"Rusty Rails"

 

“Rusty Rails”

 

When he moved to Plant City about ten years ago Pastor Brian Stowe observed he didn’t know if he lived “on the other side of the tracks” because they were all over town! The same can be said for Lakeland. With railroads crisscrossing our area we frequently hear train whistles and other sounds of the industry.

With so many rail lines around us our travels often make it necessary to use grade crossings. As a railroad buff I enjoy being held up by a passing train and seeing the different railroad names and logos on the cars going by (not to mention the graffiti). The power of modern locomotives amazes me when I see two or three of them followed by dozens of cars carrying who knows what to who knows where. Many historians credit the railroads for our nation’s growth from coast to coast by providing faster and cheaper transportation of people and goods.

Just today (February 28) I was on my way to an appointment and my route took me over two contrasting grade crossings, one a primary freight artery and the other a siding to a grocery warehouse. The difference in appearance was striking. The main line’s rails were gleaming from constant use and the spur’s were rusty with weeds growing between the ties because it was used only when needed.

To me this is a picture of prayer. When I only communicate with God when I need to be bailed out of a jam it’s like the rusty rails—but if I do so as a regular practice as He commands (“…{we} should always pray and not give up.”—Luke 18:1; “…Pray continually….”—1 Thessalonians 5:17) there’s a freshness and enrichment in my life as pictured by the glistening rails. During the period of the Judges God’s people only prayed when they were in trouble and saw it as necessary (think of the rusty rails) but during the time between Christ’s ascension and the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost His followers gathered and “…joined together constantly in prayer….” (Acts 1:14, emphasis added throughout) (reflect on the shiny rails). What was “the rest of the story” of these accounts? The Judges’ period of several centuries was the most chaotic of Israel’s history while the continuous prayer led to the establishment and growth of the church (see Acts 2 and onward). And it still impacts the world today.

So….is my prayer life more like the rusty or glistening rails?

 

Grace and Blessings!

Jim McMillan