Recently, our family business has been slow. Extremely slow. Worrisome slow. So, we have been doing everything in our power to keep things going. Cutting back on every cost we can, both business and personal. No eating out. Buying only necessities. The usual things you do when money is not at a premium. But there are only so many things I can do. Knowing that I serve a God who is REAL, and who is merciful and bestows undeserved grace upon me, I also turned to prayer. Not only that, but I asked my facebook friends to join me in prayer. I did not disclose to them what they were praying for, only that we needed prayer and God's provision. I was brought to tears more than once by the number of responses I received. To those of you who don't pray, and who don't have a personal relationship with God, you are missing out on one of this life's greatest joys. Even in the midst of stress, turmoil, and worry, I had peace. And as hard as it was, I thanked God for the trial we were going through. I had several people message me privately, and I disclosed some details to them so they could pray more directly for what we needed. But I am here to tell you, prayer carries a lot of weight. The following 2 weeks we were so busy, we could barely get all our work done in a day! Of course, we need to be that busy for a few more weeks, and I will trust that God will provide the business for us to do just that.
In all my years of being a Christian, I can truly say that God has never failed me. He hears my prayers for great and wonderful things, as well as for dumb little things I ask for. Do I get everything I pray for? Nope. But after some time has passed and I look back, I can see why the answer was "No." Would I like an easy life with no worries? Of course, who wouldn't? But I am content to have my "needs" met, and not my "wants". And, as usual, even in the middle of a rough time, I still know I am trememdously blessed, much more than I deserve.
I know there are people who don't care for facebook, but it is a really good way to spread the word about something quickly. We recently had a classmate experience some sudden health issues, and facebook was the venue used to spread the word and I am relatively sure this person had at least 5000 people praying for him. God hears our prayers! And there are people who have asked for prayer months ago who I still include in my daily prayers, because you can never have too many people praying for you.
So, is God for real? I would have to answer with a resounding "YES". He is for real. And it is such a comfort to know that whatever your station in life, whatever your circumstance, He is ready to listen and ready to help. Do tragic things still happen? Of course. We are not promised a life of happiness without sorrow or trials. We are promised true joy, peace and the strength and courage to get through whatever life throws at us. So, if you are at a place where you need help beyond what you can do for yourself, God is where you need to be looking!
