During the early years of the 20th century, Dr. Edward Bosworth, a man noted as a faithful prayer, was a professor at the seminary in Oberlin, Ohio. A man whose daughter, Mary, was having some emotional problems wrote to Dr. Bosworth asking him to include Mary among those he prayed for each day. The man received an immediate reply in which Bosworth expressed his concern for Mary, but said it was impossible for him to include her on his prayer list because the list was already full. He went on to say:
“I do not think I should have more people on my list than I can attend to thoughtfully and prayerfully in the period of my day that is specifically set aside for that purpose. A man must mean business with all of the powers of his mind and spirit when he lifts another person in prayer to God. When there is a vacancy on my list, I will include Mary.”
While we may not agree with Bosworth’s decision, we can certainly agree with his view that we must mean business when we pray.
—Howard Thurman, With Head and Heart
