It had been a day of prayer...real, believing prayer.
"Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours."
Mark 11:24
It had been a day of confession, repentance, and forgiveness.
"Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed.
The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working."
James 5:16
It was a day filled with petition and lowly yet lofty requests.
"If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you."
John 15:7
Because of God's grace, we sought the Lord...He answered.
"You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you."
John 15:16
When God chooses to answer prayer in very specific and tangible ways, He reminds our feebleness of who He is. Of course, all of heaven and earth is His bounty. He has more than we could ever need spiritually, emotionally, physically. He may not always give us exactly what we want...but to be sure, He always gives us exactly what He knows we need.
"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights
with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change."
James 1:17
In love, our Abba Father responds to our prayers at times with a no, and other times He waits or says yes.
We've learned through many no's the wisdom of God.
His thoughts and ways, after all, dwell high above our own and He longs to teach us contentment in all things.
"Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me."
Philippians 4:11-13
Yesterday, our father God swooped in, answered heartfelt prayers, and proved to us, yet again, just how personal He is.
"And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him."
1 John 5:14-15
We're still waiting on more answers. We have so very far to go!
But, pondering God's thoughtful response to His children yesterday invokes...gratitude, glory and honor to His name!
"Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known."
Jeremiah 33:3
We're still praying...without ceasing so it seems...constant in prayer, deep in need. And yet, filled with hope by the knowing that God, who is rich in mercy, abounding in love...He has a plan and He's working it out for the best version of His story through ours.
"But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us,
even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—
by grace you have been saved—
and raised us up with him and seated us with him
in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace
in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
For by grace you have been saved through faith.
And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,
not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works,
which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."
Ephesians 2:4-10
Yes, God answers prayers. Hallelujah!
"I sought the LORD, and he answered me."
Psalm 34:4
