Cockroaches from Heaven.

Google keywords “stupid prayers” or “silly prayers” and you will receive over 33 million results. Peruse a few pages and you will read numerous testimonials from believers that made admittedly ridiculous requests of the Lord and unabashedly claimed to have received miraculous results.

Here are a couple stories for your amusement:

Cockroaches from Heaven sounds like a fifties science fiction movie, eh? No, this is real, non-fiction. In this testimonial, a ‘person of faith’ stated she was in college when, late one night, she was waiting to meet a friend who was hurting emotionally. They were to meet in an empty building. (Why not behind the chain saws?) 

Two hours passed and her friend had not shown. It was then she spied a roach crawling across the floor and so, of course, she prayed. “God, make that roach turn around and run towards the door if you want me to go home.” The insect immediately turned and headed for the door—and so did she. A cockroach sent from Heaven. 

Amazing. 

Prayers for parking is used by everyone, even celebrities! Here’s an example taken from my life which stands out in my memory. One Sunday we had a guest celebrity attend our church service. Still alive at the time of writing, his name is Pat Boone, a singer and actor popular in the 1950s and 1960s. To the delight of all the swooning Christian women, he led the congregation in singing. 

During the service the heartthrob testified to the power of prayer by recalling an incident where he visited a shopping center at Christmas time. As one would expect, the parking lot was full. Yes, he prayed to Jesus for a parking space near the front entrance and to his amazement, a parking space opened up before his eyes!

Praise the Lord!

What was my parent’s reaction to this testimony, you ask? My star-struck mother agreed, indicating she had offered the same prayer from time to time and, yes, indeed God would hear her pleas and a parking space would suddenly appear. Never mind that cars come and go all the time, I told her.

Christian: God, don't make me walk so far. Please grant me a parking space.
God: Sure, here you go.

Christian: God, my child is dying! Please save my child.
God: Sorry, I'm too busy finding parking spaces.