Days 14-15-16 🌎 71 miles

Daily Summary:

10:30 AM to 3:30 PM — Average Speed:  17.5 mph
Bridger, Montana to Billings, MT.

Odometer:  1,223 – 1,294 miles (includes local riding on second day in Billings)
Climb: 1,033 ft. — Descend:  1,580 ft.
57-70° F : Sunny : 10-25 mph winds

Battery Performance:
84v to 74v — 32 miles (Laurel, MT, City Brew Coffee 110v outlet 2 hours @ 8 amps = 81.4v)

81.4v to 73.5v — 24 miles

(Laurel to Billings, Montana KOA plus riding around town. Trickle charge to 84v at KOA campground on final night.)

— 14-15-16 Firsts, cont.–

As I mentioned in the previous post, The Theme of this entire adventure is going to be: FIRSTS!

Obviously, (hopefully) I will be encountering a number of first time experiences — both good and bad — often on a daily basis, and as I do, I will endeavor to share them with you.

But what about you? Are you planning to just follow along as these moments ebb and flow in and out of and around this Journey? Or would you like to be more actively engaged and actually PARTICIPATE in these events first-hand, so to speak?

If you wonder what I’m suggesting, read on and prepare to BE the answer to your prayers!

I phrased that last sentence that way because I often hear people say they are praying for someone, or something, or that they will pray for me.

I remember the first time in 2002 when God taught me a huge lesson about praying while I was living in Whitefish, Montana.

I’m planning to travel through Whitefish again next week, so perhaps it’s fitting that I relate this first-time experience from 2002 with you again, now, 20-years later.

My prayer “lesson” began early on a Sunday morning.

As had become my custom, I would attend the early service and Bible study at one church and then hustle over (walking) to another church that had a later Bible study followed by a later service.

I had grown very fond of this routine over several months and often greatly appreciated the quiet time that accompanied my morning walking excursions around the community.

On this particular spring morning the weather was great and the strolls between my apartment and the first church and then to the second church and then back to my apartment were especially enjoyable and fragrant with blossoms.

That is, until I got back to my apartment for The Lesson on prayer.

You see, all morning I had been hearing about prayer in various forms and circumstances. And, as is common, both churches gave ample opportunities for people to make prayer requests.

All morning hundreds of people were praying, and I was one of them.

In fact, I even felt compelled to continue praying for a number of these requests as I walked along my route back home.

At the second church an elderly lady requested prayers for God to help her with some financial and physical problems she had with her home. I had prayed for her during the church service just like everyone else who was there.

And then I forgot about it (perhaps like quite a few others) until I was almost back to my apartment. That’s when The Prayer Lesson began.

About a half-mile from home, God brought the elderly woman’s prayer request back to my attention.

“Remember ____’s prayer request this morning?” I seemed to hear Him say.

“Yes, Lord. I do. Thank you for letting all of us pray for her. It was a great morning and a great Sunday service at both churches today! Thank you so much for this nice community and all these friendly people…”

“Ah, yes. You’re welcome. ” He interrupted my thoughts.

“Getting back to the woman that you prayed for, (He mentioned her by name.) I just wanted to let you know that I AM going to answer your prayers for her, and I AM going to answer them TODAY!”

“Really?!” I said aloud even though I was walking on the sidewalk alone.

“That’s terrific! When I get back to my apartment I’m going to call her and let her know! This is really cool, God! Thank you!”

My pace quickened because I was so excited to let my friend know that God impressed upon me that her prayers — and mine — would actually BE ANSWERED that very day.

Just to make it clear, this type of experience had never happened to me before, so maybe that’s why I was so excited.

The impression that I was getting was that God was a little excited as well. Sort of like a parent feels as they are leading a child down a path of discovery that they know will be very beneficial for the child.

“Yep! I’ve heard your prayers and my answer is, Yes!” God confirmed.

“Yes for the money AND yes for the help with the construction problems!” He was emphatic about every part of the prayer request.

“And, yes, it’s ALL going to happen TODAY! Even NOW, in fact.”

I was almost speechless with joy, eager anticipation and awe. Right up until the next part.

“The minute you get back to your apartment (I was now only a block or so away) you get on the phone and call ____. “

“Be sure to tell her everything I just said about hearing your prayers this morning AND how I was going to answer everything with a ‘Yes’ AND I was going to give those answers TODAY.”

I was honored and absolutely shocked that God was choosing me to convey His message to ____.

“And then you tell her that you will be right over with the money and the tools to take care of exactly what she needs.”

“Excuse me!” I half-shouted into thin air.

“What was that? You want ME to give her the money and you want ME to use MY tools to fix her house? You mean you want ME to…”

“Sure!” He said. “Why not?”

The feeling that I had was that He was almost smiling as He made this impression on me.

“You’ve got the money AND the tools AND the knowledge and ability to use them. I’ve already given you EVERYTHING that you need to actually BE THE ANSWER to ____’s prayers. Just call her and tell her God said you’d be right over.”

I opened the door to my apartment, didn’t close it, looked up and said aloud, “But that’s not what I prayed for.”

“What do you mean?” God said.

“I mean that I prayed that YOU would take care of those things. I prayed that YOU would give her the money and that YOU would fix her house. I didn’t pray that YOU would send ME to do the work and pay for it.”

“Yeah, I know,” He replied.

“In fact, you NEVER think about being a part of the answer to ANY of the so-called “prayers” that you’re always blabbing to Me. You ALWAYS expect me to do everything, and you’ve never had any intention of ever getting involved yourself. “

This time I WAS truly speechless. Even though I sensed that God was not really angry with me but just speaking the cold, true facts, I was so ashamed that I almost couldn’t bear it.

But He kindly continued. And this time I felt like He was about to get very serious.

“So, from now on,” He began, “let’s stop playing games and let’s do something different. You like praying and you know that I like it, too, when it’s TRUE prayer. But true prayer must be intentional and genuine on YOUR part, otherwise it’s just babbling to Me, and I definitely do NOT like that!”

“So, today I’m going to let you choose. From now on, if you’re not going to be willing to actually BE A PART OF THE ANSWER to your prayers, then STOP praying altogether and STOP all this thoughtless, careless, useless babbling. “

“Noq, go ahead and make your choice. I’ll wait. “

I almost couldn’t believe what God was impressing upon me.

Was He REALLY telling me to change my whole life? Was He really telling me that, from now on, I either had to put up or shut up?

I somehow felt like He wasn’t mad at me, but I sensed that He just wanted to be honest with me about the hypocritical facts of my so-called “Christian life” and the Truth about His conditions for truly effective prayer.

He didn’t want me to “dabble” in “iffy” prayers anymore, and I knew that if I didn’t choose to get truly serious about truly praying, then I knew that I was never going to be able to engage in any meaningful prayer with Him again.

The choice was mine. He knew it and now I did, too.

He waited.

I got my check book and my tools and then picked up the phone.

That was 2002.

I’ve traveled around the world a couple of times over the past 15 years.

In 2007 a friend forwarded a prayer request email to me from someone teaching in Thailand.

“We desperately need some Godly men at this school. ” the message said.

“Please pray that God would send some Christian men to teach here.”

I thought about the message for a long time before I decided to pray as the sender requested.

When I did finally decide to pray, I quit my job, bought a ticket, and packed my bags.

I had never been out of the country until then, and I didn’t even have a passport, but I had applied for one months before I got the email thinking that I might need one the NEXT year.

My passport arrived the day before my flight left for Thailand, but that’s another First story…

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