On January 27, 1956, just eight weeks into the start of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, Martin Luther King, Jr. hit the wall. Little wonder. He was all of 26 years old, a newly ordained pastor when he was chosen to lead the bus boycott. This is how Martin’s wife Coretta describes his “saturation point” in her book Standing in the Need of Prayer, “I remember one very difficult day when he came home bone-weary from the stress that came with his leadership of the Montgomery Bus Boycott. In the middle of that night, he was awakened by a threatening and abusive phone call, one of many we received throughout the movement. On this occasion, however, Martin had had enough. After the call, he got up from bed and made himself some coffee. He began to worry about his family and all the burdens that came with our movement that weighed heavily on his soul. Martin bowed over the kitchen table with his head in his hands and prayed aloud, “Lord, I’m down here trying to do what’s right. Now, I am afraid. And I can’t let the people see me like this because if they see me weak and losing my courage, they will falter. I am at the end of my powers. I have nothing left. I’ve come to the point where I can’t face it alone.” Later, he told me, “At that moment, I experienced the presence of the Divine as I had never experienced Him before. It seemed as though I could hear a voice saying: ‘Stand up for righteousness: stand up for truth, and God will be at your side forever.'” When Martin stood up from the table, he was imbued with a new sense of confidence and was ready to face anything. Three days later, their house was bombed, but no one was harmed. Prayer was a daily source of strength and courage in Martin’s life. He leads us to pray:
Martin Luther King, Jr.
“Our loving Father, from Thy hand have come all the days of the past.
To Thee, we look for whatever good the future holds.
We are not satisfied with the world as we have found it.
It is too little the kingdom of God yet.
Grant us the privilege of a part in its regeneration.
We are looking for a new earth in which dwells righteousness.
It is our prayer that we be children of light, the kind of people whose coming and ministry the world is waiting.
Amen.”
Coretta Scott King, Standing in the Need of Prayer
The Martin Luther King, Jr., Research and Education Institute, “Prayers”
Rev. Dr. Peter James served 42 years as the senior of Vienna Presbyterian Church in Vienna, VA — 21 years in the 20th century and 21 years in the 21st century. He retired in 2021 and now serves as Pastor-in-Residence at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.
Even as a pastor, prayer came slowly to Pete. Read Pete’s story.