Praying the Alphabet

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by:  Staci Stallings

I love this story…

There once was an old Jewish farmer who got so into plowing his fields that he forgot about the Sabbath.  Realizing he had missed services, he bowed his head as he worked and tried to pray the Temple prayers.  However, he was a simple man and not very learned, and he couldn’t remember the prayers very well.

When the rabbi came out to find out why the farmer was not at Temple, he found the old man, still hunched over his plow, praying.  The rabbi became angry, “Do you not know you are to be at Temple for the Sabbath?”

The old man nodded.  “I forgot, so I decided to pray here at my plow.”

“Well, what were you praying?  That did not sound like prayers to me.”

To which the old man replied, “I could not remember the words of the prayers, so I was praying the alphabet.  I’ll just give God all the pieces, and He can put it together however He sees fit.”

I love the simple faith of the old farmer.  Give God all the pieces and He can put them together.

Do we do this?

Or do we insist on putting the pieces together how WE think they should go?

Have you ever prayed the alphabet, just giving God all the pieces and letting Him put them together?  Go ahead.  I dare you!