This afternoon we were invited to a prayer meeting at a home in the area we live in and the sole reason for this meeting was praising God for answered prayer. You see, on our very first night we met up with our ministry contact, he took us by a few houses right after we arrived. We prayed for a grandma whose broken leg causes her to have to scoot around on the floor to be able to get around.
Then we went to a family of a widow and her two daughters. The family has been really struggling with the death of the father of the house and still has many wounds and much confusion. In India, it is very hard for a household without a man to have all the things they need to survive. We prayed for the wounds in their heart and that Jesus would fill all the voids in their heart that only He can fill. We also prayed for the oldest daughter to get into college and that it would be in the same town that they live so she can still cook for the family. Well God answered that prayer the next day and that sweet girl got into the college they wanted her to get into. The family called Pastor Edison (our ministry contact) and told him to tell us the good news and tell us how excited they were. It was so amazing to see God bless this hurting family and show them how truly loved they are.
So this prayer meeting we went to was a celebration of that answered prayer. It’s a tradition in India to share with the community when God has answered your prayer. I sat there and thought about what a beautiful thing that is to do. How often do I even thank God for answered prayer? Let alone, how often do I tell others about it so that God can get all the glory for the good in my life? In America, everyone would think you’re crazy if you rallied all you family and friends together and it was just to tell them about an answered prayer.
But I want to bring more of these prayer meetings into my everyday life so that I am constantly aware of God’s provision and faithfulness. They won’t look like the Indian culture, but I don’t want to be satisfied with a simple “Thanks, God” prayer after He has answered my prayer. The Creator of the Universe hears me, cares for me, knows me and provides for me and that should always be a huge deal.
We were surprised when our driver Soloman went up to the front to share a testimony of answered prayer as well. He ended up sharing that when we went to his village earlier this week he had been praying for two families specifically but never told anyone. Well, it turns out we went to those houses and in one house, the woman had asked us to pray for her husband (he wasn’t there) who was an alcoholic and was also stealing to make a living. We pray for different versions of this situation multiple times throughout our door to door ministry and never really plan on seeing fruit from it. We are praying and trusting God to move in His perfect timing and in His perfect will.
We found out tonight though, that that man we prayed for (who was not there the night we were in his village, remember) came to Soloman a few days later and told him he wanted to stop drinking and stealing.
I sat there in awe of God and this gift He had given us. We have prayed for hundreds of people and for countless things, and it’s so easy to get monotonous. It’s so easy in this point in the month to get in a routine and think that what we’re doing isn’t doing much if we don’t see tangible proof. But God spoke to my heart in this prayer meeting and said, “I am working”. I started to see the value in every single prayer I had prayed for these Indian people. Sometimes language barriers keep me from being able to know the prayer requests I am praying for, but God is so very much above language barriers. He knows the story of the person I have my hand on and He understands the words I am praying for them.
I started to see each prayer as a seed planted. I have no idea what God has in store for each prayer I pray. He may answer it tomorrow. He may answer it in 17 years. He may have a completely different path for that person than what we prayed for.
I will probably never know how God answers the prayers we pray, and that’s honestly hard for me to grasp sometimes. But I can hold to the testimonies we heard tonight of answered prayer and the fact that God is working.
