As a young Christian in the ‘70s, I spent a lot of my prayer life asking for world peace. I believe God will answer that prayer well past the timeline I had in mind as a teenager. As I grew older, my prayers changed. Some sounded like I thought God was a genie, but most sounded like I thought he would never really answer. Later I spent an enormous amount of time asking God to heal my broken marriage. He answered that prayer with a gut wrenching “no” and now, looking back, I am so glad. He had something so much better for me around the corner! Since then, there has been a much more personal heart-wrenching prayer that I prayed for 15 years that I have seen God answer. I can’t share it, but suffice it to say, it was BIG! Praise his Holy Name!

About ten years ago I discovered the beauty of writing my prayers. In fact, that is how I started blogging. I got so much practice at writing that I discovered a love for it. Back to my point. When I wrote down my prayers, I was able to go back and see what I asked and often I could see how He answered it. What a wonderful thing this has been for my walk of faith. God’s time is so different from my short attention span.(After all, it was God who created elephant’s memories.)

When reading over my past prayers, I see some of the things I couldn’t at the time. I see each uniquely designed answer. Some answers I am still waiting on but by reviewing God’s work in my life, I have begun to let go of the framework of time and have developed a hair more faith than I had when I was in my teens.

Since my expectations of God’s answers have no time frame, there is shock and awe in the random timing of His answers. For example, I was driving home the other day on the winding two-way, no passing road to our neighborhood. A “crotch-rocket” pulled out behind me on this narrow road and began tailgating me. The only thing that makes me more nervous than tailgaters is motorcycles and winding roads. I clenched the steering wheel and said a quick prayer for tailgating-crotch-rocket guy. Within a minute of that prayer, the guy passed me on a blind no-passing curve. I was relieved no one was coming the other way and he was out of my sight. Then, a minute later I rounded another curve and there was crotch rocket guy on the side of the road frantically trying to start his motorcycle. I was absolutely amazed that God answered my prayer so swiftly because that is not his usual MO. I thank God for sending me this reminder that he is listening and he answers prayer.