prop

Every time I am asked to pray, I think of the old fellow who always prayed, "Lord, prop us up on our leaning 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've 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.  It's still standing.  But 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 how much I was like that old barn.  I've been around a long time.  I've withstood a lot of life's storms, and 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.

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 leaning side, so we will stand straight and tall again to glorify You.  We need You, Lord, to give us the strength to stand whenever we get out of balance.  In those times, Lord, prop us up on our leaning side."

"Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand."  (Isaiah 41:10)

-author unknown