Answered Prayer

I once heard the Christian life described as one either being in the middle of the storm or coming out of the storm. Well, I was in the middle of the storm.

We had planned a family vacation my two young boys were excited about. Yet the enemy was destroying my marriage and my family, and the vacation no longer seemed a reality. Despite the difficulties, I decided to take the boys to the amusement park they had so excitedly begged for. My older son wanted to build a special sword at an amusement park, and I had made the reservation many months in advance. We arrived at the theme park, trying to put the stressful months behind us, only to find out I had made a mistake.

I had made the reservation for the wrong day! My son was crushed. “Let’s pray,” I said. “No matter what, God is always listening to us.” My son wanted to believe, but disappointment rocked his nine-year-old world. I prayed for God to make a way for us so my son could experience God in a personal way. I added a plea for a dinner reservation.

We were number thirty-one on the waitlist for building a sword and were told by the staff that no one ever canceled, so we were unlikely to get in.

There was no way we would get a reservation.

Well, my God is an awesome God! All we need to do is call upon His name. Nothing is too trivial or small, no matter what. God knows our hearts, and He hears our concerns. As soon as we finished dinner, I got a text. Someone had canceled, and our reservation to build the special sword was waiting! My son was speechless. He jumped up and down with joy. As I watched him, I told him, “Jonathan, God heard our prayer! He is a God of possibilities, a God of love, and He attends to His children.” Through the difficult challenges we faced, my boys learned that God is good. He is a loving God who listens to our prayers and knows our hearts.

God became real in the hearts of two little boys that summer day. There is so much more for them to learn as they walk with Jesus, but on that day, they learned to trust. Jesus had heard the prayer of our hearts and had answered exactly as we had requested. What an awesome God!