Answered Prayers: Draw Near
Our Pastor is speaking about prayer for the next couple weeks, and I was struck as I listened to the first message, about our example Jesus, how little I really believe in the big things God does because people pray. Today we spent some extra time as a congregation in prayer. Pastor opened the time and then punctuated the quiet with reminders of the needs in our congregation, our community and around the world. As he spoke, I visualized God receiving all our prayers as we agreed with one another. I imagined Him catching them like confetti, reading them, putting them in piles and smiling as the answers are already set in motion.
So today I spent some time recognizing how God has answered our prayers recently. For example, prayer has sustained us on prefield. People have prayed for Chris's voice to return before a speaking engagement, for sick kids to survive long trips, for partners to join our ministry in the nick of time. Recently the whole ABWE community began praying for 150 prefielders @ 100% in 9 months. And those of us raising support have reported great success stories that could only be God-made. Personally, we have seen God add almost $500 to our monthly support this year! My mother in law told me she had been praying specifically for something to encourage us on prefield. She didn't limit God to a financial provision. We got a whole bunch of partners in one weekend, plus some notes from our coworkers and a beautiful, though painful, reminder of how God might work through us on the field if we are as faithful as a former youth pastor and his wife.
How has God answered your prayers recently?
