THE PREACHER'S WIFE (1996)

Directed by: Penny Marshall
Written by: Nat Mauldin, Allan Scott
Studio: Touchstone Pictures
Starring: Denzel Washington, Whitney Houston
Rated: PG

About the film:
A hardworking reverend is allowing his marriage to falter due to the constant pressures of his work and the financial difficulties of his church. He prays to God for help but the angel who arrives as his answer to prayer seems to be making matters worse.

Movie Quote:
“Just because you can’t see the air doesn’t keep you from breathing. And just because you can’t see God doesn’t keep you from believing.”
Jeremiah Biggs (Justin Pierre Edmund) in The Preacher’s Wife (1996)

Bible Quote:
“We live by faith, not by sight.”
2 Corinthians 5:7 (NIV)

Commentary:
The Preacher’s Wife presents us with a story which can be hard to believe. The scriptures speak of angels and describe angelic encounters that men have had. That doesn’t mean that it is easy to embrace the concept of an angel appearing before us.

There’s no question that it is easier to believe what is right before our faces than it is to believe something that is invisible. If we think about it however, there are many things that we do not doubt exist even though we may never be able to see them.

The quote from The Preacher’s Wife identifies one: Air cannot be seen yet we have no doubt that, when we inhale, we replenish our lungs with that substance required of all human life. When we get out of bed each morning, we are confident that our feet will remain on the floor because of an invisible reality called gravity.

We believe in these things that we cannot see because we can see the effects caused by their existence. If we are spiritually attuned, we will also see the effects of the invisible God who is every bit as real and vital as the air and gravity which He created.

Questions to consider while watching the film:
1. How can we believe in that which we cannot see? How can we build our faith?
2. The angel does not seem to immediately satisfy the prayers of Rev. Biggs. Why not? What does this teach us about how God answers prayers?

Michael Elliott
http://screensermon.blogspot.com