Gifts of Answered Prayers

In the Ozark Mountains west of Eureka Springs, Arkansas, is one of the most beautiful little chapels in the world. It is called Thorncrown Chapel, an architectural wonder made of glass. It looks like it has just grown there in the woods. The school-teacher who had envisioned this little jewel in the trees, said, "When we first finished Thorncrown, we encountered a problem that seemed insurmountable. Spiders loved to weave their webs high up in the glass loft of the chapel. Though we cleaned persistently, we couldn't get rid of them. Finally, we turned to the Lord in prayer. Less than a week later, a full grown male peacock came to Thorncrown. He just appeared and adopted us. We contacted farmers in the area and even advertised in the local paper, but no one claimed him. We named him Caleb, for he took over our mountain. Besides the grain we fed him, he ate bugs off the ground--including ants and spiders. One day we realized there were fewer spiderwebs in the loft than before. Soon there were none at all! All the while we were praying for a solution to our spider problem, Caleb had been at work, reducing the spider population!" When Caleb first appeared, did the folks at Thorncrown consider him an answer to prayer? I think not. But, God sometimes has a delightful , almost humorous way of performing His wonders. To me, the moral of this little peacock story is plain: DON'T BE AFRAID OR SHY ABOUT ASKING GOD FOR ANYTHING. "Ask, and it shall be given you"(Matt. 7:7). And, when you've asked, watch for answers like Caleb. Unlikely and unexpected though they are, they may go a long way toward clearing out the "cobwebs" that block your view!........................Dorothy Shellenberger