Beyond

 While recently reading the book/letter of Philemon from my Message Bible, God spoke to my heart that He answers beyond what we pray—He answers my/our prayers and then He does even more! That alone encouraged my heart but God went a step further and showed me a powerful example of how He has already done this and I had not even realized it! I received a phone call from my youngest son [now age 26] that day and we did a three-way call with a friend of mine who was wanting to start a garden but knows little about it. So, via three-way calling, my son talked with my friend and gave her much information on what she needed to get started.

They talked in detail about such things as: water tested or water filters, organic dirt, seed, seed starting pots, organic additives and fertilizers etc., etc. All this while I sat silently as the third party on the call and just listened. I was amazed! Was this really the same “little boy” I had prayed so hard for 15-20 years earlier—crying in prayer asking God to please help my son to want to eat healthier—for all he liked to eat then was hamburgers, hot dogs, and pizza! And he liked only one fruit and one vegetable; that was it! Now, some almost twenty years later, not only was my-now-grown son eating much healthier, but he loves to grow his own food and is even now helping and/or teaching others how to grow their own healthy food, too! That is God being faithful and going beyond what I prayed—giving me or doing so much more than I asked or prayed for! God, in His goodness, gave me a visual example that day to encourage my heart to keep praying! Keep asking for His blessing and touch in my life and the lives of those I love! And then I am to wait [sometimes a short time, sometimes a long time] and watch and see what He will do! I told my son that day that I am going to need to get a picture of him and his garden and put it on my wall as a visual reminder of the faithfulness of God in answering prayer—“my wall of remembrance” (as seen in the amazing, newly released movie “War Room”).

I thought to myself, after hanging up the phone that day, “If God went beyond in answering my prayer for my son regarding his eating habits, how much more is God going to go beyond in answering my prayers regarding eternal matters and/or matters of the heart etc. I believe God wants me to believe Him for big answers to prayer! I believe it brings Him great joy to answer our prayers and to surprise us by doing unexpected, big things—in, through, and for us!

What do you need to believe God for…a miracle maybe?! He is still in the miracle business! Be on the lookout for how God is or already has—but you just hadn’t paused to see it before—gone beyond in answering your prayers!