Why am I always surprised when God answers my prayers?
This month, I went to God with what seemed like a silly prayer. My sleeping pad that I am using as my mattress this month somehow got a very small hole in it, leaving me on the ground every morning.
After resorting to just sleeping on a cushion that my host graciously allowed me to borrow, I knew I had to try to find the annoying little hole. I did everything I could to try to find it, but it was so small that it was basically impossible. The easiest (and pretty much only) way to find a small hole is to put it in a body of water because you can see where it bubbles from the air leaking out. The issue was we had no bodies of water that would work for that (cheers for bucket showers!!). I even had a repair kit, but that did no good unless I could actually find the leak.
I just wanted to sleep, and because I was so exhausted, I was getting so frustrated at the situation. Nothing was working, and eventually I thought it was a lost cause.
Before giving up on it completely, I called out to the Lord and just gave it over to Him. I was far too tired to try to figure it out on my own. I felt foolish. There are so many other things to pray for that hold so much more significance, but I figured it was at least worth a shot.
Of course, He heard me and opened a door for me. As it turns out, our hosts have a pool at their condo that they said I could come use!
Fast forward a week, and my amazing teammate Jenny and I went to their condo to try to find the little stinker. We had no idea what we were doing, and while I tried to be optimistic, I had some doubt that it would actually work. We prayed before putting the sleeping pad in the water, as I had done many times before that moment. Again, I felt so silly and like it was so insignificant, but I really didn’t have another choice.
As we started submerging the sleeping pad in the pool and looking for where the hole was, I was shocked when we actually found the leak! Within 30 seconds of putting it in the pool, we were able to find where the air was leaking out. We shouted with joy and were so pumped! I was just amazed that it actually worked.
Then I made a comment: “Why am I so surprised when God actually answers my prayers??”
He commands us to call out to Him and promises that He will hear our requests. Whether it’s as big as healing someone from blindness or as small as finding a hole in an air mattress, He hears us! And He cares about us so much that He answers even the smallest of prayers.
I don’t want to be surprised when God provides. I want such incredible faith that it doesn’t catch me off guard when He comes through. I want to be in such a state of expectancy and certainty when I call out to Him that all I can do is rejoice when those prayers are answered.
My prayer is for deeper faith as He reveals Himself to me in even the smallest of ways. Don’t be afraid to go to Him with the small requests. He cares about them because He cares about you more than you will ever know.
