A Shelter of Hope by Tracie Peterson

Author:Tracie Peterson [Peterson, Tracie]
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: ebook, book
Publisher: Baker Publishing Group
Published: 2010-07-29T04:00:00+00:00

Jeffery sat at Rachel Taylor’s desk long into the night. He kept vigil in silent prayer, reminding himself that even though he’d never been given to great shows of faith, he did believe in God’s ability to heal the sick. He thought about the times he’d spent in church listening to flowery sermons preached from highly ornate pulpits. His mother felt it very important to be seen in church on Sunday, and the O’Donnell family pew was never without a crowd of well-dressed family and friends, all in order to prove to the good Lord and society the faithfulness of the O’Donnell clan.

But such things did little good in situations like this. Jeffery found it impossible to remember a single verse or idea that had been preached to him. He wanted to pray in a way that would please God—wanted to make sure he included all the right words and acted in just the proper manner, but in truth he wasn’t at all sure he knew what the correct manner should be.

“I don’t know how to pray,” he muttered. “Not truly. I’ve listened to the words of the ministers with all their thees and thous, and honestly it doesn’t mean a whole lot to me.” He didn’t even realize that he was directing his words to God until he looked upward to the ceiling and sighed. “I suppose I’m doing this all wrong, but I do ask you to make Simone well. I don’t know her past, and I don’t care. I suppose that sounds improper.” He paused and shook his head. “If it is improper, don’t hold that against Simone. Punish me for my lack of knowledge and inability to pray, but don’t punish her. Obviously she’s already endured plenty of that.”

He sighed and leaned back in the chair, wishing Rachel might come through the door and announce Simone’s full recovery. He had no way of knowing how long these things took. If one prayed and truly believed God would do the deed, did it speed things along more so than when one prayed in an uncertain manner? There were just too many unanswered questions.

Putting his head down on Rachel’s desk, Jeffery thought only to rest his eyes for a moment. There was nothing else he could do, he told himself. But it didn’t ease his concern. Simone Irving lay close to death just one floor above, and for reasons that defied normal thought, Jeffery couldn’t bear the idea of losing her.

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