He Remembers Every Prayer

“If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!” —Matthew 7:11, NKJV

During a recent summer, while most borders were closed to prevent the spread of COVID-19, my daughter asked to go to the Salève Adventist Campus in Collonges-sous-Salève, France to study French. We prayed, and all the doors seemed to open for her to go.

In October, she applied for her French student visa, but weeks passed without a reply from the embassy. We tried calling and sent several inquiries by email to no avail.

By mid-December, we had given up hope.

Then on Christmas Eve, she received an email stating her passport was being returned to her, but no indication as to whether the visa had been granted.

Over the holidays, in faith, we made plans to travel.

Due to the pandemic, travel into France for foreign nationals was restricted to students. She was unable to travel alone; her student visa would allow her entry, but not me.

Outbound flights from our island home were available, but if I left with her, I would be unable to return home until early February and would then have to quarantine for fifteen days. After collecting her passport, I headed to the salon for a haircut.

As I sat in the chair, I prayed. Silently, I asked, “Why, Father? Why did the passport take so long? If we had received it two weeks ago, we could have found flights that worked. Why the delay?” An inaudible voice softly whispered, “I was answering your prayer from twenty-four years ago.” Stunned, I did the math. Twenty-four years prior, I had been a senior in college. With my heart set on studying French at the Adventist University in Collonges-sous-Salève, I had prayed and fasted for three days, pleading with God to provide a way.

But every door had closed. Twenty-four years later, I had forgotten that prayer, but my Father had not. I left the salon excited. He had a plan.

Somehow, we were going to France! Every detail of our travel fell into place, and four days later, my daughter and I arrived on campus.

She was there to study for six months, and I would study for five weeks.

Every morning, as I walked to class, I marveled at the perfect timing of a Father who remembers every prayer. Today, I carry my student ID in my purse as a constant reminder that, in His time, He answers even the prayers we forget.

Melissa Martinez