Watch for the Answer

I’m totally obsessed with an autobiography that I’m reading. Allow me to explain. In it, the relentlessly honest writer records not only when she prays, but also what. Moreover, she writes what happened next. Some of us would call this a prayer journal, but here’s the kicker. She’s a self-declared unbeliever.

To Answer or Not to Answer

It came as no surprise to me to find that such a person prays—most of us humans do. After all, in the words of my former neighbor when asked why she wanted her baby christened, ‘just in case.’ Astonishingly, sometimes the author recorded that a prayer was answered. Call me naïve, but I still wonder why this lady remained a skeptic.

More often, she wrote that the sky remained dark and empty—no answer was forthcoming. Then, in the very next chapter, she recorded an incident that I would definitely have counted as an answer to her prayer. She didn’t see it. Of course, I’m biased. I was convinced by the truth of Jesus when I was 18 and have looked for answers ever since.

Be Watching

This book is making me ponder how often we pray but don’t recognize or notice the answers. For example, when I get a headache, I usually ask my husband to pray for me. He does, and it most often goes away in minutes. Would it have done so anyway? Well, certainly eventually! Is what happened an answer to prayer? Maybe. And, if I notice the absence of pain, I do thank God.

Do We Know it All?

Or how often do we tell God what’s best for us while we pray? I remember the days when we couldn’t afford a car. We prayed, and someone ‘found’ a vehicle that they weren’t using. They gave it to us, and we christened it ‘Ethel,’ because it was just that old. I told a colleague about what had happened. He also needed a car, so we prayed together. In less than a week, he was also given one equally old. As we stood in the parking lot and admired our cars, I said, “You’d think that the God who owns everything could have sprung for nicer cars.” I guess He was listening. Soon afterward, my in-laws gave us money for a brand-new car, which we eventually sold to put a down payment on our first home. True story.

Even When it Hurts

And then there are the times when God allows something horrible to happen. Sometimes, young parents die, despite the entire church spending months on their knees. All too often, children starve while their parents pray for food. When—you can fill in the blank. I don’t have the answers, but I do know this. Our God is good. He loves us. And, if we pray and look for the answers, it can only be to our benefit.