Article May 18, 1992 Issue

Having confidence in our prayers

The more we understand God and the true nature of existence, the more confidence we'll have in our prayers.

Donald M. Swinney

I Had no warning of the danger. It was a peaceful walk in back country near the mountains. But suddenly I heard a disturbance behind me. When I looked around I saw a charging bull coming at me full speed. It was in an open field where I had no fence to jump over and no tree to climb. The bull was huge, angry as blazes, and fiercely intent on his attack.

As I ran I prayed, affirming that God was with me and protecting me from harm. Seeing two small saplings together, I began circling them with the bull close on my heels. He would stop momentarily, and we would eye each other through the branches. During these breathers, I spoke to the bull kindly, trying to convince him that we ought to be good friends. But he didn't agree. Reversing himself, he would quickly resume in the opposite direction, continuing to chase me in circles. My mind was racing too. I began to fear that my prayers might not be sufficient to protect me.

At one point, the idea came strongly to pick up a stick and throw it at him. But I didn't consider this for long. If he were this angry and I had done nothing to provoke him, how tenacious would he be if I did do something! So I rejected the idea and kept running.

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