"Cowboy Answer"

There once was a cowboy lonely,

Who prayed that he could find,

Someone who’d love him only,

And bring peace to his mind.

And often with the cattle,

He’d doff his hat and pray,

That he could share his saddle,

And God would make a way.

But he sometimes wondered,

Why answers never came,

The sky grew dark and thundered,

And so in Jesus’ name,

He’d ask to find his partner,

Beside his dog and horse,

And things got even harder,

But grace would take its course.

And then he found contentment,

In all the things he had,

And let go of resentment,

It daily made him glad,

To count up all his blessings,

He learned to thankful be,

God lifted his depressings,

He could live burden free.

One day out there a-horseback,

He saw a troubling sight,

His neighbor couldn’t untrack,

An old bull on the fight.

He’d roped a bull to doctor,

And got all tangled up,

It was quite a shocker,

To help him was good luck.

The neighbor thanked, then asked him,

If for supper he would come,

The cowboy on a fast whim,

Said yes when day was done.

He drove in his old pickup,

The thirty miles or more,

Rode up to the ranch house,

And knocked upon the door.

And there the rancher’s daughter,

Stood smiling right at him,

He couldn’t think of what to say,

Just stood there with a grin.

And now they have been married,

For all these many years,

And though the partner tarried,

She now calms all his fears.

Just a simple cowboy story,

Of how God answers prayer,

If you live for His glory,

You know that you’ve been there.

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He had done. Then you will experience God’s peace…” (Philippians 4:6-7, NLT)

Praying about everything brings peace. That is the promise of God. It’s not the answer that brings the peace necessarily. God gives the peace before He actually brings the answer. The peace is immediate. The answer may take some time. Why? It may not be God’s will. If not, He plans something better. It may not be His timing. He is neither late nor early, but always know when things are supposed to happen. Many of us have learned this over time, and can now look back and see that God was indeed answering our prayers. He just wasn’t doing it the way or when we expected. Pray. Stop worrying. Receive your peace.

Lord, give us the peace we need, in Jesus’ name.

Art by R.S. Riddick, used by permission. Thanks, R.S., and God bless you.