God Answers Prayers

God answers all prayers. Sometimes we get exactly what we want. Sometimes we get exactly what we asked for. Always, we get exactly what we need.

Our family moved to Ft. Worth the week of an historic ice storm. From the window of the breakfast nook, the back yard resembled a frozen tundra, the skeletons of the trees weighed down under the burden of ice. As winter turned to spring, one tree stood out from the others. At the first sign of warm weather, it literally burst into bloom, a promise of things to come. As spring turned to summer, the tree began to droop under its heavy burden of apples.

As summer was winding down and moving into fall, we received the news that my husband's company which had moved us had been sold and his position would be eliminated. We began to prepare, once again, to move. My prayer was that we would be able to stay in the house until the apples turned red. Having watched the tree with delight for most of the year, reaping the harvest was one small way of relieving the grief of another move.

Working in the yard one afternoon Jerry picked an apple. He came into the house and asked me if I wanted red apples or ripe apples. The apple tree was a green variety, and they were ready for the picking. I got what I wanted, not what I asked for.

A friend and I were on our way to a women's retreat at Camp Allen, hopelessly lost in the country side. As we pulled to an intersection I prayed, "Lord, show me a sign to Camp Allen."

We turned right, traveled about 8 miles and came upon the sign I had prayed to receive. "Camp Allen - 10 Miles." It pointed us back in the direction from which we had just come. It would have been better to ask God for Camp Allen, rather than a sign. I got what I asked for, not what I wanted.

Praying over our nation and the health care debate for the past few years, I often reduce my request to, "No, no, no. Please don't let it pass."

But, as I watched the coverage of the issue on TV on Sunday and listened to the live debates on the radio, the realization that another long-term prayer of mine was being answered. People are engaged on this issue. Tens of thousands of people protested passage on the bill in Washington on Saturday. The phone lines to the U.S. Congress were continually busy on a Sunday afternoon when we were enjoying incredibly beautiful weather. People are beginning to stir. Could this be the awakening of the American people for which I have prayed for so long? And, what did I expect that answered prayer to look like?

Be strong and of good courage; be not frightened, neither be dismayed; for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. Joshua 1:9