Our Leanin' Side

Our Leanin' Side "Because he loves me, says the Lord, I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name." Psalm 91:14 Each day I receive many e-mails from my readers asking me to pray for them. Several years ago I received a story from a friend, and recently ran across it in my files, since then I think of this story of the old fellow who always prayed, 'Lord, prop us up on our leanin' side. After hearing him pray that prayer many times, someone asked him why he prayed that prayer so fervently. He answered, 'Well sir, you see, it's like this... I got an old barn out back. It's been there a long time; it's withstood a lot of weather; it's gone through a lot of storms, and it's stood for many years, but It's still standing. One day I noticed it was leaning to one side a bit. So I went and got some pine poles and propped it up on its leaning side so it wouldn't fall. Then I got to thinking about that and how much I was like that old barn. I've been around a long time. I've withstood a lot of life's storms. I've withstood a lot of bad weather in life, I've withstood a lot of hard times, and I'm still standing too. But I find myself leaning to one side from time to time, so I like to ask the Lord to prop me up on my leaning side, 'cause I figure a lot of us get to leaning at times. Sometimes we get to leaning toward anger, leaning toward bitterness, leaning toward hatred, leaning toward cussing, leaning toward a lot of things that we shouldn't. So we need to pray, 'Lord, prop us up on our leanin' side, so we will stand straight and tall again, to glorify the Lord.'' This story is so true as we all can begin to lean too much on the things of this world, and then find that we need someone to lean on. God is always there for us, and can keep us standing tall and straight during any storm and temptation. If you find yourself leanin' too much on the things of this world, you need to make God first in all you do, and He will prop you up and keep you from falling. Robert W. Brock My Daily Devotional Volume Seven December 13