Oh man am I tired.

As I type this it's about three in the morning and I've just finished up a presentation that I have to give in, oh, about six hours. I've been working on it almost non-stop for a week.

Needless to say, I haven't been able to do much reading. But when the pressure starts to mount, I do find time to pray. And I try to be specific in my prayers--always acknowledging the will of God in all things, of course.

It reminds me of a prayer offered by a Confederate preacher in occupied Nashville, around Christmastime, 1862. The citizens had been having an awful time with the Yankee troops and he was petitioning the Lord for help in their time of trouble, and he wasn't afraid to be specific, either. His prayer went like this:

"Oh Lord, let the rain descend to fructify the earth and to swell the rivers; but O Lord, do not raise the Cumberland sufficient enough to bring upon us those damn Yankee gunboats!"

I don't know about you, but I can sympathize with the man.