You know, life is just not fair. I will tell you why before I finish, but first I want to tell you why this is true. For the past 20-plus years, I have enjoyed one of the greatest blessings and highlights of my life. I have been a member of what I believe to be the best church in the United States of America, Central Baptist Church in Conway, Arkansas. Did I tell you that our city is now the fastest growing city in our state and one of the fastest in the nation? One of the reasons is because we have three colleges here, — the University of Central Arkansas, Hendrix College and Central Baptist College. A lot of these college kids like it so well that they just stay after they graduate.

          Something else that makes our growth so obvious is the amount of construction taking place. It’s amazing to drive around town and see the great number of houses and apartment buildings going up. And something else that makes our community unique is something we call “roundabouts.” Just come up to an intersection, and instead of stopping for a red light, just look to the left, and if no one is coming you just keep going. You can go through town much faster using any of the 38 roundabouts the city has installed.

          But back to my church. One of the reasons it is experiencing such great growth is due to having a fantastic pastor. His name is Don Chandler, and he has been there for more than 40 years. We also have a great staff, and our three youth directors are doing a great job as well. A while back we had “Youth Sunday,” when our young people conducted the entire service, and one of our youth directors gave the message. To look up in the choir and see a hundred young people singing to the glory of God is so very encouraging.

          So why do I say that life is not fair? Our pastor is a terrific preacher and an all-around great guy, but he has experienced a great deal of heartache in the past few years. First, he lost his precious wife Maggie to Covid, then he had Covid, and the latest thing is one of his two daughters had a stroke due to a previously diagnosed medical condition. He shared this with us recently, and then he closed the service by asking us to pray for others. Prayer is really and truly the Christian’s greatest weapon. You would have to be a Christian to really appreciate what I am saying.

          Regardless of how hard times are, and every negative thing that comes our way, we can also stop and pray to our Heavenly Father. We can ask for His help and to guide us in the decisions we have to make. The Bible is replete with scripture that bears this out. Here are a couple of examples: “Be careful of nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.” Philippians 4:6. “Confess your faults one to another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availed much.” James 5:16. My friend, will you join me in praying for our nation?

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(Jim Davidson is an author, public speaker, syndicated columnist, and Founder of the Bookcase for Every Child project. For a personalized copy of “Keep Your Fork” send $25, which includes postage and handling and tax, to Jim Davidson, 2 Bentley Drive, Conway, AR 72034.)