Lessons Learned on Prayer
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My dad was the king of not giving me a straight, simple answer about life matters. When I would ask him what he thought I should do in or about a given situation, he would smile, like he was holding onto a secret, and then say, what does the Word of God say? Or he would point a question back at me. (Unless it was about basketball, in which case he was happy to share his expert opinions whether or not I, any of my teammates, or the men's team, or the coaches asked.)
Out of frustration I would usually say something like, I don't know, just tell me what to do! To which he would say, Turn to.... or ask me another question. It was downright maddening.
But today I am thankful because today my dad isn't here.
There were lots of things I asked God for in that season. Of course, I asked Him to fully physically heal my dad along with so many other prayer warriors. I remember the day a family friend said to me, God will heal your dad. It's just a matter of on which side of heaven. Many petitions were made. Some were answered. Some were not.
On August 17, 2009 God's answer was yes, but not on the side of heaven like we'd hoped.
Recently, Go Fish has joined the repertoire of things we play at our house.
She and I had only played with 2 players but this time she invited her little brother to play. He sat down, eager to participate, clumsily holding his cards, and ready to follow the rules explained to him. He successfully matched what he held in his hand and waited for his turn.
I hold up his hoodie and suggest that he puts it on. I know that sweaters have the ability to keep one warm while still allowing the use of your arms. His response is always the same: "Noooooooooo!! I don't want to weaw that! I want a "wawm blanket" or a "wawm hug" instead."
And I'm thinking about powerful, effective prayer. And I have to wonder, are our hearts positioned to receive the answers God is willing to provide? I'm reminded of some answers to prayers I have prayed that came in unexpected and unlikely packaging.