Prayer

Don't you just love it when the Lord reaches down and gives you a hug? You know, those times when something happens that is just undoubtedly HIM.

Several things happened this week ~ emails from friends about special prayer needs, tragic situation in my brother's church (you can link to his blog from my page), a husband sick with a head cold for a week, you know...

...life.

Anyway, this morning I was reading while drinking my coffee. Last week I decided it was time to read the O'Malley series again (for about the fifth time). Anyway, I'm reading the 'Marcus' book and for those who have read the books, you know he struggles with the unanswered prayer of his childhood. So this conversation jumps out at me. To give up praying and decide there is no need to pray because God is just going to do what He wants anyway, that is cowardly and selfish. We deny Him His right to be LORD OVER ALL when we demand our way when we pray.

As parents, our children often ask us for things and sometimes we have to say no. It's not easy to deny our children their desires. But we know what is best for them. We see things they cannot see.

Is He not our Heavenly Father? Is He not allowed to deny us things for our good? "No" is still an answer.

Jesus went through similar pain during His time on earth. He prayed...and His prayers were not answered in the way He asked. He brought His petitions with groans and tears. And yet, He also accepted: Not my will but Thine be done.

Do I understand why some prayers are answered and others are not? No. Will that stop me from praying? No. I will continue to be both trusting and passionate in my prayer. He is still Lord over all.

So...back to today. All of this is going through my head. Since my hubby is still sick, he stayed home and me & the kids went to a church nearby. During the course of the service, songs were sung that just kept all of this going around and around in my head. Tears streamed down my face as we sang "I'm Close to the Savior" -- one of my favorite Malagasy songs. "When I fight a hard battle, I'm close to the Savior...when the water rises, I'm close to the Savior...when I walk through the dark valley, I will not fear my enemies, I am close to the Savior..."

So the pastor asks me to testify. Nothing to do but share this thought with the congregation. It was on my heart and I had to share. After I sat down, the pastor came back to the pulpit, and with tears in his eyes shared how he had been struggling with a prayer request for three years and feeling particularly discouraged about it today. But through my testimony, he felt release. Release to trust the Lord with the answer. Then the evangelist gets up to preach and he preaches: I will not be silent in the face of His goodness. One of his examples was blind Bartimaeus. Don't you think Bartimaeus had prayed for his healing before? I don't know...but I would think it was certainly something he had longed for often. And on that great day, as Jesus was passing by, he called out. People tried to silence him but he would not be silenced. He called out louder. I will not be silent in the face of His goodness! And what did Jesus say to him?

"What do you want me to do for you?"

Did Jesus not know? Of course, He knew what Bartimaeus wanted. But He wanted to hear it ONE MORE TIME.

So today, I don't know what you are struggling with. A prayer unanswered. A longing. A hope. A dream.

Don't give up! The day will come when you, too, will hear:

"What do you want me to do for you?"