THE WEIGHT OF A PRAYER.

The Weight of Prayer

Louise Redden, a poorly dressed lady with a look of defeat on her
face, walked into a grocery store. She approached the owner of the store in a
most humble manner and asked if he would let her charge a few groceries.

She softly explained that her husband was very ill and unable to
work, they had seven children and they needed food.

John Long house, the grocer, scoffed at her and requested that she
leave his store.

Visualizing the family needs, she said: 'Please, sir! I will bring
you the money just as soon as I can."

John told her he could not give her credit, as she did not have a
charge account at his store.

Standing beside the counter was a customer who overheard the
conversation between the two. The customer walked forward and told the grocer
man that he would stand good for whatever she needed for her family. The grocer
man said in a very reluctant voice, "Do you have a grocery list? Louise replied
"Yes sir!" "O.K." he said: "Put your grocery list on the scales and whatever
your grocery list weighs, I will give you that amount in groceries. "

Louise, hesitated a moment with a bowed head, then she reached into
her purse and took out a piece of paper and scribbled something on it. She then
laid the piece of paper on the scale carefully with her head still bowed. The
eyes of the grocer man and the customer showed amazement when the scales went
down and stayed down. The grocer man staring at the scales, turned slowly to
the customer and said begrudgingly, "I can't believe it."

The customer smiled and the grocer man started putting the groceries
on the other side of the scales. The scale did not balance so he continued to
put more and more groceries on them until the scales would hold no more.

The grocer man stood there in utter disgust. Finally, he grabbed
the piece of paper from the scales and looked at it with greater amazement. It
was not a grocery list, it was a prayer, which said: "Dear Lord, you know my
needs and I am leaving this in your hands."

The grocer man gave her the groceries that he had gathered and
placed on the scales and stood in stunned silence. Louise thanked him and left
the store. The customer handed a fifty dollar bill to John as he said, "It was
worth every penny of it."

It was sometime later that John Long house discovered the scales
were broken, therefore only God knows how much a prayer weighs.