Autumn Colors and Prayer

She had started her day with a mission in mind - to get the money needed to keep the electricity at her home from being turned off. For several days, she had attempted all avenues for assistance, only to be met with rejections. Today would be different. She knew where she could get the money--and more, it only meant finding one person.

Climbing into her car, she backed out of the driveway, having taken special care to have hair, make-up, and outfit just right. No efforts, however, hid her eyes, red and puffy from a night of crying. She knew where she could get the money - but she really did not want to get it from that source, and ex-boyfriend who had stated any time she needed anything let him know.

The single mother of four drove the few miles to town and circled the parking lot where she knew her "benefactor" worked. His vehicle was not there! Her plan could not fall by the wayside this quickly. She drove to the nearest convenience store and pulled up to the pay phone.

Her heart sinking into her stomach followed the clink of her quarter falling into the coin slot. It was a sick feeling, but she saw no other choice. She dialed the phone number she knew so well. The voice on the other end of the line informed her the person she was looking for had the day off.

The tears started to well up again. Was her mission going to be defunct already? Sliding back into the seat of her car, she caught a glimpse of herself in the rear-view mirror. She could not give up; she had four kids at home and needed electricity. Even though she knew, the strings attached to the help.

Starting the car she took a deep breath, at the same time checking the gas gauge. Yes, she had enough gas to get to his house and knew he would, give her the money for the bill, and gas money to get home. She also knew he would expect 'favors' in return she saw no other choice. She pointed the car south for the 20-minute trip.

Under other circumstances, it would have been a beautiful drive. The country roads were lined with huge trees; the open fields were speckled with rolls of cut hay and grazing cattle. She did not notice any of it today though. The sky was heavy-laden with ominous grey clouds and she was dreading the position she was putting herself in. Nevertheless, there still seemed no other choice.

A mile or so out of town a thought came to mind. She was not sure from where, as she wasn't a 'religious' person and knew very little about the Bible, but for some reason "Our Father who art in Heaven" popped into her thoughts. For a brief second she forgot the misery of her mission.

To herself she said the words again. She knew there was more but could not for the life of her think what they were. She repeated them again but this time managed, "Our Father who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name." Saying it again from the start a third time, she added, "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth..."

By this time the determined woman found herself on a new mission. Somehow, she was going to find the words to the verses she realized she had heard in one of her brief church visits or read in the Bible she had had for years but seldom opened. She, however, continued driving in the direction of her hoped-for "benefactor."

Each time she repeated the verse from the start, unsure of finding the words, but each time another line seemed to sneak its way into her thoughts. She was not but maybe three or four miles from the man's house when the words:

"Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen."

She had done it, she knew the "amen" was the end of it and she had succeeded. At the same moment, she thought the word "amen," the clouds that had cloaked the sky all day opened and the sun burst through. For the first time that day, that week, she saw the beautiful brilliant colors of the autumn leaves. It was as if someone had taken a rainbow and splashed it over the trees bordering the road.

She did a quick u-turn in the middle of the road and headed home. There was something about that moment - she was on the wrong mission in life. It had to have been God who provided those thoughts, words, and she was sure He would not be happy with the direction the road was taking her.

Once home she spent several hours poring over the Bible she dug out of hiding on a back bookshelf. Covered with dust she eventually found the words she knew were somewhere in the bible. She finally found it, Matthew 6:9-13, the words she had struggled to find both on the road and in the bible.

The next morning, the day her electricity would be turned off, an acquaintance she had gone to church with months ago knocked on the door. He handed her a crisp white sealed envelope, telling her the pastor had asked him to drop this off at her house. After he left, she opened the envelope to find a check made out to her from the church for the amount owed on her electric bill.

God had heard her prayer, "The Lord's Prayer" and answered her prayer.