answered prayers...

Have you ever really thought about what you have prayed for and then thought about it a few months or years later? When I think about this, I am amazed. Is prayer easy...no. Did I get everything I prayed for....no. Did God always answer right away....definitely not. Actually, many times I have felt like my prayers weren't heard at all. I was so wrong...I am not a pro at any of this and this posting is just skimming the surface of the power of prayer, but this was on my heart. I am just writing from my experiences and I hope some of you can relate. 

I really started to grow in my faith in high school. I guess this was the time that I had to start making important choices. This started with deciding what college to go to....then it was deciding what I would do with my life. This seemed to be the most difficult thing for me to determine. My main goal was to do what God wanted, but for a long time, it wasn't made clear to me. FYI: I really believe I have a heart to please the Lord partly because of my mother's (and father's) prayers for me. (thank you, mama) She always says that she started praying for me during her pregnancy.....that I would be musical and not have skinny legs like her:) After much consideration, I started college at UGA and this was a difficult time. I quickly realized how special my parents were and how I took them for granted! I was very homesick, but after a little while, I met new friends and college became something I enjoyed. I realized more than ever that God opens and closes doors in our life to help us grow in Him.....Anyway, after two years in Athens, I then moved to Augusta for nursing school. During my latter years of college, I began to think about falling in love and getting married....bla, bla, bla, right? After many unsuccessful dates and relationships, I was discouraged. I was always afraid that I would never get married and grow to be an old maid!:) After a little while, I realized that I needed to live my life not worrying about every detail and pray for God to take care of my concerns. I have always had a habit of writing down my prayers. Notice this one is from 2003 about letting God take control.

 

 I still have the one I wrote about my future husband. Most importantly, I prayed that he would love the Lord. I prayed that he would love me unconditionally. I also prayed that he would be musical and love kids. I remember writing to ask God to prepare his heart and to send him to me when the time was right. (I always told Timmy that I prayed for him even before I knew him. He never knew exactly what I was talking about, until he found the prayer while cleaning up one day (yes, he helps me clean!). After he found it, he came to me and said, "thank you....I understand now." Then you all know what came next, I met Timmy, we fell in love, and got married (only with a lot of loss in the midst of all that.....more about that time in my life later). We knew we wanted to start a family, but not for a few years....and at one point in my life, I didn't know if this would ever happen! All I wanted was to be a mother and it wasn't as easy for me as it seemed for so many others. Because I am talking about prayer here, I will fast forward to this part of the story. Timmy and I began to pray.....every day for just about a year.....Below is the prayer (from the book, Prayers that Avail Much by Germaine Copeland...great book).

When Desiring To Have a Baby:
Our Father, my spouse and I bow our knees unto You. Father of our Lord Jesus Christ of whom the whole family in heaven and on earth is named, we pray that You would grant to us according to the riches of Your glory, to be strengthened with might by Your Spirit in the inner man. Christ dwells in our hearts by faith, that we — being rooted and grounded in love — may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and depth and height of the love of Christ, which passes knowledge, that we might be filled with all the fullness of God. 
Hallelujah, we praise You, O Lord, for You give children to the childless wife, so that she becomes a happy mother. And we thank You that You are the One Who is building our family. As Your children and inheritors through Jesus Christ, we receive Your gift — the fruit of the womb, Your child as our reward. 
We praise You, our Father, in Jesus’ name, for we know that whatsoever we ask, we receive of You, because we keep Your commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in Your sight. 
Thank You, Father, that we are a fruitful vine within our house; our children will be like olive shoots around our table. Thus shall we be blessed because we fear the Lord. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.


God answered our prayer(even though at times I doubted Him). After a few years, look where we are now! We definitely have many olive shoots around our table....along with blocks, baby dolls, smashed green beans, and as I have mentioned before, velveeta! :) It may seem like your prayers aren't heard, but every last word is heard by our loving God. Several of the prayers in my life didn't go the way I had hoped.....I prayed for my Aunt Faye's healing from cancer.....I prayed God would free my father from depression....I prayed He wouldn't take my nana from us so soon....God heard each of these prayers, but He had a different plan. When you feel discouraged as if your prayers aren't helping, remember the following from God's word....Pray in faith, pray in encouragement, and pray KNOWING God hears you and that in HIS TIME and HIS PERFECT WILL, He will answer. I would also encourage you to write down your prayers in a journal and look back at them from time to time. God is always faithful.

• Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him." (Ps 37:7 NIV)
• If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." (Matt 17:20 NIV)
• Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD. (Ps 27:14 NIV)
• "Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours." Mark 11:24
• "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7 
• And a really encouraging one......."Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall." Psalm 55:22

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