Talk About Your Answered Prayer...

From Erika:

On Monday night Dave came in while I was giving Rolland his bedtime snack to have a family prayer time. He asked me for something tangible to pray for—something that we could look back on at the end of the week and say it had been answered Yes or No. I have a hard time with prayers like that because I hate being disappointed, so why even get my hopes up? Dave, on the other hand, seems to enjoy disappointment and takes every opportunity to get his hopes up. You should hear him talk about his brackets this year.

So Dave came up with prayers for both of us. For himself: that God would open or close the door on an opportunity he had pursued at work. For me: that Rolland would sleep through the night once this week. So, we prayed. And on Tuesday and Wednesday I prayed occasionally for his request (which is always easier than praying for my own). On Wednesday evening Dave walked in the door and said he had good news. In the morning he was told by the vise-principal that the opportunity at work was unavailable, but apparently word got around, and by the afternoon the principal told him he had re-written the budget specifically for Dave. Talk about your answered prayer.

Well. Rolland did not sleep through the night that night, but Dave’s answer changed my reasons for trying to pray that he will. If we hadn’t prayed for God’s clear leading, I would’ve heard Dave’s story with excitement, of course, but with a hint of hesitation in the back of my mind. Is this really from God? How can we be sure? But since we’d already talked to God about it, we can be confident and joyful. We had opened the dialogue about it so when God answered, we knew it was Him.

That makes me want to open the dialogue about Rolland’s sleeping. I honestly don’t have faith to believe that he’ll make it through the night this week, but I’m asking for it. This way, whether he does or doesn’t—or if something totally beyond all I’ve asked or imagined happens— I’ll know who to thank.



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