Years ago, during a particularly trying time in my life, I was desperate for answers. I had been praying and asking God for a miracle, or at least for clear direction. I imagined letters falling from heaven and lightning bolts to come out of the sky in answer to my prayer.
But it didn’t happen.
God answered the prayer in an unexpected way. He sent a person. He sent a friend in this instance.
This friend drove from another state, several hours, just to BE with all of us. She didn’t even have the answers; God had not given her specific direction but to GO. So she did just that. She stayed until God said to go back home and all was well. God knew what we needed at that time; we needed Him and He came through our friend.
Look at the story of Moses in the Book of Exodus 18:13-27. Moses was spending from sun-up to sun-down weighing the problems of the people. It didn’t matter how trivial or how important it was, they waited in line to talk to Moses, the man of God. Moses was worn out, physically, mentally and spiritually! Who wouldn’t be? We don’t have proof that Moses even asked God for help but Jehovah-Jireh knew something had to be done.
He sent Jethro. Jethro was Moses’ father-in-law and although he was just there to visit, he was watching what was taking place every day and he could easily see Moses was stretched too thin. His answer? He suggested wisely that Moses appoint leaders over 1,000, over 100, over 50 and over 10 people. Moses would deal with the hard stuff and the capable people he appointed would deal with the day-to-day matters of what kind of toilet tissue to buy.
In this instance, God didn’t speak directly to Moses as He had done before, He didn’t even whisper to him in a still small voice. He sent another person.
Your answered prayer may come in many different forms. One of my favorite sermons of all time was preached by a man from Louisiana who told of the hardships he had experienced growing up in a home with no father. His mother was a very hard working Christian woman; there just wasn’t enough to go around. But his mother knew how to pray and he said she didn’t just bow her head and mumble a few words but she would shut herself in her bedroom and bombard the heavens until the answer came.
One particular time they were completely out of groceries of any kind. She told the children that she was going to prayer and was not coming out until God sent an answer. She began to pray and remind God of all He had done for her before, how He could see those precious little ones, that she was faithful to serve Him and loved Him with all of her heart. She quoted scripture on how He promised to never leave or forsake her.
All of a sudden there came a knock at the door and the little boy opened the door to see a man standing there that he did not recognize. He asked to speak to the woman of the house but the little boy knew he dare not bother Momma, she had warned in no uncertain circumstances for anyone to interrupt her prayer time. The man asked again and again to see her and the children refused. The man got in his pickup truck, and instead of tearing out the driveway, he turned it around and backed it up to the tiny house trailer. He began unloading sack after sack after sack, full of all the staples any household would ever need, and then some. He filled the kitchen table, the counter tops, the kitchen floor and all the way to the door. When he was finished he simply said, “Goodbye” as the children watched in shock and awe.
The little boy ran to his mother’s room and began to beat on the door. “Don’t bother me, Son, I’m praying!” The little boy was trying to tell her what had happened but she prayed on. Finally, he could stand it no longer and yelled as loud as he could, “The answer already came!”
Momma came out to find her home full of groceries and began to shout and praise God. He had answered her prayer, not with money, but by another person who was willing to go and listen to the voice of God.
“Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow….” Matthew 6:31-34.
Are you waiting on an answer from the Lord? He provides! He might not answer the way YOU think He should but answer He will. He might even tell you to wait or to be patient in the waiting but the answer will come.
It might come in the form of another.
Unexpected and surprising, God might just send people to answer your prayer.
Has He surprised you at other times with an unexpected answer, in an unexpected way? Share with us your testimony to encourage others!
My earliest memories at the mailbox go way back to my favorite mail lady, Sandra Sylvester (pronounced Saundra). She actually delivered the newspaper and her husband was our mailman, a wonderfully kind and humble gentleman was this U.S. postal employee. As nice as he was, it was the familiar sound of Sandra’s little VW bug coming up our hill, but still a few houses away, that would cause me to put down whatever I was doing, pause any fights with my little brothers and head for the mailbox/paperbox.
