Do you pray? And I mean to a God in Heaven who is sitting on His throne and knows absolutely everything that is going on with your life and knows the outcome even when you don’t. Do you pray in earnest or half heartedly, never quite believing you are being heard? Are any of your prayers answered? Are they answered in the way you thought they would be or should have been answered?
Our God is hard to understand sometimes. I know He loves everyone and wants no one to perish. He feels our pain and knows our futures. He has a plan for our lives, but it’s up to us to figure out what it is. Most times we work against that plan whether we know it or not.
This last month I’ve had a reason to pray in earnest for several things. There are some things and some people I pray for daily. Some of those prayers have been answered and some I am still waiting upon. I was in the hospital a couple of weeks ago and I was praying continuously. Late at night in the hospital bed, I would ask God to keep me company and I would sing hymns silently to myself because I felt so lonely and scared. I didn’t know what was happening to my body and really wondered if my life on earth was coming to an end. I was all for it if it was, because I knew to die was just the beginning of my eternity, but I was still scared. I knew there were many people who were praying for me and believe me, I felt those prayers.
I really did not know my prayers had been answered in a very remarkable way until I got home. You see, my blood pressure had been soaring and my heart rate had been falling and the doctors didn’t know what to do about it for a couple of days. They took me off all my medications and started all over. Nothing good happened until one day they tried this one medicine and my blood pressure fell dramatically and my heartrate went up. I was also taken off one medicine that had been making me sick to my stomach for several weeks. Suddenly, I felt so much better. Now since I have been home and have seen my cardiologist and gotten a good report, I have felt better than I have felt for months. I didn’t even realize I had been feeling badly before other than being short of breath at times. Now I have so much energy and feel so much better. Was I unhappy I spent my vacation in the hospital? Yes. Did God answer my prayers for good health? He surely did. He just did it in a way I wasn’t planning. I knew I was in the hospital for a reason and that one day I would know that reason. It’s possible if I had not gone to that clinic that day and been hospitalized, I may still be feeling very unwell. I might even be dead. God works in mysterious ways. Why He made me miss Walt Disney World, He will have to explain to me one day. By then I won’t care. I’m just saying God answered my prayers in a way I would never expected and in a way I would not have picked out myself, but He knew what I needed. Perhaps I needed to be placed in that very hospital to slow myself down and let others figure out what was wrong with me. I pray for all those ladies and that one young man who took care of me while I was in there. I will think about another young young man who had trouble taking my blood and then joked he had used the wrong vials and would have to do it all over. When I looked upset about it he said, “just kidding!” The young woman from Puerto Rico who was so sweet and gentle and patient with all my questions. The Haitian lady who told me about all the horrible things happening in her native land and how her church sends clothes and shoes to people there who have none. The lady who always had a smile on her face. Even the doctor who didn’t act very doctor like to me. They all touched me in some way and I would never have met them if I hadn’t been placed in that hospital.
God taught me patience while I was in the hospital also. Now that I look back on it, I’m pretty happy with myself how patient I was because there were times I wanted to throw a tantrum like a baby! God must have been working on me.
So I am here to tell you, God does answer prayer. I even find myself thanking Him for putting me in that particular hospital. Only He knew that is where I would find health once more. Never give up praying. Whether it’s for yourself or someone else. Whether it’s for your circumstances or something you want. If you really pray in God’s will, He will answer your prayer. Maybe not like you think He should, but He will answer it in the way that is best for you. Sometimes unanswered prayers are the answer. Not now, He is telling you.
So my prayer for all reading this is that you take your troubles and worries and also your praise to God. He’s listening. He loves you. He wants what’s best for you. God bless you. Bye.
That hospital stay was a blessing for you. It is amazing how medication can mess us up rather than help us. I rarely pray for myself but often do for others. But I have had others who prayed for me be answered in a big way.
I was in a hospital waiting for the cath lab for a stent. It was busy and I started having really bad chest pains. My friend badgered the nurses to help me but they said they could to nothing till the lab cleared.
It was then I saw her with her head down and hands clasped. She was praying hard for me and the pains eased just before they came to get me for the stent. Her prayers were answered.
Love hearing stories like this and am glad you are all right. Just knowing someone is praying for you helps a lot of the time. My church family were amazing and are great prayer warriors.