Kneeling in Prayer
Photo by Jon Tyson/Unsplash
Special to United Methodist Insight | Nov. 13, 2024
In the midst of the Civil War, following the Union Army's devastating loss at the Second Battle of Bull Run in August 1862, President Abraham Lincoln said, “I have been driven many times upon my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go.”
Have you known moments like this when you were faced with an impossible situation? I can remember several times in my life when I prayed fervently for God to intervene, and, amazingly, sometimes God did, and usually not in any way I could have imagined.
The Rev. Ronald A. Wanless
As a young pastor, Rev. Wanless spent countless hours praying for God's guidance to resolve an serious issue in his church. (Courtesy Photo)
This happened with my friend, Ron Wanless, who is also a retired United Methodist pastor. Ron grew up in Viola, Wisconsin, just 27 miles from our farm near Loyd. My wife, Joanne Perry-Sumwalt is also from Viola. She and Ron are distant cousins. Ron’s late father, Cecil Wanless, was the superintendent of schools in Richland County at a time when there were over 100 one-room schools, like the one I attended for eight years in Loyd, Wisconsin. We were always to be on our best behavior when Mr. Wanless came for one of his supervisory visits.
Ron tells about a crisis he faced in a church he served that caused him to spend hours in prayer, desperately seeking a solution. To his astonishment his late father appeared to him during one of these long prayer sessions. As Ron tells it:
“I had been serving the church for about two years. Tensions were high, as was the controversy. A church staff member had been found by me to have embezzled more than $40,000 from the church.
"I was originally appointed to the church because the bishop and district superintendents knew there were problems in the church administratively that they thought I could correct. Among those problems was the fact that their financial oversight was in the hands of the staff. There was concern about statistical reporting, reporting of attendance, membership and finances, including a sizeable endowment.
"When I started investigating these matters, I generated a high level of controversy. The staff that was most concerned started accusing me of sexual harassment, abuse and mental health problems. None of their attempts to discredit me worked. The annual conference chancellor was of great help and stood beside me. However, the stress pushed me deeper into my devotional times. It was not unusual for me to spend two or three hours in prayer and devotion in my office. I sought God’s help and will for me and the congregation.
"My prayer would often start with a brief statement followed by an hour of silence, listening for God. That statement was, 'God, allow your Holy Spirit to touch and teach me.'
Cecil Wanless
Cecil Irvin Wanless (1919-2000) served as superintendent of Richland County Schools and later as superintendent of Kickapoo Area Schools in Viola, WI in the 1960s and 70s. (Courtesy Photo)
"During one of those silences I heard my late father, Cecil Wanless, speaking to me. He said, 'Ron, I am here for you.' I opened my eyes and sitting in a chair across from me was my Dad. I got up, went to him and we hugged, and I cried.
"Dad had passed away many years before. He was a school administrator. He had been elected county superintendent in our home Richland County, and later became the superintendent of what became Kickapoo Area Schools. I knew he had great administrative skills. He was just who I needed advice from.
"He told me he loved me and reminded me of the love of God. He had done that so many times when I was young, and when I responded to God’s call to be a pastor.
"I said to him, 'Dad, has God sent you?'
"He answered, 'Yes.'
"I asked, 'Dad, what is your advice to me?'
"Dad gave me great advice. Then we prayed together, and he left.
"After about six months, I asked my good friend and district superintendent to move me. He was reluctant at first. Then I told him that I had done the groundwork for the next pastor and suggested a dear friend to follow me.
"The friend was appointed, and within nine months he had replaced the guilty staff and started the church on recovery and renewal, and now it is a thriving ministry.
"While this event with my Dad was mysterious and, as I think about it, a bit spooky, it was not spooky at the time. Dad was God’s emissary and a special answer to prayer at that time and place. Praise God!”
The Rev. Dr. Ronald A. Wanless is a retired United Methodist pastor from Ligonier, PA. A native of Viola, Wisconsin, Dr. Wanless served in the Wisconsin Conference of the United Methodist Church 1973-1987. He then became director of communications for the Western Pennsylvania Conference of The United Methodist Church and went on to serve as pastor for local churches there until his retirement in 2012.
John Sumwalt
John Sumwalt is a retired pastor and the author of “How to Preach the Miracles.” A noted storyteller he offers storytelling programs for churches and community groups.