A minister passing through his
church in the middle of the day, decided to pause by the altar and see who had
come to pray. Just then the back door
opened, a man came down the aisle.
The minister frowned as he saw the man hadn’t shaved in a while; his shirt was
kind a shabby and his coat was worn and frayed; the man knelt, he bowed his
head, then rose and walked away.
In the days that followed, each noon times this chap; each time he knelt just
for a moment, a lunch pail in his lap.
Well, the minister’s suspicious grew, with robbery a main fear; he decided to
stop the man and ask him, “What are you doing here?”
The old man said he worked down the road; lunch was half an hour; lunch time
was his prayer time, for finding strength and power.
“I stay only moments, see, because the factory is so far away; as I kneel here
talking to the Lord, this is kinda what I say:
“I just came again to tell you, Lord, how happy I’ve been, since we found each
other’s friendship and You took away my sin. Don’t know much of how to pray,
but I think about You everyday. So, Jesus, this is Jim checking in today.”
The minister, feeling foolish, told Jim
that was fine. He told the man he was welcome to come and pray just any time.
Time to go, Jim smiled, said “Thanks”. He hurried to the door.
The minister knelt at the altar, he’d never done it before his cold heart
melted, warmed with love, and met Jesus there. As the tears flowed, in his
heart, he repeated old Jim’s prayer:
“I just came again to tell you, Lord, how happy I’ve been, since we found each
other’s friendship and you took away my sin. I don’t know how much or how to
pray, but I think about you everyday. So, Jesus, this is me checking in today.”
Past noon one day, the minister noticed old Jim hadn’t come. As more days
passed without Jim, he began to worry some. At the factory he asked about him,
learning he was ill.
The hospital staff was worried, but he’d given them a thrill. The week that Jim
was with them, brought changes in the ward. His smiles, a joy contagious.
Changed people were his reward.
The head nurse couldn’t understand why Jim was so glad, when no flowers, calls
or cards came, not a visitor he had. The minister stayed by his bed, he voiced
the nurse’s concern: no friends came to show they cared. He had nowhere to
turn.
Looking surprised, old Jim spoke up and with a winsome smile; “The nurse is
wrong, she couldn’t know, that in here all the while every day at noon He’s
here, a dear friend of mine, you see, He sits right down, takes my hand, leans
over and says to me:
“I just came to tell you, Jim, how happy I have been, since we found this
friendship, and I took away your sin. Always love to hear you pray, I think
about you each day, and so, Jim, this is Jesus checking in today.
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