his petition. The messenger cleans Adams window and cleans a bunch of rubbish out of Adam’s pipes and begins telling him of the Lord’s loving care for his tenants and the great may storehouses that the Lord has to provide for all his tenants needs.

The messenger takes Adam to the center of the Redeemed Land to see these grand storehouses for himself so that he might understand the goodness of the Lord and his great provision for his tenant. It is here that Adam sees all the attempts that were made by the Lord, to deliver daily provision, answer petitions and even send him gifts of favor, but they were all returned because Adam in his great depression, and dark windows never watched and never answered the door to receive them when they came.

The story continues and Adam soon comes to enjoy all the benefits of living in the Redeemed Land through learning how to watch and petition the Lord for all his daily needs. He no longer lives as a poor man in the Lord’s rich land.

It is a great story that reminded me of our great position living in the Redeemed land, and how I too often neglect to take advantage of the benefits our new land and our new position has to offer by not making requests, or by not being prepared to receive them when they do arrive. I wonder how many petitions I have missed because I did not wait for my Lord to answer but rushed ahead with my own solution or didn’t believe he would take the time and answer them anyway. I wonder how often I too have eaten stale bread when fresh bread was waiting to be delivered to me. I am reminded of C.S. Lewis quote,

“We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”