For this post I'll be writing more in a similar style to my original 2010 posts. Id est just sharing experiences and what I learned from them. I'm just basically going to share some of my prayers and how they were answered.
1. While on vacation at the beach for a week last year I prayed that I would not get sunburnt (I usually do at least a little). God answered my prayer by...surprise! Cloudy almost everyday. Even got to experience swimming in the ocean in the rain, something I'd never done before, and it was fun. I wasn't about to let the clouds and rain ruin my vacation.
2. Prayed to loose weight. ....And I did, because I became sick for a whole month...at times I couldn't eat or keep down food. But I lost the weight I wanted to loose and I didn't miss any work so it was all good. Never did find out what was wrong with me, never went to the doctor, but that was about 9 months ago now and I've been healthy since (and still without the extra weight).
3. Prayed for safety while driving. All these years. All these miles. I have no doubt in my mind that the daily prayers for safe travels have kept me safe. At least twice this year and many times more in the last couple I have had many close encounters with ice or deer or falling asleep on the road. Twice recently at night, driving 75 MPH there was a deer directly in front of me on the road..just standing there. I saw it both times and swerved just in time to avoid a collision.
4. The Mimosa tree. At my parents house growing up we always (or at least often) had little mimosa trees that would grow up as "weeds" in the driveway or the garden. I always liked them and their light and touch sensitive leaves and when I moved to my own house I prayed that a mimosa tree would grow up at my house. And...one did...unfortunately at a location considered bad by some. But nevertheless it is there and it is beautiful, right by my porch steps. I've always liked plants.
5. Oh...this one goes back quite awhile. But it is very important. And one of those things I haven't shared for years because I'm not sure how people will take it.
The pastor at the church I usually attended stopped preaching good sermons. Something was wrong. He would rarely preach about anything except the end of the world. Which is fine, because it is certainly getting closer, but all that he would talk about was "the rapture" which was really annoying and unedifying. Annoying because I disagreed with his "theory" of a pretribulation rapture, and unedifying because he never talked about anything else. So I began praying hard for his preaching to improve and for him to really get into the word and preach true and useful lessons like he used to. Then he almost died. He fell down a flight of steps and was discovered sometime later. I believe he had a stroke also. He was in a nursing home for months and had to go through rehabilitation...and we didn't know then if he was going to ever be back. But we prayed much for him. He came back! And since then has preached good messages every Sunday.
So these experiences are being shared primarily for two reasons. First, as a testimony that God answers prayers. Second, as an example of how God does not answer our prayers in the same manner that we necessarily intend, and that in order to answer prayers certain events must take place. God uses people and events to create changes in our life experiences....thus effecting and creating physical, emotional, spiritual, and intellectual adjustments to each person which bring about the answers to our prayers. For example, when I prayed not to get sunburnt, God didn't just surround me with a magical force field...he sent clouds to block the sun. When God helped me loose weight he sent sickness....so I could not over eat. So when we pray a prayer desiring a change in our life...we must be accepting to the fact that a change requires a change. Fruit does not magically appear on a dead tree. We can't pray to be rich without expecting to work hard. We can't pray to do well on a test without expecting to study. We can't pray for a closer relationship with God without expecting to spend time alone with God in prayer and Bible Study. We can't expect God's power to work in us and through us if we do not have Faith and a willingness to take the time to strengthen our Faith. We can't expect our everyday life to reflect the values taught by God if we do not take the time to study His word and what it is that He teaches and desires us to be. (2 Timothy 2:15) We can't pray for someones life to be changed without expecting some type of major event to happen in their life which brings about that change. We can't pray to avoid a sin without learning to hate that sin. We can't pray for the garden to grow if we refuse to take time to water it. (Matthew 6:6,18, Isaiah 3:10, Luke 8:15)
God let us change the world for your Glory. Amen.
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