Joseph, Helen and Daniel Strom at the Magic Kingdom

The Magic Kingdom. We just returned from a week at the Magic Kingdom in Orlando, Florida. Disney certainly knows how to entertain and it was a wonderful week for our twin sons, Joseph and Daniel, who turned six. I was amazed at how little fighting I saw. Everyone seemed to be having a good time. Disney even created the concept of a "fast pass" so you don't have to wait in line anymore. You are treated like royalty. It really was like being in a fairy tale.

You know that when you get to the airport. There's no "fast pass" to get through the metal detectors, employees are tired and irritable, planes are delayed, and our luggage didn't arrive home! Welcome back to reality.

The magic of Disney is fun but it is not real. Like all magic it is illusion. Disney runs an excellent corporation and a vacation is designed to allow us to escape and enjoy our time together with family but ultimately it must come to an end.

The Magic Kingdom. There is a kingdom that is perfect, is no illusion, and never ends. Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place." "You are a king, then!" said Pilate. Jesus answered, "You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me." John 18:36,37. It is that kingdom which Christ taught his disciples to pray for in the Lord's prayer: "Our father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven..."

It is the power of that kingdom that enables us to move mountains with the faith of a mustard seed. We can go before the throne of the King of kings and ask for anything in His name and He is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine because of his power at work in us. That may seem like magic but it is very real. Simon the Sorcerer saw the real power of prayer instead of his demonic magic and he wanted that power but could not possess it because it is provided only to those who have faith and are called according to God's purpose.

James tell us "The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced crops." James 5:17-18.

I told my boys about the above passage while we were at Disney. Daniel knows he was named after a great man of prayer in the Bible and both he and Joseph are good prayers. Our weather report called for rain every day. We prayed together on Tuesday that it would not rain and it did not rain, but it was really hot, so Daniel suggested we pray that it be a little cooler as well. On Wednesday we prayed for this and that the rain would hold off until the evening and it was much cooler and the rain did hold off until evening. On Thursday we prayed for some rain because we were doing things inside but prayed that it would "not be too much" - Daniel's words and it rained a little but not too much. On Friday the reports were of tropical storm Allison and for a 100% chance of rain, but we prayed that it would not rain until we finished our day and it did not rain until we were walking to the bus to go home and the moment we were under the shelter it poured like crazy.

Now I am not saying that my sons and I can control the weather because we cannot. We cannot perform a magic rain dance but we serve a God who does control the weather and sometimes he chooses to answer our prayers immediately with a "yes". More often he answers prayers with a "wait" so we can learn to depend on him and sometimes he answers prayers with a "no" for reasons that are his own. He is God. It is a joy to pray together and to see God answer prayer. Prayer is not a magic wand, but it is tapping into the power of a Holy God who can perform miracles for a people of faith. May his kingdom come and his will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Amen!

Posted by Bruce D. Strom
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