Day 1387 – Staycation Day 4 – Answered Prayers, In The Weirdest Ways

In my small group at church, we’re going through a really great book, Listening for God.

Here’s a few quotes…

“Scripture repeatedly mentions that God hears our prayers (provided we are free from any known sin). He may not always answer them and, in his sovereignty, do what is best.”
Listening for God – Marilyn Hontz

“For the Lord will not cast off forever, but, though he cause grief, he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love; for he does not willingly afflict or grieve the children of men.”
Lamentations 3:31-33

“But truly God has listened; he has attended to the voice of my prayer. Blessed be God, because he has not rejected my prayer or removed his steadfast love from me!”
Psalm 66:19-20

Last year, I was in a really dark place. I had no idea what a challenge it would be to do photography full time. How scary it would be. And honestly, how unprepared I was. I would pray every day for more weddings…for more money…to have joy again. I questioned if I was doing the right thing by quitting my job. I went about 6 months without booking anything new.

Looking back, I realize that God DID answer my prayer, just not in the way I expected. He caused me to go through a long drought of no bookings and getting down on myself to help me realize how much I didn’t know…but also how good He was. I needed to be in a place where I was able to say “I’d like this…but your will, not my own.” Once I seemed to grasp this, it was like the floodgates opened. I booked a few weddings back to back and our bills were being paid down.

I can also see how God was preparing us for when Bret lost his job. If we hadn’t gone through what we did, Bret losing his job would have been a terrible time for us. Instead, we trusted and he found work in less than a week.

So take heart, if you have been praying for something for a while and your prayer just isn’t being answered, trust that God is much wiser than you. He knows your wants, but he cares more about your needs. He loves you and that may be why he hasn’t answered your prayer yet…or in the way you want.

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