Prayer and trusting in the Lord

 

My oldest son and his family were here for a visit recently.  They were in the process of moving from California to North Carolina.  By the time we saw them, they had been on the road for a month.  That is a long time on the road for anybody but especially my grandson, Austin, who is 3 years old.    When they got here, I showed Austin his "very own room".  He was so happy to have a place to call his and he enjoyed playing in his room with the toys we had put in there.  He told me that he hadn't had his very own room in a long time.  I think he really missed having a "home".  He had been staying at hotels and my son and daughter-in-laws friend's homes for the past month.   Later that evening, I heard him saying his prayers with my son.  He prayed for a new home.  He apparently had been praying for a new home for a while.  It must have been hard for him to pray every night for a new home for so long and not getting one.  But, what he didn't realize was that they had already found a great house in North Carolina and they were going to be able to move in a week later.  They showed him pictures of it but, to him, it was just pictures of a house.   I thought about how the answer to his prayer was "in the works" but he just didn't realize it.  I think that sometimes we pray and pray for things but it seems like God isn't hearing us.  When in actuality, He has heard our prayer and is bringing the answer in His timing, not always our timing.    The Bible says that God will provide for the needs of His children.  We have to have faith in Him and keep on praying even when the answer is nowhere in sight.  He promised never to leave us nor forsake us and we can take that to the "bank"!   I think about how happy Austin will be when he can actually go into the new home he prayed for for so long.  It will be a day of rejoicing in the Lord!!  I'm not sure if he will remember this time when he gets older or not, but if he does, it will be good for him to remember how God answered his prayers.   Whenever we find ourselves waiting on the Lord to answer our prayers, it would be good to remember how God has been faithful in the past.  I think it helps to grow our faith.  I recommend recording God's answers to your prayers or blessings so that you have something concrete to look back on.  I know for me when the going gets tough, I tend to forget God's past faithfulness.  Looking at my list helps me to hang on and keep praying and watching for God's answer.  Give it a try.