The Power of Prayer

It has really been an up and down week. We've been on "vacation" - doing things around the house, trying to catch up on school work (unsuccesfully), and enjoying some time together. That has been very nice!!

But, we've had some not so great things happen which have been very discouraging. It started out with the 4-wheeler and generator being stolen. A few other incidents occurred over the course of the week (won't go into specifics) and the final straw was yesterday. Mark had bought a replacement generator, brought it home, and it wouldn't work. He called the store Friday evening and was told bring it in, no problem - it would be replaced. Yesterday, he took it back to the store where he was told he could NOT exchange it. He called to tell me this and it really upset me. To spend $400 on a generator we can't use is not something we can afford right now. After hanging up the phone, I started crying and then decided that maybe instead of just crying I should pray. I poured out my heart to God, told Him that I was feeling so discouraged after everything that had happened this week. That I know Mark and I are very blessed in our lives and that I wasn't complaining, but that I felt like the devil was working overtime focusing on us. I asked God to intervene on our behalf.

No more than 2 minutes after I finished my prayer, the phone rang. It was the manager of the store calling to say that there had been miscommunication. He asked if I could reach Mark and have him to return to the store. They would exchange the generator!! :)

Now, this in itself was proof that God listens to our concerns and responds. However, something else happened that made it even more precious to me. Two of my classmates are experiencing some VERY tragic situations right now in their personal lives. I found out about these circumstances on Friday and Saturday evening and have been praying for them since then.

When I think about God, who cares for Audrey and Kerri (my classmates) - and meeting their great needs, mine seem very insignificant in comparison. They are not matters of life or death. However, God reminds me that every prayer is important to Him and that He wants us to come to Him in everything. So... when you question whether you should "bother" God with a small matter, I encourage you to remember that no problem is too small to take to Him. Even if He doesn't answer the way you hope, it doesn't mean that He doesn't care - just that He has a different plan for you!