"God Said Yep"

He lifted rein despite the pain,

And turned his horse toward home,

Knowing well they’d been through hell,

The worst he’d ever known.

Cattle dead and signs he read,

More trouble on the way,

Too dry to rain, no weight to gain,

And not much more to say.

His daddy’s dad and all they had,

The family’s history,

Had come to this, less hit, more miss,

Not what they hoped would be.

O Lord, he prayed, I am afraid,

But cowboys rarely show,

The way they feel, and here’s the deal,

I just want You to know,

I’ll still praise You, though we may be through,

With what has always been,

This ranching life, with hard times rife,

We thought would never end.

But this time, God, this dry old sod,

Has nearly got us whupped,

So here and now, I pray somehow,

This mess You’ll interrupt.

And on the edge of heaven’s ledge,

And angel heard God’s voice,

Send down the rain, upon that plain,

To bless those dry cowboys.

And rain it did, and blew the lid,

Off all predictions made,

Surprised them all, but one who called,

Though desperate and afraid.

The grass revived, the rain arrived,

In time to save the day,

The horseman’s prayer, had kept them there,

God had the final say.

And if you go, and let them know,

That you believe it, too,

A horseback ride, with them beside,

They’ll show that ranch to you.

And the very place, he sought God’s face,

Then toed his stirrup step,

Hoped for rain, relief from pain,

And the Good Lord answered ‘Yep.’

“Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.” (James 5:16, NLT)

The power of prayer is a wonderful thing. It’s not magic or manipulation, but rather an earnest, sincere cry to our Heavenly Father about what is important to us. No matter if our faith is mixed with doubt or fear. Most would admit that this is the case even on our best days. But if above all we seek the Lord’s will and His righteousness, God is pleased to bless us with awesome results. God may not answer all prayers, but He answers all pray—ers. And the next verse tells us Elijah prayed for both drought and rain, and both happened. Think about it.

Lord, help us pray earnestly, in Jesus’ name.

Art by Jack Sorenson, used by permission. Thanks, Jack, and God bless you.