5th Kernel of Corn - God Hears Our Prayers and Answers Them

A father and mother were getting their child ready for bed. Just after brushing her teeth, they all got down on their knees and began to pray. Their young daughter began to say the pray her parents taught her. "Now I lay me down to sleep..."

As she was finishing it, she got into bed. Before her parents could turn out the light, she asked a question, "Does God really listen to my prayers?"

Her parent immediately responded, "Yes, God does listen to and answers prayers."

The little girl asked one more difficult question, "How do you know that He listens to and answers prayers?"

That is when the parents said that she had a long day and needed her rest and turned the lights out.

The last question is sometimes the most difficult question to answer. How do we really know that God listens to our prayers and answers them? This question brings us to the 5th and final kernel of corn. It reminds us that God listens to and answers our prayers.

The story of the Pilgrims provides us with the answers to the question of how do we know. While facing tragedies and hardship, the Pilgrims turned to their faith to get them through the problems that they faced. When we turn to our faith, we turn to God and we pray to Him for help, guidance and His mercy. However, we need to understand how we are to pray in order for Him to listen.

David, in Psalm 66, tells us that if we do not confess our sins, the Lord would not have listened to his prayer. (Psalm 66:18) When we approach God's throne in prayer, we must be free from sin. Part of our prayer is admitting our shortcomings and sins and asking Him for forgiveness. Once we have openly admitted our sins and sincerely asked for forgiveness, God will listen to our prayers.

God not only listens to our prayers, but He also pays attention to them. (Psalm 66:19) As our Heavenly Father listens to our prayers, He will answer them. In Mark 11, Jesus tells us that if we ask the Father for anything and believe that you will receive it, He will answer our prayers. (Mark 11:24) Jesus also goes on to say in verse 25 that we need to forgive those who have wronged us before we pray. We need to forgive those just as our Father will forgive our sins.

So, as we all enjoy our Thanksgiving meal, let us remember the 5th kernel of corn that reminds us that God listens to our prayers and that He answers. We should be truly thankful for a having a relationship with a Heavenly Father who listens to us and works miracles in our lives daily.

Psalm 66:17-20 (NLT)

17 For I cried out to him for help,

    praising him as I spoke.

18 If I had not confessed the sin in my heart,

    the Lord would not have listened.

19 But God did listen!

    He paid attention to my prayer.

20 Praise God, who did not ignore my prayer

    or withdraw his unfailing love from me.

4th Kernel of Corn - Love One Another

The fourth kernel of corn reminds of God's gift of loved ones and those who love us. Having people
around us especially during the holidays who love us makes us feel wonderful on the inside. As we are loved, we, in turn, give love to those around us.

It reminds me of a very special Christmas commercial that was very simple, but it gave us a very profound message. In 1971, Coca-Cola launched a series of commercials that were simple. They all started out with a single individual singing a very simple song. The song began, "I'd like to buy the world a home..." In just a short time, more voices and more people picked up the words.

That commercial started with a very simple thought. Bill Backer, the creative director at Coca-Cola, met with the songwriters, Billy Davis and Roger Cook, in a London airport cafe, to discuss what he would like to do. He told them that he wanted to buy everyone in the world a Coke.

Well, it did not go over too well. Davis did not respond favorably to the idea. Backer, sensing his problem, asked him, "Well, if I could do something for everybody in the world, it would not be to buy them a Coke."

Backer then asked him a great question, "What would you do?"

"I'd buy everyone a home first and share with them in peace and love," Davis said.

A very simple message. If you listen to the commercial, that is the first line of the song. It is not buying it a Coke, it is buying everyone a home and furnish it with love.

Jesus, during the Last Supper with disciples, washed their feet and gave them a new commandment. He told his disciples to love each other just as he loved them. By doing that, his disciples and all Christians prove to the world that they are followers of the Christ.

So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples. John 13:34-35 (NLT)