Answered Prayers

A friend loves at all times... Proverbs 17:17 (NIV)

Everyone (well, most everyone) says that the Lord works in mysterious ways. I think he is actually pretty obvious sometimes!

A few posts ago, I wrote about Natalie's struggle at school with friends kind of picking at her. It's all good now, but back then, it was a little sting. Well, what it did was remind her of how much she misses her "BFF" Emily Whittum! She and "The Divine Miss Em", were like 2 peas in a pod since 2nd grade, if not a little before. They both love exploring in the woods, getting dirty, swimming, video games, the same books, a lot of the same music, you get the idea. Em moved a couple summers ago, and while we've had the chance to see her a couple times, it's never enough for Nattie! We all have come to love Emily and consider her to be part of our family when we're together. We understand and accept her quietness, and were quite surprised when one day we actually heard her laugh out loud! She's a girl of few words, but she's always thinking!
So, Nat was really missing Em. A few days later, a card came in the mail from Emily. She remembered Nat's birthday! What a smile on Nat's face and a big smile in my heart too. A couple days after that, a package arrived from Emily for Valentine's Day. She sent Natalie her favorite animal, a stuffed Monkey, which Nat named "Phil" , short for Philippians. (see a connection there?)
Coincidence? No. It's God, letting Natalie know he's still there, ready to bring her joy at any given moment.

Without divulging the details of the next answered prayer, I can just tell you that my friend Sara, knowing a certain situation, came by with a solution that was no longer needed by someone else. A solution that we could not manage on our own, and a solution that is not normally donated to someone else. Coincidence? Nope. God again, providing our needs by way of a friend, again. God kept Sara alert to our need, so she was at the ready when the opportunity arose. I can't tell you more than that! Sorry! What a joy it is to have a friend who listens, cares, and prays for you.

I was humbled by these answered prayers. I know these aren't the only 2. There are answered prayers in my life each and every day. The timing of these is what made me more aware of them, and there was such a special joy about them. When God uses other people to help us, it makes us realize we really are here to help each other out. Although I'd like to give all the credit to Emily and Sara, I do know that God simply used them. However, they were available to BE used, and that is pretty special in itself. Sometimes we don't even know we're being used, since not every answered prayer is a big grandiose thing. Sometimes just letting someone pull out of a parking lot onto the road is a big deal if that person was running late and praying for a break!

Here's the kicker: You don't get the glory (the credit), God does! It's tempting to want to be all excited and tell everyone you prayed and it all turned out. I think that's okay as long as you acknowledge it was ALL God and you were just being a vessel to carry out his plan. Sometimes after a long season of prayer about something with "no results", we're almost surprised when we "think" God answers.(although he probably already did, and we just didn't like the answer!) Another reminder that we have no control and we just need to TRUST him to work it all out.

A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. Proverbs 18:24 (NIV)