The Empty Chair

I heard the story of an old man dying of cancer whose daughter had asked the local pastor to come and pray with her father. The old man told the pastor that prayer was always difficult for him having never really known how to. The pastor suggested the old man place an empty chair next to his bed and in faith, see Jesus sitting on the chair, then just speak to Him and listen in the same way.

Two nights later the daughter called to tell the pastor that her dad had died that afternoon.

Did he seem to die in peace?” he asked. “Yes, she said but there was something strange, apparently just before Daddy died, he leaned over and rested his head on a chair beside the bed.

Developing intimacy cannot be achieved without an intentional relationship, whereby we practice the art of tuning our ears to hear the Unseen One in the empty chair beside us.

Think about the portrait of intimacy described in this story. Do you have a similar sense of Christ’s nearness when you pray? Perhaps you’d benefit from doing as He did. I will often seat Jesus in a chair across from me to have a talk with. Others find a greater sense of intimacy experienced as they write out their prayers to God. This week, explore different ways of engaging God like this.

Your pastor and partner in ministry,

Kyle