"Help my husband see that he is driving too fast." This was the prayer in my mind to God as we were traveling back home after a holiday weekend away at friends. I expected God to answer it by just opening my husband's eyes to the dangers and he, then, deciding to slow down, but that is not the way God chose to work it out. I was as surprised as my husband when a siren and flashing lights appeared behind us and a Highway Patrolman approached us while writing out a ticket.
Some time later in my life as a mother of four children under the age of nine, I became aware of a need for patience. I prayed for patience and I expected to all of a sudden to awake one morning and have the patience of Job, but that is not the way God chose to work it out. Some months later I found myself pregnant with the fifth child and I got mad at God, not associating my condition as an answer to my prayer for patience. But this wonderful gift of number five did help develop patience in me.
Several weeks ago I became aware of the smallness of my heart and I asked God to enlarge my heart. I had no idea of what to expect from this request except for God to help me be more concerned and caring about others. Then, on Christmas day, I sensed the need to ask God to heal my hearing because I had noticed some limitations hearing sounds. I expected God to do a miraculous thing and I would wake up one morning with full hearing capacity. But, that is not the way God chose to work it out.
The day after Christmas, my son-in-law invited me to go shooting with him and my grand daughter and her finance to an indoor shooting range. I had not shot a pistol in several years and I was delighted to go. Ear protection was worn and I did pretty good hitting the target in the bulls-eye twice and in the nine and eight range. As I removed the ear protection, there was a distinct difference in my hearing. Everything sounded muffled and muted and I had a problem. My first thought went to the prayer I had prayed just the day before. Is this the answer God is giving me - just the opposite of my request?
There was no anger this time because I know God is good and have experienced His loving kindness many times over the years, but it was hard to wrap my head around the condition I found myself in. I need good hearing at work and just communicating with others, not to mention listening to sermons and TV and the phone. I managed to get safely home through airports and the next day made an appointment with a doctor specializing in hearing. It was determined that there had been some loss prior to the "range" incident and the loudness had just exasperated my condition. I needed hearing aids.
The loss is a negative, humanly speaking. The expense is a negative, humanly speaking. It could be considered a serpent instead of a fish, humanly speaking. It would be so easy to look at this incident in a humanly way. It would be natural, but I am not just a natural person. I have God, the Creator God living inside me and this gives me a different perspective - not just the natural human perspective. I have a choice in the matter - naturally or super naturally. I choose super naturally and to God be the Glory. Already my compassion for others handicapped in some way has expanded. God is more concerned about my spiritual condition as His child than my health, wealth or happiness here on this planet. This planet and all that goes with it is only temporary. Our soul and spirit is eternal and how we enter eternity is determined by our choices in the here and now.
For you, today, the first day of the new year - Keep Trusting! Keep Praying! Accept God's good gifts and answers and grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus.
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