Power of Prayer

Let go and Let God...I never fully understood what that meant...ok maybe I did, but I didn't know how to do it. I always thought that "giving 'it' (what 'it' means) to God meant just asking for His help, but knowing you'd have to do it on your own anyway, just that now you'd have a helper...this is partially true. I mean, you can't just sit back and do nothing in all circumstances...For example, I'm unemployed. I can say I'm waiting on God to give me a job, but I can't sit at home, not look for work, and not make any effort to put my name out there, and expect to just get a job. God works in mysterious ways, and He does open doors, but it is up to you whether or not you want to walk through those doors.

As I posted earlier, I have finally given up on trying to make my family the way it was in the past. I was raised in a solid Christian home, and I'm thankful for that. But over the last two years, I've been striving, in my own strength, and failing miserably, to fix a broken family. My prayers had become nothing more than postcards to God, just keeping Him updated on all I was trying to do...giving Him that old, "Wish You Were Here!" greeting...

Well, Praise God, Who knows the desires of our hearts. Our prayers do not expire! So many times I say a prayer, leave it alone, forget I had even asked for it, and then out of nowhere, God answers! He has a way of answering new, recent, old, forgotten and not yet even prayed for prayers in one miracle. Have you ever thought how many blessings we've received without even having to ask for them? God did this over the weekend.

Saturday evening, my grandmother and I were working out how to get her to church and back. This was my sunday for childcare, and we had no Bible Study this week, so no matter which way we went, she may have had to stay twice...while we were figuring this out, my dad said, "I'll take her, or bring her back...or maybe I'll surprise both of you and just show up and stay myself!" I tried to conceal the fact that my heart skipped a beat at hearing this, but my dad noticed, and asked why I'd jumped. I simply told him that this had been something that had been on my heart for months....partial truth...it'd actually been for years...but years are made up of months, right?...

And so, miracle of miracles, my dad darkened the door of the church. He has not been back into our family church in about 4 years...and I had honestly begun to believe it wouldn't happen. But with the prayers of many rising up to God, something stirred in my father's heart and compelled him to give it another go. I'm not sure what this may lead to, but I can tell you that the miracle has already begun. And it wasn't until I stopped trying to fix things myself, that he came, of his own volition, without any feelings of being forced, into the church.

So please, everyone, continue to pray that his heart would continue to be changed, softened towards others, and to his Heavenly Father.

One thing I've learned once again from this, is that God will answer our prayers, in His way, in His time.

Praise Him!!!!!!