An Answered Prayer
By Sarah Walker
By Sarah Walker
“And we know that for
those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called
according to his purpose.”
Romans 8:28 (ESV)
Romans 8:28 (ESV)
My husband was
traveling out of town for business, so I had scheduled a play date at a park with
a dear friend and her son. To my knowledge, she did not have a close personal
relationship with Jesus. Therefore, I prayed for God to guide me if I should
share anything about my faith with her. And if so, I asked the Holy Spirit to
show me how and when I should speak.
Little did I know how God would answer that prayer!
On my way to the park, a low tire pressure sensor turned on in my car. I stopped at the dealership to have it looked at, which happened to be less than a mile away from my destination. It turned out that I had a flat tire! Needless to say, this was not exactly the outcome I had in mind when I said that prayer.
As much of a hassle as it was to have a flat tire, I later discovered that I had been given the perfect opportunity to share with my friend how good God is. And how He provided for every seemingly mundane detail in this situation. There were several “coincidences” involved in this fiasco that could only be from God:
1. I “just so happened” to find the flat tire when I was right by the dealership.
Little did I know how God would answer that prayer!
On my way to the park, a low tire pressure sensor turned on in my car. I stopped at the dealership to have it looked at, which happened to be less than a mile away from my destination. It turned out that I had a flat tire! Needless to say, this was not exactly the outcome I had in mind when I said that prayer.
As much of a hassle as it was to have a flat tire, I later discovered that I had been given the perfect opportunity to share with my friend how good God is. And how He provided for every seemingly mundane detail in this situation. There were several “coincidences” involved in this fiasco that could only be from God:
1. I “just so happened” to find the flat tire when I was right by the dealership.
2. The
new tire was “luckily” under warranty.
3. A woman in the
dealership “unexpectedly” had a car seat in another car that my son could use,
so we were able to get to the nearby park while the tire was fixed.
In the end, I discovered I had been given the perfect opportunity to boast about God’s goodness and provision! Sometimes God does that. Sometimes He answers our prayers in ways that we can’t predict or anticipate. If we aren’t paying attention we might miss the answers…especially if that answer is given in a manner that a person would interpret as a hassle or an inconvenience.
When I prayed that God would give me an opportunity to share about Him with my friend, I never once thought He would use a flat tire to do so. Though unanticipated, it was without a doubt an answer to my prayer. It became clear that I could view an “inconvenience” like a flat tire as an outcome that only our God would use for His purposes.
GOING DEEPER:
In the end, I discovered I had been given the perfect opportunity to boast about God’s goodness and provision! Sometimes God does that. Sometimes He answers our prayers in ways that we can’t predict or anticipate. If we aren’t paying attention we might miss the answers…especially if that answer is given in a manner that a person would interpret as a hassle or an inconvenience.
When I prayed that God would give me an opportunity to share about Him with my friend, I never once thought He would use a flat tire to do so. Though unanticipated, it was without a doubt an answer to my prayer. It became clear that I could view an “inconvenience” like a flat tire as an outcome that only our God would use for His purposes.
GOING DEEPER:
1.
Might God be answering your prayers through unexpected means as
well?
2.
Are you facing any unfortunate circumstances that God could use
for his glory?
FURTHER READING:
Romans 8:31, Ephesians 3:20-21, 1 Peter 3:15
Sarah is married to Scott and is a full-time mom to their two young sons. She and Scott are involved in a small group focused on prayer.
Romans 8:31, Ephesians 3:20-21, 1 Peter 3:15
Sarah is married to Scott and is a full-time mom to their two young sons. She and Scott are involved in a small group focused on prayer.
