THE EMPTY CHAIR

A man's daughter had asked the local minister to come and pray with her father. When the minister arrived, he found the
man lying in bed with his
head propped up on two pillows.
An empty chair sat beside his bed. The minister assumed that the old fellow had been
informed of his visit.

"I guess you were expecting me," he said. "No, who are you?" said the father.
The minister told him his name and then remarked,
"I see the empty chair, I figured you knew I
was going to show up."
"Oh yeah, the chair," said the bedridden man.
"Would you mind closing the door?" Puzzled, the minister shut the door. "I have never
told anyone this, not even my daughter," said the
man. "But all of my life I have never known how
to pray. At church I used to hear the pastor talk about prayer, but it went right over my head."
I abandoned any attempt at prayer," the old man
continued, "until one day about four years ago my best friend said to me, 'Johnny, prayer is just a simple matter of having a conversation with Jesus.
Here is what I suggest.' Sit down in a chair then place an empty chair in front of you, and in Faith see Jesus on the chair.'"
"It's not spooky because, he promised, I'll be with you always. Then just speak to him in the same way you're doing with me right .
"So, I tried it and I've liked it so much that I do it a couple of hours every day. I'm careful though.
If my daughter saw me talking to an empty chair,
she'd either have a nervous breakdown or send meoff to the funny farm."
The minister was deeply moved by the story and
encouraged the old man to continue on the journey.
Then he prayed with him, and returned to the Church.
Two nights later the daughter called to tell the minister that her daddy had died that afternoon.
"Did he die in peace?" he asked.
"Yes......I was leaving for the store about Two O'Clock that day
when he called me over to his bedside, told me he loved me
and kissed me on the cheek.
When I got back about an hour later, I found him dead.""But there was something strange about his death...?
Apparently, just before Daddy died, he leaned over
and rested his head on the chair beside the bed.
What do you make of that?"
The minister wiped a tear from his eye and said, "I
wish we could all go like that."
Prayer is one of the best free gifts we
receive.
There is no cost but a lot of rewards.

Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving;( Colossians 4: 2)