Prayers

I have a friend who went to India at the beginning of April. One story he told me from his trip was about a girl who was about seven years old. The mission team that went to India worked with an orphanage and when they asked the kids what they were thankful for, one girl said she was thankful that God protected her on her journey to that home. It was a simple thing to be thankful for on the outside... but later my friend learned the real story, and the depth of that thankfulness.

This girl's mother was a prostitute and had aids, so the pimp wanted to take her daughter. She said no, and they said they would either kill her or take her. She left with her daughter and her baby boy in the middle of the night and stared walking along the road. Since she was weak, the girl had to carry her brother a lot. They were barefoot, walking along the road for a HUGE distance - I forget how long - but weeks I think. At any moment the pimp could have pulled up in a car and gotten them, or they simply could not have survived. But they made it. That little girl prayed that God would protect them from death and evil and He did.

We pray to that same God, yet our prayers are often so much more shallow - asking for less traffic and more green lights so we aren't late, asking for a good day, that we get rid of our headaches or sinus problems, and that have patience with difficult people around us.

While I don't think that these are BAD things to pray for and nothing is too small to pray for, I think we overlook the big things unless there are bad things we're praying for to change. Or maybe we still don't pray for it then, because we don't believe He will change anything. Maybe you've prayed for something for ten years and still God has done nothing, so you stopped praying for it. Maybe you prayed big and God said no. And when we hear that "nothing is impossible for God," it sounds distant, as if it could happen occasionally, in someone else's life, but not ours. We fall into dull routines of daily monotony while there is an underlying ache and pain of this unanswered prayer or this unfulfilled desire. You try to rejoice with others who are receiving what you've been praying for, but sometimes it brings tears anyways.

I'm praying for two things right now that are so important to me, that I have no control over, that only God can do something with. And I'm afraid He's just going to say no again. I don't feel like telling any of my friends what those two things are, because I'm tired of telling them how God said no, and I feel embarrassed somehow, that I would ask God for something so important to me. It doesn't make much sense, but it's how I feel. There are so many scriptures about being persistent in prayer, being bold in prayer, and many other qualities that I'm just lacking because I'm worn out. Maybe everybody has these things in life, so close to their heart that they just can't share it with anyone, and God is the only they tell because it sounds too ridiculous to tell anyone else.

I'm sure we've all prayed for some big things. I know I have! And sometimes He has said yes and done amazing things.

Life. Crazy right?