Lord, Prop Us Up

 

“If I should die before I wake,” prayer young Timmy; “If I should die before I wake …If I should die.” “Go on, Timmy,” urged his mother, “You know the rest of the prayer.” “I’ll be right back,” blurted the youngster! Scrambling to his feet, to the surprise of his mother, he ran into the next room. Soon he returned and dropping to his knees beside his bed, rattled off the familiar nightly prayer without a flaw. While tucking little Timmy into bed his mother issued a gentle rebuke for the sudden interruption insisting that he should think about what he was saying when he prayed. “Mom, I was thinking about what I was praying,” said the boy defensively. “That’s why I had to stop! You see, I stood all of Ted’s wooden soldiers on their heads just to see how mad he’d be in the morning. If I should die before I wake I wouldn’t want him to find them that way, so I had to fix them right away.” “…if you are offering your gift at the alter and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the alter. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift” (Matthew 5:23-24). How about you, if you should die before you wake?

Often in his public prayer the elderly deacon was heard to say, “Lord, prop us up on our leanin’ side.” After hearing him pray that plea many times, he was asked about the meaning. “Well, you see, it’s like this… I got an old barn out back of my place. It’s been there a long time; it’s withstood a lot of weather; it’s gone through a lot of storms; and it’s stood strong for many a year. But one day I sort of noticed it was leanin’ to one side a little bit. So I went and got some pine poles and propped it up on its leanin’ side so’s it wouldn’t eventually fall over. Then I got to thinkin’ ‘bout that and how much I was like that old barn. I’ve been around a long time; I’ve withstood a lot of foul weather in my life; I’ve gone through a lot of life’s little storms; I’ve withstood the hard times and I’m still standing too. But I find myself leanin’ to one side from time to time, so I like to ask the Lord to prop us up on our leanin’ side, ‘cause I figure a lot of us get to leanin’ at times.” Sometimes we do get to leaning toward anger; leaning toward bitterness; leaning toward hatred; leaning toward cussing; leaning toward a lot of things we shouldn’t – so we need to pray, “Lord, prop us up on our leanin’ side,” so we remain straight and tall, ever glorifying God. “…So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! (1 Corinthians 10:12-13). Yes, God is willing to prop you up on your leanin’ side.

[John 8: 23-24] Some years ago, Dalton Key made an observation about sin that bears repeating. “… Most people wouldn’t use the word ‘sin’. The word is too staid, too old fashion, too judgmental. Sin isn’t talked about much these days, even from the pulpit. We hear about ‘faults’ and ‘lapses in judgment’ and ‘failing to live up to our potential’ but the word ‘sin’ rarely surfaces. Folks who used to require repentance now need understanding. Those who in days past were rebuked for sin are now accepted ‘as they are’. Confession has been replaced with counseling; godly sorrow and repentance with therapy” (Dalton Key, “The Dreaded ‘S’ Word”, The Words of Truth, Vol. 34, No. 1, Jan. 2, 97, p. 3). He’s right. Sin isn’t sin anymore in the minds of most folks. The Bible says, “…all have sinned…” (Romans 3:23), and “For the wages of sin is death…” (Romans 6:23). We may try to ignore it; we may try to explain it away, but sin still exists, and it will cause us to lose our soul, unless our sins are removed through contact with the saving blood of Jesus Christ (Mark 16:15-16; Acts 2:38; 22:16; 1 Peter 3:21; Romans 6:17-18). What are you doing about the sin in your life, before you never wake?