God Answers Prayer!

I wish we were sitting together at a coffee shop right now, sipping our delicious coffee, and talking about our journeys thus far. I wish we could talk about the muddy waters we have trekked through and the storms we have faced, only to realize just how many times God has rescued us and continues to come to our rescue.

There have been so many answered prayers in my life:

• My husband and I suffered a heart-shattering miscarriage and then tried for over a year to get pregnant again. We finally got our rainbow baby.
• There were times during our financial struggles when we needed money for groceries, and we received a random gift card in the mail.
• There was a time when we were trying to buy a house and did not think we would find what we were looking for. But God gave us a diamond in the rough: the perfect fit for our family and our budget at that time.
• There was a time when our daughter was in food therapy and going through cancer testing - they thought something was seriously wrong with her. She would not eat and was not gaining weight. But with God, she is stronger and healthier than ever.
• There was a time in my life when my husband felt lost and unsure of what his purpose was. Then he became a firefighter/paramedic and God uses him to help others daily.

I could go on and on about God’s provision in our life. The list is never-ending.

I say all of this to say that sometimes we must change our mindset. We must redirect those negative thoughts into life-giving proclamations. We can choose to dwell on everything that we have lost. We can choose to dwell on the difficult roads and painful destinations, or we can choose to focus on the rainbows after the storm. We can open our eyes to see just how many times God has shown up and shown out.

I do not know if you feel like you are praising Jesus atop a mountain today, or if you feel like you are lost in the wilderness with no destination or rest stop in sight. Rest assured – God is pointing that flashlight for You. He sees those distress signals and is trying to point you in the right direction to avoid further heartache. He is providing a way when there seems to be no way.

I am so sorry for whatever pain you have faced – whether it be a miscarriage, loss of communication in your marriage, or feeling unnoticed by the people you love most on this earth. I pray that as you begin your next chapter, your pain turns into an opportunity to help someone else experiencing the same gut-wrenching pain.

I pray that whatever you have been through, you see the rainbows after the storm. The storms change us, reshape us, and offer a new perspective.

Throw on those rainboots and grab your umbrella – the storm does not have to steal your joy. Go dance around in the mud puddles for a bit if you need to.

Prayer:

Father, I pray for the beautiful soul who has experienced storm after storm in life. I pray that You would show them a radiant sky today. I pray that You would use their story for Your glory. Please give them the confidence to help someone else going through something similar. Please give them the strength to realize that the storm does not have to define them. You have great things in store for them today – please comfort their heart and open their eyes to see what it is.

Sometimes the pain and turmoil are exactly what we need to draw us closer to our Heavenly Father.