Answers to My Prayers

As I write this, I'm using my new-to-me MacBook Pro that was given to me!!

It's a little older, and has a few scratches...but it works! I'm so stinkin' excited about it. There are a few things that need to be taken care of...and it will cost us a little money, but I will have a very nice computer in a few days.

It needs to be upgraded. Newer programs won't work with the old whatchamacallit. So, we're going to upgrade the operating system. Currently, the battery is non-existent...Literally it doesn't even recognize that there is a battery on this thing. If it gets unplugged, that's it. It's off and no longer working. So, for a small investment, we're going to get a new battery for it.

I really can't explain how excited I am to have this computer. To know that God cares about the details of my life enough to listen to my prayers for things I want...and to use a generous friend to give it to me.

I almost feel convicted (guilty) after getting it because I don't think I took my own prayers serious enough - like when Lee had the first truck given to him (yes, he's had 2 trucks given to us!!). I knew knew knew that we couldn't afford a new truck. I would be driving to the cafe and say, "Lord, if Lee's going to get a truck, You're going to have to give him one because You know we can't afford to pay for one." Lee had been driving around a tiny car - he called it the "Mancart," and I knew how badly he wanted a truck, but there was no way that we could get one. So, I called this my flippant prayer because I don't know if I really believed what I was saying. It was like it was half-hearted. But He was listening to me. He answered that prayer. He answered my prayer for a Mac. And He's answered countless other prayers, too.

We have already started teaching Bella about praying for others as well as herself. We began praying for our friends the Buckels to get a house. Every night as we would tuck Bella into bed, we would pray for their family to get a house. If you ask Bella today, "What do we pray for the Buckels?" she would say, "a house." God answered that prayer - not at all in the way that we expected Him to, but He did. They have a house in Mississippi where they will be pioneering a Chi Alpha there.

One night, as we were praying, I didn't pray for everything/everyone we normally pray for. We had just started praying for my mom's health, and Bella said, "Pray for Meme to feel better." It was so sweet. The next morning I called my mom to tell her that Bella prayed for her, and my mom said that her back was already starting to feel better! That's awesome! Now anytime Bella gets hurt, she'll come to me and say, "Mommy, pray for my leg(or whatever it is that hurts) to get better....and kiss it." She does the same for Brennan! If he falls over in his attempt to stand up, she will go over to him, put her hand on his head, say "I pray for Brennan's head to feel better," and then kiss it and say "It's all better!"

I want Bella to grow up with faith and expectation that God is going to answer her prayers. And I want her to learn that if He doesn't answer them the way that we think He should, He's still doing something - like with the Buckel's house.

God amazes me because He's so relational. He wants us to have a relationship with Him, and He wants us to have relationships with others too. We never have to feel alone in our journey of life because He is with us, and He allows us to walk along with other people too! As we take our requests for ourselves and each other to Him, He hears us and is working on our behalf. It may not be what we expected or how...but Romans 8:28 says, "All things work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose."