	Bob Hostetler > Devotions

Stuffing the Hat

by Bob Hostetler

"Peter sent them all out of the room; then he got down on his knees and prayed" (Acts 9:40).

My father was a Gospel magician. I remember, as a child, watching him in wide-eyed wonder as he produced rabbits from hats, grew bouquets of flowers in an instant, and even "swallowed" a wad of string and a stack of razor blades, which he later drew out of his mouth--tied together like a string of pearls!

While he always explained that his "tricks" were simply clever sleight of hand used to illustrate a spiritual point, such feats always seemed truly miraculous to me-- until I grew older, and he showed me how many of his tricks were performed. He showed me the careful preparation each "trick" required: secreting the rabbit in the folds of a special hat, for example, or placing an accordioned bouquet of flowers into a false lid of a flower pot.

I've since learned that life and ministry are a lot like my father's Gospel magic show; I can't expect miracles--even tiny ones--unless I take time to "put the rabbit in the hat," figuratively speaking. I can't expect God's blessing to flow out of my life unless I take time to let Him flow into my life. I can't expect effectiveness in life or ministry unless, by daily prayer and Bible reading, I have personally experienced the life and ministry of Christ. Out of such preparation, miracles come.

Prayer: Father, help me daily to invite your presence and power into my life, that your goodness and grace may flow out of my life.

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