It's funny to think that God really cares about the little things in our lives. I mean, there are so many more important things for Him to take care of in this world than the silly things I pray about. Does he really care if I get a good parking spot! Maybe I need the exercise and His answer for me a good healthy walk every day!
Several years ago I attended a short Bible study on prayer. The first message was very simple…listen. When you pray listen to the Spirit of God and then do what He tells you. God rarely does anything the same way twice. For example when Jesus ministered to people he might form mud with dirt and spit and then place it on someones eyes and they would receive sight! Or he might tell them to go and show themselves to the Rabbi and healing would follow. He would tailor each prayer to the individual person and do specifically what God told him to do. So I decided to try and put this into practice.
Doug and I were on the prayer team at church and after the Sunday sermon we would go forward to pray with people. One night a young lady came up to us and asked for prayer. I didn't know who she was or anything about her. We were instructed to listen to the Holy Spirit before speaking to the person about their needs. So we held hands and quietly prayed in the Spirit for a few seconds, taking our time to listen. A scripture came to my mind from the book of Isaiah 54 about the Lord being our husband and not to despise widowhood. It was kind of strange but I thought maybe the Lord wanted me to encourage her by telling her not to be sad, that God was as close to her as a husband. I didn't know if she was married or not. I gave her the scripture. She looked surprised and went on to tell us she had been recently widowed and her husband had died of AIDS. Because of the stigma and shame AIDS brought she felt very despised by the people of God and on top of that she was also the pastor sister!! Today I can't
remember why she came up for prayer, but that simple scripture God whispered in my heart encouraged all three of us that God really is listening and does care. He wants to meet our needs.
Another time during this period in my life I was praying about our missing dog Chester. He was a friendly orange pomeranian and had disappeared about 6 weeks before. I had just heard another message on prayer about binding and loosing God's will and how we can send the angels out to make a way for God answer. So under my breath while I wiped down the kitchen counter I prayed " God please bring Chester home. If someone has taken him I ask you to send the angels to make a way for him to come home. Cause the person who took him to feel guilty and give him back. Amen" I don't remember any surge of faith or why I thought someone might have him, but it seemed possible, as he was a very friendly dog. Within seconds the phone rang. "Hi, I have your dog. I've had him for a few weeks. He showed up one day and he got along so well with our new puppy we decided to keep him. But I feel really guilty. I found your phone number on his dog tag and had to call." No kidding. Chester was home in 20 minutes!! He was also about 5 pounds fatter!
Lastly, a diamond fell out of my wedding ring. I don't know where or when it happened, but one day I looked down and it was missing. A couple of days later while I was sweeping the kitchen floor I remembered I should pray and ask God to help me find it. My faith was not very strong, but I thought "you have not because you ask not," so I asked God to help me find it. I grabbed the dust buster off the wall and sucked up the kitty litter that had fallen around the litter box on the kitchen floor. After it was cleaned
up I rehung the little vacuum back on the hook over the kitchen counter. A small pile of dirt and clay litter fell out of the hand held machine all over my freshly cleaned white kitchen tile. Irritated with the mess I had just created I looked down and there was my diamond right in the middle of the dusty kitty litter! I was shocked!
Does God care? Yes, and those small but big answers to our prayers are His way of saying I hear you and I love you. It also helps build our faith when we see him answer. So I encourage you to pray and listen, send out the angels, and get specific. How will you know He hears you if you never ask? Get specific, write it down, and when He answers tell someone.
"Do not fear, you shall not be put to shame;
do not be discouraged, you shall not be disgraced.
For the shame of your youth you shall forget,
the reproach of your widowhood no longer remember.
For your husband is your Maker;
the LORD of hosts is his name,
Your redeemer,* the Holy One of Israel,
called God of all the earth.
The LORD calls you back,
like a wife forsaken and grieved in spirit,
A wife married in youth and then cast off,
says your God.
For a brief moment I abandoned you,
but with great tenderness I will take you back.
In an outburst of wrath, for a moment
I hid my face from you;
But with enduring love I take pity on you,
says the LORD, your redeemer." Isaiah 54:4-8
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