Jake, the rancher,
went one day to repair a distant fence.
The
wind was cold and gusty and the clouds rolled gray and dense.
As he pounded
the last staples in and gathered tools to go,
The
temperature fell and the wind and snow began to blow.
When
he finally reached his pickup truck, he felt a heavy heart.
From
the sound of that ignition, he knew it wouldn't start.
So Jake did
what most of us would do if we had been there.
He
humbly bowed his balding head and sent aloft a prayer.
As
he turned the key for the last time, he softly cursed his luck.
They
found him three days later, frozen stiff in that old truck.
Now Jake had
been around in life and done his share of roaming.
But
when he saw Heaven, he was shocked... it looked just like Wyoming!
Of
all the saints in Heaven, his favorite was St. Peter.
(Now,
this line ain't needed but it helps with rhyme and meter)
So they sat
and talked a minute or two, or maybe it was three.
Nobody
was keepin' score... in Heaven time is free.
"I've
always heard," Jake said to Pete, "that God will answer prayer,
But
that one time I asked for help, well, He just plain wasn't there."
"Does God answer
prayers of some, and ignore the prayers of others?
That
don't seem exactly square... I know all men are brothers."
"Or
does He randomly reply, without good rhyme or reason?
Maybe
it's the time of day, the weather or the season."
"Now I ain't
trying to act smart, it's just the way I feel.
And
I was wonderin', could you tell me... what the heck's the deal?!"
St. Peter listened very patiently and when Jake
was done,
There
were smiles of recognition, and he said, "So, you're the one!"
"That
day your truck, it wouldn't start, and you sent your prayer a-flying,
You
gave us all a real bad time, with hundreds of us trying."
"A thousand angels rushed to check the status
of your file,
But
you know, Jake, we hadn't heard from you in quite a long while."
"And
though all prayers are answered, and God ain't got no quota,
He
didn't recognize your voice, and started a truck in North Dakota."
Author Unknown
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