I don’t suppose that it comes as any surprise to you that a minister would stand in a pulpit and affirm, "I believe in prayer." You would expect this affirmation. But, belief in prayer came normally and naturally for me as a child. Even before I can remember, I was taught to pray. The first prayer I was taught was the bedtime payer that almost all children learn. It is a simple little prayer which says:

Now I lay me down to sleep;
I pray the Lord my soul to keep.
If I should die before I wake;
I pray the Lord my soul to take.

As I grew older, prayer was simply a natural part of my life. I was firmly convinced that prayer was important ... that prayer was real ... that prayer made a difference. And through all the years of my life, I have never had any reason to change that opinion.

When…