God's Heart Revealed -- Our Prayers, His Answers
- Published Feb 19, 2018
I offered the prayer more for my daughter’s sake, not truly believing God would answer. I certainly didn't anticipate the tender display of love--the display of His Daddy's heart--His answer revealed.
It was spring break and drove to Disney Land for a family vacation. The morning before we left, our daughter got braces. The orthodontist told us she would experience severe discomfort, but I suppose I thought he exaggerated.
The next morning as we loaded into the van, my daughter moaned in pain. I did my best to comfort her, alternating Motrin with Ibuprofen, giving her soft foods when she grew hungry. By early afternoon, however, she was miserable and starving. Apparently juice and prepackaged smoothies didn’t cut it.
Turning to me with teary green eyes she said, “I want soup.”
Unfortunately, we were somewhere between a road sign and a telephone pole. As we neared the next town, signs for fast food restaurants began to emerge. I groaned and offered a quick prayer, knowing chewy, crunchy fried food was the last thing she needed. Veering off the freeway toward the first town we saw, we searched for places that might serve softer items and finally settled on a quaint littleMom and Pop’s.
As we scoured their menu a moment later, my daughter turned up her nose. They had soup all right, cheddar-jalapeno, not exactly her favorite. And yet, she was starving, so we ordered it anyway. The soup filled her for a total of three hours.
Our daughter sighed. “This is going to sound strange, but I’m craving tomato soup.”
I looked at her with raised eyebrows. “Yes, that does sound strange. You hate tomato soup.”
She shrugged with a frown that told me her teeth had begun to hurt again.
“Let’s pray.” I squezed her hand and she nodded, squinching her eyes closed. And so I prayed, not really expecting an anwer or a solution, except perhaps that God would bring her comfort. Little did I know, God had a blessing waiting for us at the hotel.
That night, after a ten-turned-twelve hour drive, we pulled into the hotel parking lot and trudged up to the counter. It was a Residence Inn—the kind that serves breakfast in the mornings and dinner on Friday and Saturday nights. Unfortunately, by the time we arrived, all that remained of the complimentary meal was the scent of fresh baked garlic bread—which our daughter wouldn’t have been able to eat anyway.
After checking in, we turned to leave but the clerk stopped us. “There’s some left-over tomato soup in the kitchen if you’d like some.”
My daughter looked at me with wide eyes and a big smile. I wrapped my arm around her shoulder and gave a squeeze, reminding myself that no concern was to small to bring before our Heavenly Father, and He loves revealing His love for us.
No concern is too small to bring before our Heavenly Father, and He loves reveal His love for us.
When has God used answered your prayer in a way that far surpassed that thing and revealed His heart to you? Share your stories and examples with us in the comments below, because we can all encourage one another!
