Prayers

Thanksgiving is approaching, and I feel like I have so much to be thankful for. Today I am super thankful for prayers, answered and unanswered. Today its the ones that are answered quickly. It's crazy that God will answer the simplest, silliest of prayers. Because I constantly am losing things, mostly I'm praying that I will find something (on top of everything else I ask for). But even those prayers for lost items are answered. It never ceases to amaze me that a God who has so many other things to worry about would bother to listen to my plea to find my USB drive, my shoes, my phone, or anything else that I seem to lose constantly. But He does. He totally does. I have some friends who might think it's a lucky coincidence, that statistically the odds are in my favor of getting what I ask for, like asking for sunshine on a sunny day. But I know that it's not a coincidence. It's a loving Father in Heaven who knows of my existence, and is aware of my every need.

Remember that day forever ago that I decided to take three dogs to the park? Well, I was all sweaty and gross from running. I thought, "might as well take the dogs out before I clean up." So, I grabbed my dog, a friend's dog, and then drove to my sister's to get her dog. I was leaving the neighborhood when I had this feeling I should stop by a friend's house that wasn't far away. I pushed it aside, "I'm sweaty, gross, and have a car full of dogs. She doesn't want this kind of company." I kept driving. I had the feeling again. I thought to myself, "No, I need to get my day going... she's probably not there anyway." I got to the stop sign... and that's when I turned around. When I pulled into her driveway she was hanging out in the warm sun. I felt dumb, but I got out and said hi. The tone in her voice was just wonder, "I knew you would come!!!" I was confused at first, but she said, "My phone is lost, my husband is at work, none of the neighbors are home, and I really, really need a ride to work! So I said a prayer that someone would come, and immediately I felt peace." She repeated, "I knew you would come!"

What simple, beautiful faith. I was so humbled and grateful that I had listened to what I thought was my own stupid voice. Turns out, the only stupid voice was the one telling me not to go by her house.

I know in the grand scheme of things that might not be such a big deal to others that she got a ride to work, but it was to her. And God knew that. He knew her individual needs, just like He knows each one of us. He knows what each one of us is going through, what our feelings are, and what we need in this life. We can become closer to Him through personal prayer and scripture study. We will be able to feel His love for us as we pray and try to be closer to Him. He wants to bless us-but it's up to us to ask and be willing to receive. He has given us moral agency in this life, the right to choose what we want to do with our lives. And if we want Him to be included, we have to make that choice. When our hearts hurt, He can heal them. He can give us answers to questions. He can pretty much do everything, but we have to ask. And that is what I am grateful today. I am grateful to a God who loves us individually, and who wants to bless me. And all I have to do is ask.