Bill Bright tells the story of “a man who traveled to a certain city one cold morning. As he arrived at his hotel, he noticed that the clerks, the guests—everyone—were barefoot. In the coffee shop, he noticed a fellow at a nearby table and asked, ‘Why aren’t you wearing shoes? Don’t you know about shoes?’ ‘Of course, I know about shoes,’ the patron replied. ‘Then why don’t you wear them? The visitor asked. ‘Ah, that is the question,’ the patron returned. ‘Why don’t I wear shoes?’
“After breakfast, the visitor walked out of the hotel and into the snow. Again, every person he saw was barefoot. Curious, he asked a passerby, ‘Why doesn’t anyone here wear shoes? Don’t you know that they protect the feet from cold?’ The passerby said, ‘We know about shoes. See that building? It’s a shoe factory. We are so proud of the plant that we gather there every week to hear the man in charge tell us how wonderful shoes are.’ ‘Then why don’t you wear shoes?’ the visitor persisted. ‘Ah, that is the question,’ the passerby replied. ‘Why don’t we wear shoes?’
Bright says, ”when it comes to prayer, many Christians are like the people in that city. They know about prayer, they believe in its power, they frequently hear sermons on the subject, but it is not a vital part of their lives.” [Worldwide Challenge]