Giving the Glory for Answered Prayers

Answered prayers very rarely come in the shape and form I expect them to be. Sometime I wonder if they ever turn out as I think they will. There are times when the answered prayer is greater than I could have imagined, other times I find myself thinking, "God, couldn't you have found a better way to make it happen?"

But the important thing is that God does answer our prayers. One of my favorite verses speaks of this: "I love the LORD, because he hath heard my voice and my supplications. Because he hath inclined his ear unto me, therefore will I call upon him as long as I live." Psalms 116:1-2 When God answers my prayers it makes me want to pray even more! It makes me want to give God the glory He deserves, which reminds me of a verse I was reading the other day which said, "Be thou exalted, O God, above the havens: let they glory be above all the earth." Psalms 57:11 That is a lot of glory! If I were to give Him all the glory due to him I wouldn't have time to speak of anything else. "Let thy glory be above all the earth."

Over the past several months I have seen many of my prayers answered. Some were desires that I didn't have the faith to pray for, others were specific request that I asked God to meet. Both were amazing.

A little over a year ago I stated e-mailing a girl named Katie who lives in Pennsylvania. Through the 100+ e-mails we have been encouraged through each others battles and victories and have been able to see each other grow in the Lord as we grew closer together. Ever since last October I have been planning on going to meet her and her family for the first time while they were in North Carolina on vacation. At first I was really excited, but as the time got closer I began to get nervous about driving so far with only my little sister in the car to "protect" me should disaster come. I told Katie about this and she assured me it would be okay if I didn't come, but I really wanted to meet her. I was torn between two decisions.

So I did what I've been taught to do all my life but seldom put to practice. I put it in God's hands. I believe that is the key to prayer: telling God what I need and trusting Him to supply it as He sees fit. If I were to continue to search for an answer myself or try to fix a problem on my own after I have prayed about it, I haven't really given God the chance to answer my prayer. So I didn't do that this time. I left everything up to God.

A few weeks later I heard that our church was going to Bible camp in Pennsylvania. Now honestly, my first thought wasn't "Oh, I can meet Katie while I'm there!" No, I thought the same thing that most girls of my status would. "Hmm, maybe I'll meet a nice young man up there!" Followed by, "Lord please forgive me for my vain thoughts, I know you'll send me a man right when I'm not expecting it." ☺I didn't say that I trust God all the time, now did I?

I felt God impressing on my heart to go to this camp. Without God's "nudging" I probably wouldn't have left my job for a whole week based on my own wants especially when I didn't even know if my younger sibling were going. But since I felt Got telling me it was okay to go, I signed up right away. It wasn't until the next day that I realized Katie and I might be able to meet. In a few short days we had the place and time picked and we were counting down the days!

Here's the great part: Not only did I get to spend 2 wonderful hours with Katie in Pennsylvania, but I also got to go to the most amazing Bible camp with my siblings and church family and experience God's presence in a whole new way and watch Him move in so many people's lives. I prayed for a way to meet Katie without having to travel by myself and I ended up spending a whole week going to church twice a day and falling even deeper in love with my Savior right there with my brothers and sisters who were doing the same thing!Later I found out that Katie and her family are no longer going to take vacation in North Carolina, so if God hadn't worked it out for me to go to camp I might not have met her at all this year. I expected God to give me only what I had prayed for and he more than tripled the blessing! My expectation was so low, yet he proved to me that He does answer my prayers and in a way that I could never have planned myself.

So now we're home from camp and energized more than ever! All the youth in our church are eager to see God move and God is doing just that. So Bethany and I decided to start having a Bible study once a week at home. But even in the midst of all the excitement, having that study time doesn't always look easy. We've had a three day revival last week, my room is in serious need of dusting, we were invited to a game night at a friends house, and I still haven't written in my journal about the week of camp. So this morning as I walked out the door on the way to work I whispered, "LORD, please help me find time to prepare for Bible study." Once I was at my desk answering phones, typing as fast as I could, and helping my co-workers find emergency room charts, I didn't give my hurried prayer any thought. Then mama called. None of my brothers and sisters wanted to go to our friends house for game night so mama and daddy were the only ones going and since the game we all love to play requires an even number of people, I wouldn't be able to join the fun. I was disheartened. I wanted to go, but under the circumstances the only thing I would be able to do is sit there and watch. So I said I would stay home with my brothers and sisters and let the adults have a fun night.

Then God so gently reminded me of my prayer for time. What better time to study than when mama and daddy are away and my brothers and sisters are watching a moving with brownies and ice-cream? Yes, I wanted to play games with our friends but obviously God thought I needed to stay home and study. After all, I did pray for it.

Even though that is not the way I wanted God to give me more time He should still receive the glory for answering another one of my prayers. And if he chooses to answer another (like I know He will) I will give him the glory for that one too no matter what the outcome is. For if He is to be glorified above all the earth I still have a lot of  praising to do, but plenty to praise Him for!

What's Next?

This is a qutoe from an article titled "What's Next?" I wrote in October of 2007.

Have you ever wondered why God doesn’t let us know what is ahead? What would it harm?


Imagine if he did tell us everything we ever wanted to know. I think we would start to think that we didn’t need him anymore. God knows we need him, so he puts us in a position where we are afraid to walk without him. I like to picture our life’s journey as a child walking with their Father down a dark path, for truly, this is a dark world filled with sin. The Father only gives enough light for us to see right in front of us, so we cling to his hand for guidance and support. If we were to see the path all the way to the end, with all the holes, stumps, and sticks that try to bring us down, we could run ahead of our Father and may be able to avoid some of the obstacles, but in the end our life would not be meaningful. But when we come upon a fork in the road we will have to make a choice on which road to take. If we had stayed with our Father, he would have been right there to help us. But we choose to walk on our own, and now we have to search for God, or choose on our own.

We will always want to know what lies in the future, but God my never tell us what is next until we get there. For now all we can do is trust him and take it one step at a time. For “it is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.” Acts 1:7

His Ways: Part II

So here we are about to do something that seems impossible and unattractive in almost every way. We constantly ask God, "Are you sure? Am I hearing you right?" and every time God patiently answers, "Yes."


Now obeying God has become hard and it seems like we are going through a storm. Thankfully, the scripture doesn't stop at verse 9. Verse 10 says, "For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it being forth the bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it."



Now what does rain have to do with God's ways and man's ways? Why did God mention this next? I often wonder what man thought the first time it rained? (After the first rain that created the flood.) They might have thought that it was a nuisance, something that disrupted their work and caused their progress to be delayed. Maybe they had something outside that they didn't want to get wet and was now ruined. If it were up to man, (not knowing the bennefits of rain) he might wish it never happened again. But God's ways are not man's ways, neither are man's thoughts as God's thoughts. God knows we need rain, and even though we may not like it at the time, in the long run we will be glad it did rain because it brings forth new growth.



God's word is like the rain. We may not want it at times, but after the rain comes the buds, the seeds, and finally, the bread that we live by. Most of the time we can't see the whole picture. His thoughts are as high as the heavens and ours are so shallow! But God's word will always bring forth something good. It will always accomplish that which he pleases. It doesn't matter if we don't understand. It is so encouraging to be reminded that God's word will acomplish that which he pleases. It is almost as if God is saying, "Don't worry. It will work out just as I planned."

So we go on following his lead. We have faith. We trust.

"As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is tried; he is a buckler to all of those that trust in Him." II Samuel 22.31

His Ways: Part I

This is an artical that I wrote about 7 months ago but didn't know if I'd ever publish it. After reading it tonight I thought I'd change a few things and post it. This really encouraged me, I hope it encourages you too.



"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:8-9

Lately God has been showing me the meaning of this verse through circumstances in my life. So many times when we read verses such as this we tend to apply it to shallow things. For example, There was a time when I wanted a job working for a pediatric in a nearby town. The interview didn't go well and the doctor never called me back. While this seemed awful, I now realize that God had other plans for me and the place I am working at now is much better than the one I really wanted. I can see how my ways are not God's ways.

But that wasn't a hard test for me. Many people have to go months searching for a job and I can't say that I was exactly desperate for a job since I was still living at home and driving a car that is payed off. That was not an impossible situation.

What about the big things in life? Is this verse still true when it comes to life changing matters such as moving to a place that seems like the worst place in the whole world? (Just a side note: we are not moving and haven't even thought about moving! This is simply an example.) If God were to tell us to move far away from our family, our church, and the place we have lived all our life, to a town we aren't even interested in . . . what should our attitude be? Of course we would say, "Lord, this doesn't make sense! I can see no reason whatsoever why we should move! It just isn't realistic!" But God's word is still true. "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways may ways, saith the LORD." After all, isn't this exactly what God told Abraham to do? I'm sure Abraham didn't understand why God wanted him to leave his home and family to go where God told him to. But he did it anyways.

Sometimes obeying God doesn't make any sense. In fact, it can seem embarrassing and impossible! But God is all wise and knows exactly what we need.

To be continued . . .

Evening Thoughts

When my heart is so full with questions, doubts, and fears, it is so nice to be able to pour it all out to God! Today I visited a friend's blog, trying to get my mind off of all the unwanted thoughts that keep coming back. When I heard her music start softly my soul was refreshed. "I hear the sound of a mighty rushing wind, and it's closer now then it's ever been. I can almost hear the trumpet as Gabriel sounds the chord. At the midnight cry, we'll be going home!"

My two thoughts tonight are these:

• I don't know what I would do without a God to cast all my cares upon.
• Sometimes it takes heavenly thoughts to get your mind off of earthly struggles.

Sarah's Laugh

This evening I was reminded again of Sarah's story. The story of God's faithfulness to keep His promise to her and Abraham has always been very special to me, something I hope to see in my life one day.

Tonight I read the passage where three men came to Abraham and told him Sarah would bear him a child like they have always wanted. After waiting so long for a dream that seemed would never come to pass, God has now reassured them again that they would have a child even in their old age.

Sarah laughed. I believe that she laughed not only because she and her husband were old, but because she couldn't see God fulfilling His promise. You see, Sarah and Abraham had already been told by God that she would have a son, and I believe she believed Him with everything that was within her. She wanted a child so bad she was willing to believe anything and grasp on to any little glimpse of hope. But that was long ago.

With every year that passed she began to doubt more and more. Little by little the dream she so badly wanted God to fulfill now seemed impossible. I can just imagine what the devil was telling her. "So God's going to give you a child, huh? He sure is taking his time, isn't he? How long are you going to wait? Maybe that wasn't God's voice after all." No doubt she thought about those words often. It really didn't seem like God was fulfilling His promise. Yes, I can see why Sarah laughed.

Then one of the three men said unto Abraham, "Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old? Is anything to hard for God?" (Gen. 18.13) Wow! What a great question! Is anything to hard for God? Obviously Sarah's problem wasn't too big for God to take care of because Sarah did bear Abraham a child just as God had promised.

Now I doubt there are any 90 year old women reading this article that are still praying to have a child, but sometimes our problems do seem that big. Is it too big for God to handle? Are you laughing at God by not having faith in His power? Before you answer these questions think about how your actions speak, for they have already answered.

Later in this story we see that Sarah is laughing again. "And Sarah said, God hath made me to laugh, so that all that hear will laugh with me." (Gen. 21.6) This time Sarah is not laughing at God or because she is doubtful. This time she is laughing because of the joy God had given her. Those years of trusting, believing, doubting, struggling, seeking God with tears, and waiting, had strengthened Sarah and made the birth of her son Isaac so much more wonderful! She witnessed a very rare miracle that God performed through her! It was not an easy road to travel and Sarah and Abraham both made their mistakes, but God was faithful to fulfill His promise even when it seemed impossible, and the benefits were amazing!

If you are going through a similar situation in your own life, remember what the man asked Sarah, "Is anything to hard for God?" I know without a doubt Sarah would tell you, No! Nothing is to hard for God.

"And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God." Luke 18:27

Setting Aside

Wow! Has it really been 10 days since I posted anything? I have to be honest . . . I have really become relaxed lately. Maybe too relaxed. After 5 years I quit publishing Looking Heavenward, a magazine for young Christian girls. That has really taken a load off of my mind and has freed me up to look unto other things God may want me to focus on.


Another posotive in my life is how well college is going. (Did I mention that I went back to online college for Medical Billing?) It is going a lot better then it did at first! I am starting to understand it more so I don't dread studying so much and now I can actually see myself getting somewhere.


So what have I been doing while I wasn't blogging? I've actually been doing a lot of reading, something I haven't done faithfully in a long time. Heaven Without Her by Kitty Forth-Regner is about a women who, after her mothers death, is trying to discover what was so wonderful about her mother's faith in God. The first 5 chapters have been very interesting and insightful!


For the past few weeks I have been weighed down with worrying about something that is not in my controll and may not even be in my near future. When I put it that way it sounds really silly, but at the time I thought this was something that I really needed to figure out. I didn't realize how much this was weighing me down until last night when I finally layed it at Jesus' feet and decided not to worry about it. Today I have had a surprizingly good day which caused me to look back and wish I had done this sooner! I often wonder if I will ever come to a point in my life that I will always cast my burdens on Christ because of past experiances. As for right now, I know that God can take care of everything (like He's done before) but I still want to hold onto things that are precious to me. I don't completley trust Him. Right now I feel vicotrious for giving up those things that did not belong to me, but I know that I will fall again and take hold of things that will only weigh me down. But for now I am going to try to run the race with all diligence!


"Wherefor seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin wich doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the reace that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the crosss, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand ofthe throne of God." Hebrews 12:1-2

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This weekend I bought the Pride and Prejudice piano book, with music written from the 2005 edition of P & P : )

Going Through the Storm with Jesus

I don't know what it's like to come out of an awful life changing storm victoriously singing praising to God, but it must be the most wonderful feeling on earth.

Thoughts on Fear

I have low self esteem. My constant mistakes and thoughtless actions remind me of how low I am. In my flesh is no good thing.

Some times I am fearful. I become afraid that I wont be able to accomplish certain tasks, though actually . . . this is reality. On my own I can't do anything good. Yet sometimes in those times of dread I forget that with Christs' strength I can do all things. As a follower of an Almighty God who has the power to do all things, I have no need to fear.

I am so glad that all I have to do is trust and acknowledge Him and he will direct my paths!

"Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you." ~ 1 Peter 5:7

God's Will is Perfect

From the time I was entering the teenage years I began to find an interest in Christian magazines such as Hope Chest and Stepping in the Light. The articles in these magazines were written to help young girls before marriage. Over and over I read about girls who saw that even though they were certain that they knew what they were going to do, God had other plans. They finally came to realize that only God knows what the future holds.

Reading this for years made me think that I wouldn't make the same mistake because I knew better. Now as I sit here at my desk thinking about the past two years, I see that I was so wrong. Even though I didn't realize it at the time, I was just like the other girls. I suppose we all have to experiance it for ourself to really understand what it is to trust God.

I just knew that God was going to let things work out the way I thought they would. Everything seemed to be going so well, it seemed that God was answering my prayers, and all the puzzle pieces were coming together. Everything seemed perfect in my eyes and I gave God the glory for it.

Over the past month I have seen all my dreams vanish. All of a sudden everything changed and my dreaming came to a halt. Out of all the ways my story could have went, this was not how I ever expected it to go. I was left confused, afraid to dream. I didn't plan this.

Now I see that this is all part of God's plan for my life. If things had went as I wanted them too I would have been in a mess. My Lord knew that my plan was not the best for me so He graciousely and lovingly took my dreams away. Now am trying to live day by day, asking God what He wants me to do. Which reminds me that as Paul said in Romans 8:26, "Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered." Perhaps the wisest prayer we could ever pray is "Nevertheless not my will, oh Lord, but thine be done."

Even though this is not how I was hoping things would turn out, I can clearly see that this is God's will and truly His will is good, perfect, and acceptable.

"And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." Romans 12:2

A Lesson in Trust

In the spring of this year I started college course in the area of Medical Coding at a technical college near my home. After two quarters, the college stopped offering this course and I was left with no choice but to take online classes through another college. I had taken an online class before so I had no problem with this. I signed up for two classes (a computer class and keyboarding class) and continued in my next step toward earning my Technical Certificate. I had no idea what was in store for me.

From the very first week I had problems. I was mistakenly enrolled into two of the exact same classes but with different teachers, and was left wondering which class I was supose to use. In both my computer and keyboarding class I was presented with the wrong syllabus (course guideline) which means I had the wrong information. That was only the first week.

From there I had continuous problems from not being able to take my exams because of a computer problem, to waiting 3 weeks longer than normal for a CD that was suppose to help me, to loosing 4 page documents which took me an hour to type. I never knew a single college quarter could be filled with so many problems. I began to feel very small when I had to e-mail my instructors with excuses nearly every week. My greatest fear was that my next quarter would be the same. I was scared to death! At one point I even tried to find another technical college around that offered Medical Coding, but mama wisely talked me out of that.

The last unfortunate event really discouraged me. Again, I began complaining to myself of everything that went wrong. In tears I cried, “Lord, why haven’t you helped me with this? Why has it been so hard for me?” Then a verse came to my mind. “Casting all your cares upon him; for he careth for you.” (I Peter 5.7) This whole time I hadn’t really put all my burdens in God’s hand. I found out that there is a difference between casually praying for God to help me with my college classes and earnestly trusting God to help me. God just wanted me to hand it all over to Him with the faith of a child. But instead I chose to handle it myself and stress over my lack of my ability to do so. This quarter would have been so much easier if I had sought God’s help from the beginning because my Lord would have helped me with the burdens.

This quarter has definitely been a learning experience . . . the hard way! Because I was so stubborn, it took nine weeks for me to figure out what God was trying to teach me. By then my quarter was almost over! After that night more problems arose, but I didn’t get discouraged because I knew that God was going to make things work out. Now I am in the last week of college and I think I am going to pass. (Yippee!) And now I am not afraid of upcoming quarters. I am ready to face them with all of Gods strength . . . not my own!

“My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” II Corinthians 12.9