Use of the Empty Chair

[Sylvia Israel]

A student of mine copied the story below in her journal, commenting on 
how interesting it is that the empty chair can be used in so many ways. 
She said she received it over email, so the formatting may not be as it 
was written. I have copied it as she wrote it. Thought some of you might 
enjoy it.

Sylvia Israel

Daddy’s Empty Chair

A man’s daughter had asked the

local minister

to come and pray with her father.

When the minister arrived,

He found the man lying in bed with his head

propped up on two pillows.

An empty chair sat beside his bed.

The minister assumed that the old fellow had been informed of his visit.

“I guess you were expecting me,” he said.

“No., who are you?” said the father.

The minister told him his name and then remarked,

“I saw the empty chair and I figured you knew

I was going t show up.”

“Oh yeah, the chair,” said the bedridden man.

“Would you mind closing the door?”

Puzzled, the minister shut the door.

“I have never told anyone this,

not even my daughter,” said the man.

“But all of my life I have never

known how to pray.

At church I used to hear the pastor talk about

Prayer,

But it went

Right over my head.”

I abandoned any attempt at prayer,”

the old man continued,

until one day four years ago, my best friend said

to me,

“Johnny, prayer is a simple matter

of having a conversation with Jesus.

Here is what I suggest.

“Sit down in a chair;

place an empty chair in front of you,

and in faith see Jesus in the chair.

It’s not spooky he promised,

‘I will be with you always.’

“Then just speak to him in the same way

you’re doing with me right now.”

“So, I tried it and I’ve liked it so much

that I do it a couple of hours every day.

I’m careful though. If my daughter saw me talking

to an empty chair, she’d either have a nervous breakdown

or send me off to the funny farm.”

The minister was deeply moved by the story and
encouraged
the old
man
to continue on the journey.

Then he prayer with him, anointed him with oil,

and returned to the church.

Two nights later the daughter called

to tell the minister that her daddy

had died that afternoon.

“Did he die in peace?” he asked.

“Yes, I left the house about two o’clock,

he called me over to his bedside,

told me he loved me and kissed me on the cheek.

When I got back from the store an hour later,

I found him.

“But there was something strange about his

death.

Apparently, just

before Daddy died,

he leaned over and rested his head on the chair

beside his bed. What do you make of that?”

The minister wiped a tear from his eye and said,

“I wish we could all go with that.”