We’ve been encouraged a few times to start recording when God answers prayers, and for whatever reason, our multiple attempts have all fizzled out or been lost along the way. It is really regrettable though, as these stories can be so encouraging not only to us (especially when life isn’t going as planned), but to others as well.
That being said, this post is dedicated to bragging on God! He has been showing Himself so faithful, and though I say those words frequently, there is something in the specifics that make the truth so much more convincing. My hope is that as the days go by, this post will inspire my brain to remember those times in the past when God moved clearly in our lives, as well as remind others of their experiences with God! Let the encouragement abound!
I’ll start with the most recent, since that has been on my mind the most:
The date was March 31, 2014. Once again, we were facing the prospect of moving in with family, and to save stress on both sides, we were trying to find somewhere that would both fit our family and our budget. My hometown is less than 3000 people, and the list of apartment buildings in the area is quite short. I had told my parents to keep their eyes open for any openings, but was wary about getting my hopes up. We prayed about it maybe twice, since I felt like it wasn’t a “top-priority” prayer (it wasn’t like we didn’t have somewhere to go, it was just inconvenient). The next day, I got a text from my dad, who happens to be a landlord, saying that he had an opening:
We will be able to move in the end of April (just a couple weeks after our move to Wisconsin!) The building is in a wonderful location, close to my parents and the park, with ministry opportunities right in the building! Though it is small, it has two bedrooms, and the lack of space to spread will limit how much we collect before leaving for the field (That always seems to happen! We can’t be the only one who always moves out of a space with more than we moved in with- You all know what I’m talking about!)
It will be such a blessing to have our own space, one where we can child-proof to our hearts delight, invite guests over without checking others’ schedules, and have at-home date nights without random family members at home (not that we don’t love and appreciate them!) God is just so sweet, willing and wanting to give all good gifts as our loving Father! (Even things we don’t “need”)`
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This next answered prayer is ongoing, and will be as long as we live, I’m sure. We had lately been feeling particular pressure to be setting a Godly example for living in front of our kids, particularly in bringing the Lord as a reality into their everyday lives, and also going about memorizing scripture regularly in a way that excited them and wasn’t just something we were forcing on them. Without looking for it, we found a local church that had an AWANA program going! Milo loves going, and almost daily is coming to us asking to work on his verses or read another lesson (of which there are quite a few to work on, since he has a few months worth to make up). Not only is he memorizing verses, but he is learning about God in life through his lessons, and LOVING it!
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When we flew to California, we bought one-way tickets with the hopes that we would be able to find a vehicle for sale to drive back to Wisconsin- one that would fit the whole family and everything that went with it. These dreams, we discovered, were exactly that: dreams. Turns out vehicles in California are not cheaper than in Wisconsin; not by a long shot. God had that worked out too, turns out. Rhett’s dad had a van that he used for different projects and hauling and whatnot, and generously allowed us to use it until we leave for the field! Not only that, soon after we began using it, it started sputtering and stalling, forcing us to leave it almost three weeks in the shop (during which we were able to use Rhett’s sister’s vehicle- yet another answered prayer!). Because of this, a problem that we could have had on the drive home was dealt with while only causing minor inconvenience. By the time we need to drive cross-country, she should be in tip-top shape!
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One other prayer answered that I wanted to mention was one that everyone might not be able to relate with, but is dear to my heart because it shows how much the Father knows about my innermost self, and how He takes care of the little (and big!) things before we even voice the concern to Him. Some of you might not know this, but I am an introvert at heart. It takes me a long time to make deep and lasting relationships, and unless I’ve had significant doses of caffeine, I have a hard time throwing myself into conversations with people I don’t know. I can often be sociable for a little while, if I know most of the people, and even then I usually need a nap afterwards! Rhett is much better at this than I am, but without him, I’m pretty sure I’d be perfectly satisfied to be a hermit. I’d probably turn into a crazy cat lady. Seriously.
Anyways, God knew this about me, and knew that He had more for my life than crazy cat lady-dom. I had been dreading this time of support-raising, knowing that my comfort zone fell well short of meeting new people constantly and then sharing ministry plans with them. Looking back, I can see God preparing me for this time even through the last couple semesters, as we were taken out of our comfortable class that we loved and thrown into a new class (which turned out to also be amazing!) where we had to make new friendships. He is so good to us! This time has been such a blessing- never in my life have I met so many new people that became friends so quickly as in these past months! He has been majorly equipping me for this task we’re in right now, and that was before I even thought to ask Him about it!
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Ooh! I thought of one more that I wanted to throw in before posting this! Really quick- The kids have had to go to many different churches in the past couple months, and have been SO GOOD with meeting new people and being willing to go to new Sunday schools all the time! They have been so flexible, and have relieved Rhett and I of the added stress that would have come with kids who struggled each week to venture into new places!
I’m sure as the days go by we will think of more answers to prayer, and hopefully we’ll remember to post them! In the mean time, if you think of any, leave them in the comments! It is always a great thing when believers can come together and praise God for His hand in our lives!!
Jenn C. says
So happy to see such answered prayer! God is good. Safe trip back to WI! Hope the magic van makes your trip even better! We will miss you in Lakeside!