God hears our prayers and responds in time
“Do not be afraid, Daniel. For the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them.”
— Daniel 1012 (NIV)
A small plaster plaque sits amid my family photographs that reads. “Prayer Changes Things.” I placed it there to remind myself that I am to lift my loved ones to God in prayer and place them in his hands.
As I have put the words of this plaque into practice, I’ve seen the mighty hand of God at work. His awesome power delivered one of my sons from a critical head injury caused by a near fatal accident. He has opened doors for employment opportunities when it seemed all hope was gone, and he’s even restored relationships for my whole family.
As I continue to practice the words “Prayer Changes Things,” I’m able to see that one of the things it changes is my attitudes, fears and insecurities. I would add to this plaque the words “In His Time,” for an instant answer isn’t always received from a prayer request.
We can see from God’s response to Daniel that the response was in the works from the first day that he set his mind to prayer. There’s been many times that I’ve prayed for weeks, months or years before receiving an answer. But going back to the verse in Daniel, I like to remind myself that God has heard me and is sending an answer to my petition.
It’s not important where or when we pray, but that we pray. It does help to be in a place that is quiet so that we can listen for God’s voice and receive answers to our prayers. Also, taking our Bible along when we pray sometimes leads us to a passage of Scripture that might just be the answer to our request.
I once broke my “Prayer Changes Things” plaque. As I swept the fragmented pieces off the floor I felt like I was sweeping up the pieces of my heart. I frantically shopped all over to find another one just like it, but my search ended in disappointment.
However, a few years later, I received an identical replacement for it as a gift from a friend. This took me by surprise, because she had no knowledge of my previous one. But God knew, and I believe this gift was his affirmation to me regarding the importance of prayer.
• Annettee Budzban is a Christian author of the book “Letters To A Friend,” speaker, life and writing coach and nurse. She can be contacted at annetteebudzban@aol.com.