Believe it or not, we serve a God who listens and answers our prayers. I am just as blown away at this as you might be. I am just so grateful that we worship a personal God who loves us beyond our knowledge or understanding; a God who wants to bless us and give us gifts because he loves us.
It took me a really long time to just begin to understand this kind of love, so I would imagine that there are others of you out there who are struggling with this also. So instead of updating you on my race preparation and logistics and other fun tidbits, today I just want to share a few of the ways God has answered prayer in my life. There are a ton of small ones, but below are three of the BIG ones!
My Prayer, July 1999: “Lord God, I am a sinner in need of a Savior. Please forgive me of my sins and transform my life. I accept you as my Lord and Savior. Amen”
God’s response to this prayer is ongoing. I am a work in progress, to say the least. But this prayer got the ball rolling. Ever since I said this prayer God has been working on me, continuing to transform my heart and my life. I continue to sin every single day, but everyday I am reminded of God’s love and the forgiveness offered through Christ’s blood.
Fast forward…(a lot)
My Prayer, March 2012: “God, I realize that for a really long time I have been living a life that was all about ME and thought only about what would make me happy right here and now. I miss you and I am on my knees asking for your guidance for my life. I have made a mess of it and I need you to put it back together. Amen”
God’s response to this prayer was pretty clear. In order to be alive in Christ I had to die to myself. I had to put the things I placed all my importance in to rest and focus on what God had planned for me. This included things like ending a relationship and quitting a pretty good job. The guy and the job themselves weren’t necessarily the problem, but it was the fact that I was defining my worth by a man’s love and acceptance in my career. My worth is in Christ alone.
A few days later, a friend told me about the World Race. From the moment I heard about it I had this overwhelming peace that I would be on it in the very near future…
Enter the World Race…
My Prayer, July 2012: “God, this is scary. There is way too much to do, way too much money to raise, way too many people to convince that this is a good idea. I feel like giving up, sticking with what is comfortable, and going back to my old ways. Help me. Amen"
God was quick to respond to this one. All in one day I was accepted to the World Race, released from my teaching contract, found a place to live that was half the price and did not require a year-long lease, and discussed with my Dad what to do with my car and furniture for the eleven months I would be gone. After all of that confirmation, “convincing” people that this was the right path for me didn’t seem so hard…
God listens to us and have great plans for us. Jeremiah 29:11 is a verse that I have written and spoken more times than I can even count – and the words never cease to amaze me:
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
I am really grateful that I have God in control of my plans, because I always seem to mess them up. I am even more grateful that I always have prayer as a way to communicate with this incredible God! I am most grateful for the fact that he hears my prayers and knows what is best for me and answers them not in the way that I think is best, but in the way He knows is best.
Amen
