God never fails to answer our prayers. Sometimes it takes a long time and we don’t always see the fruits, and then sometimes God answers us immediately.
Jesus helps us in the most mysterious ways, but it is always in His perfect timing.
For me, He sends horrible natural disasters. Yes, you read that correctly. There have been multiple instances where storms have answered my prayers (God is so extra). Allow me to share with you an example of what I mean.
It was a Tuesday. The sun was shining, it was 78 degrees outside, and on the outside, everything was good. On the inside, I was a mess.
For the previous three weeks, I had been struggling with getting my college assignments completed. Working full time and attending online college can be quite a juggle. Along with that, I was directing a dinner theater and the performance was that Friday. To top it all off, I had looming deadlines for getting together the biggest event of my little life; my vendor’s table at BookCon.
With all this and more on my mind, I was very overwhelmed. I needed to complete these 3 important projects before the week was over otherwise my grades would plummet. That morning, I said the quick prayer that had been my mantra for the past month: “Please, God, help me get these projects done.” As you can see, the prayer was simple, but God is always listening.
The old saying “Be careful what you wish for; lest you get it” has never been truer to me.
At 4:15 pm that day, I got a call from my sister. She was hysterical crying and begged for me not to drive home yet from work. The winds were whipping, trees came crashing down, and the power was out. Tornadoes were raging through my hometown. After receiving multiple concerned calls from family, I decided to stay put. 5:00pm crept up on me and so did the storm. My coworkers had all left to beat it and I stayed behind to wait it out.
During that time, I wasn’t sure what to do. I wanted to get home but was advised to stay put. So, with the power still on at the office, I did the only thing I could do – Homework. I was at there for 3 hours before it was safe for me to drive home. In that time, I worked on my biggest research assignment. Once I was finished, the roads were cleared and I safely drove home to my powerless, dark town.
You’re probably thinking, That’s great… she got her homework done. Yipee. But that sounds like a terrible storm! Why would she consider this an answer to her prayers?!
Trust me. That storm was dreadful and difficult for most people (my family included). However, the moral of this story is twofold: God is listening and He makes good out of everything.
God is always listening.
Throughout my difficult scheduled moments, God has always made it possible for me to get things done. To some people, this may seem like a small prayer but that makes it even more profound. God listens to our purest and simplest prayers. If He is listening to prayers like mine, imagine what He’s thinking when we have larger requests. Whatever you’re praying for, just have patience. Things happen in God’s time and according to His plan (which is always better).
God makes good out of everything.
Was the storm horrible? Absolutely! I pray that we never get another storm like that here again. Despite the destruction, God made good out of all of it. Not only for me, but for others in my town. The storm brought our community together as we did our best to help each other in this crisis. It gave veteran soldiers work for a few days while they stood in the rain directing traffic beneath powered-down lights. It also gave everyone a greater appreciation for what we have. We realized that in an instant so much could be lost.
As you can see first hand, God is always working in our lives. I find it amazing how God cares so much about me particularly and my simple needs. This is the same for you. God is listening to you. He cares about you so much and loves you with such detail. He would move mountains (and send storms) for you. When we experience hardships and difficulties, He always makes good out of it. With all these things, we just have to trust, be patient, and let Him work in our lives.
Sara Francis is a young Catholic author and media communicator. She is a member of the Array of Hope team and is the author of the YA sci-fi trilogy The Terra Testimonies. She strives to bring Christ’s message to teens through everything she does. If she’s not writing, she’s making music or art. Sara also loves time with friends, French fries, martial arts, and making people smile. To check out her books, visit her author site: www.sara-francis.com. To see her work as a media communicator and more, visit her portfolio: saraannraciti.weebly.com
