Pivotal Praying Connecting With God in Times of Great Need

Chapter 6 ;Pivotal Praying When You Need Direction ; (John Hull) ;Several years ago I heard this story shared in a sermon. Lloyd Olgilvie, chaplain of the United States Senate, was hiking through the deep woods of northern Ontario. As the sun was setting, Olgilvie, who had been exploring these woods for most of the day, realized that he was lost. Growing concerned as the minutes passed, he tried to make his way back to some kind of civilization. After a while he came upon what looked like an overgrown path. Thinking this might be the way, he followed it for several minutes. Then in the distance he saw an old, worn-out sign. On it was an arrow and these faded words: "This is the only way out!" Olgilvie took the sign's advice and soon found the main road. ;If only life's decisions were that easy! If someone would just give us a sign and point in a direction, any direction, how good it would be. But life's woods and weeds aren't always as kind to us as they were to Lloyd Olgilvie. Sometimes it's very difficult to know what to do and what choices to make-especially when the sun is setting on a situation in our lives. ;Many in our society spend a lot of time and resources just trying to get some direction about where to go and what to do in life. Millions turn to their daily newspapers-not for sports scores or the status of the stock market, but for their horoscopes. Others turn to fortune-telling or magic. Still others dial up psychic hot lines! All of these fragile options-simply to get some kind of glimpse into the future. ;The very first national "television preacher" in America was Bishop Fulton Sheen. The bishop was heard weekly, coast to coast, on the old Mutual Television Broadcasting network. Over time he became a sought-after speaker, especially among business and civic leaders. ;Contemporary legend has it that Bishop Sheen was scheduled to speak in a city where he had never traveled before. Leaving the hotel and walking to his speaking engagement, he got distracted, a bit turned around, and then found himself completely lost. Seeing some boys playing on the sidewalk, he asked them how to get to his destination. The boys immediately knew where he was supposed to go and gave him directions. One of them said, "You just go down this street for two blocks, take a left, go down one more block, take a right, and the place is just across the street." The bishop thanked the boys and turned to walk away. ;As he was leaving, one of the boys said, "What are you going to do there?" ;The bishop said "I'm going to give a speech." ;The boy said, "What are you going to speak about?" ;The bishop said, "I'm going to tell people how to go to heaven. Would you like to come with me?" ;The boy said, "No thanks. You don't even know how to get to City Hall!" ;Sometimes we can't get our directions straight even to life's most obvious destinations. "Should I get married? And if I should, whom should I marry?" Or "What should I do with my life?" Or "Should I take that job and relocate to another city?" Or "Should I buy a car or lease it? And if I buy a car, should it be a new car or a used car?" On and on we go in life. Decisions and choices. Choices and decisions. We make thousands of them every day. Clearly, we are a people in great need of direction. Maybe we need a sign. Maybe we need someone to tell us what to do and where we should go. ;And then there's prayer. ;Pursuing God's Direction ;Ministers are constantly asked by their parishioners, "Pastor, how can I know God's will for my life?" And ministers are constantly asking, "Lord, what is Your will forHull, John is the author of 'Pivotal Praying Connecting With God in Times of Great Need' with ISBN 9780785264835 and ISBN 0785264833.