While on the race, I have had quite a few crazy prayer requests answered. Here are just a few:
:: Once I had a toothache and my gums were hurting in the back of my mouth. I prayed that if I was supposed to be healed, for God to heal me as soon as possible. But if God didn’t have plans to heal me, I was okay with that and I knew that He would provide a good dentist for me to see. The next morning I woke up and flossed by my gums like usual and two sesame seeds came out and the pain was instantly gone! (Ouch!)
:: Another time a different tooth was hurting, more of a pain in the roots. It felt similar to when I needed a root canal and hurt with every step I took. I shared with my team and said that I knew if it was God’s will, He could heal me and bind those roots up so that they no longer hurt. But even if He chose not to heal me this time, I still believed He was capable of healing and that He was still a loving Father. The next day my root pain was completely gone!
:: One month it appeared as if I was getting pink eye. I prayed about that too and the next day I woke up and it was perfectly normal.
:: Almost every time we travel, we usually end up getting in the van with a male driver who speaks no English whatsoever. I studied criminology so sometimes my mind wanders to crazy scenarios, but still these things could really happen! In these situations we are totally at the mercy of the driver. He could easily say he brought us to our location and in reality take us wherever he wanted and we wouldn’t even know where we were! Sometimes we don’t even have minutes on phones to make a call if we needed help. This is very routine on the race, you get used to trusting people you don’t know because you have to. (In these times, I pray harder than ever for safety, open eyes, and a discerning heart!) However, every time we arrive to the right location safely, I give so much praise to the Lord. I’m not sharing this to worry people about our traveling, but I want to point out that even the things we see as routine, we shouldn’t take advantage of. They are answers to prayer! God protects us each and every travel day, by keeping us safe but also by providing the right people to transport us. The Lord has also sharpened my discernment so that even if my head is saying one thing, my spirit can pierce through that and speak the truth so I can be at peace as we travel.
“…He answered their prayers, because they trusted in Him.” [1 Chronicles 5:20b] This is such a simple verse, but so powerful.
He answers my prayers because He knows I trust Him. I know that God CAN and that He WILL answer my prayers, if they align with His will. But even if He doesn’t choose to answer my prayers the way I want Him to, He knows I still believe He is my good Father and that His plan is best.
I recently finished “The Hiding Place” by Corrie ten Boom. Corrie and Betsie talk about how even though the route that God chose looked different than the one they wanted, they could still see that they were placed right where God needed them. They were needed in those concentration camps to spread the good news and give people hope. They were brought there to show people what true love looked like in a world that love was not known. They were needed in those horrible places more than anywhere else. And although they were horrible places, God still protected them and answered their prayers.
The more I grow, the more daring my prayers get and the more I believe in God’s perfect plan, no matter where that path leads.
“The one who calls me is faithful, and He will do it.” [1 Thessalonians 5:24]
Thanks for reading!
Love,
heather
Prayer requests: for peace and comfort for my teammate Jessie and her family (Jessie flew home to be with her family as her mom’s health is not good right now), for continued good health of our squad, safe travels to Nicaragua next week, for our old squad leader Daniel’s knee to continue to heal quickly so he can come visit us next month, for our biggest prayer warrior in Spencer (Nate) to continue to heal from his heart surgery on July 24th (he is so brave and doing so well, praise the Lord!), for good attitudes heading into month 8, and for overflowing LOVE to lavish on each other and all the people we come in contact with. 🙂
