We don’t have to understand prayer in order to pray. Prayer is simply talking to God, knowing He is there and wants to be involved in our lives. How wonderful that He gives us the privilege of coming to Him and sharing whatever is on our mind. We can bring all our questions and concerns to Him. He listens and He cares. He tells us not to worry about anything, but to pray about everything. We can pray with confidence, trusting He has answers and He will reveal to us what He wants us to know.
Often He answers our questions by speaking through Scripture. He may speak to our concerns through the words or actions of other people. Or, He may respond through our circumstances.
When our son graduated from high school, we invited friends and family to an open house for him. All our preparations for the event were coming together nicely except for one problem. It was not a big problem in terms of what is really important, but at that particular time it was of major importance to me. An unsightly hole, about 2-3 inches in diameter, had developed in a high traffic area of our kitchen floor. It is a long story how the hole got there, but days before the party there was no time to replace the flooring.
As I frantically tried to deal with it, a series of “prayers” went through my mind. “Lord, let there be some leftover tiles in the basement that we could use to patch the hole.” “If such tiles exist, let us find them.” “Give us some insight into how to repair the hole.” The answer to those requests seemed to be “No.” When we ran out of options for any kind of a repair, and there was nothing I could do about it, my last thought concerning the matter was, “Just, somehow, don’t let our guests see the hole.” Then I forgot about it. I proceeded with the things I could do something about, and focused on what I would serve.
My friend, Beth, could always be counted on for exceptional recipes, so I asked her if she could recommend a good punch recipe. She did.
The day of the open house, all the food was laid out. Guests congregated in the living room and dining room, enjoying the food and fellowship. Beth’s punch recipe was not only good, it was outstanding. So much so, that everyone loved it and kept returning to the kitchen for more. I was only able to mingle with our friends as they came through the kitchen. I spent the entire time refilling the punch bowl and serving punch to an endless line of guests.
Only after it was all over and everyone had gone home, did I realize that while I was serving punch I was standing over the hole in the linoleum. No one was likely to have seen the spot unless they were specifically looking for it.
I didn’t plan it. I wasn’t even aware of it until after the fact. God answers prayer. Not in the ways we expect. He is infinitely creative. He didn’t answer my prayer because I used the right words. I didn’t even know what to ask for. God took care of the problem because He is good, and He cares about even the little things we care about. I don’t claim to understand everything about prayer and how it works. I only know that God is faithful. He asks us to pray, and He answers.
But God has listened; he has heard my prayer. Praise God, who did not ignore my prayer or hold back his love from me. Psalm 66:19-20 NCV
How has God surprised you with an answer to prayer? Please leave a comment below.
Blessings,
Phyllis
Copyright 2024 Phyllis L. Farringer
Image by Bernadette Wurzinger from Pixabay
Thank you, Phyllis. I’m grateful God listens and hears me – and answers my prayers in His way and time.
Thank you, Joni. We know we can always trust Him.
He does care about the smallest things that seem big to us.
Thanks, Kathie, for reading and commenting.