One of the greatest writers of all time was the brilliant Russian author Leo Tolstoy. He wrote “War and Peace,” “Anna Karenina,” and much more.
He had an emotional crisis in his life when he was fifty years old. Life seemed to have lost its meaning for him. He was so despondent that he wanted to end his life. It got so bad that he would not sleep in a room where there was rope because he was afraid that he would get up in the middle of the night and hang himself.
But then Tolstoy experienced something that forever changed his life. He said that he was walking through the woods one day, thinking about the meaning of life and the existence of God, when suddenly, light burst upon him.
Tolstoy observed that every time he really thought about God and every time that he said out loud, “Our Father in heaven,” a flash of life jumped within him. Life had regained its meaning for him.
The brilliant writer observed, “Why need I look further? He is here, surely the Lord is in this place. He is near and in Him we live and more and have our being. His will is our peace, and He is the final source of all those energies which make life real.”
From that day on, Tolstoy lived and walked in the light of God. Life was different for him from that day on.
I am preaching a series of messages at First United Methodist Church in Lake Charles on the model prayer that Jesus taught, the prayer that begins with the phrase, “Our Father, who art in heaven.” If you are not active in a local church, I invite you to join us as we grow in our faith together.