Miracles

As a very young child, my parents taught us two very simple prayers. At mealtime, we said:
Thou art great.
Thou art good.
Father, we thank thee for this food.
By Thy hand may we be fed.
Give us this day our daily bread.

At nighttime we said:
Now I lay me down to sleep.
If I shall die before I wake,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep.

From as far back as I can remember at the end of those prayers, I added, "And God, I want a baby sister." Every wish I made, every falling star, every birthday candle I blew out, I said, "God, I want a baby sister." With three kids and one traumatic miscarriage, I’m sure my parents were not interested in having any more kids. With two teen-agers and one wild-child, I’m sure Mom was plenty busy and not wanting any more children. With society frowning on families who had more than two kids, my parents were not thinking to add to the population explosion. With my dad 42 and my mom 38 years old, they thought they were through having kids, but still I prayed, "God, I want a baby sister." With my mom on birth control and my dad planning a vasectomy, what were the odds that there would be another baby?

So at Christmas in RR that year, when Mom started getting sick to her stomach, she thought she had an ulcer. What a shock it was to everyone when she found out she was pregnant. Everyone was surprised, but me. I had prayed, and I knew. So what were the odds that the baby would be a girl? Everyone kept saying, "I think this will be a boy." Even the doctor said that he thought Mom would have a boy. I remember thinking, "Don’t tell me that. I know it is a girl, because I have prayed."

Before Mom got pregnant, I knew there was little chance of getting a sister, and I was resigned, content, but still praying. When she did get pregnant, I knew I would have a sister, although I would have loved a brother (maybe not as much :) It was a child’s faith, and I was unmoved. Don’t tell me that God doesn’t answer prayers, that He has no power, that it was all coincidence, because I know.

From the time my children were in my womb, I have prayed for them. I have prayed for them to know God, and they do. I have prayed many prayers of protection that were answered. I have prayed for their future spouses. I have a wonderful DIL. I have prayed that Jesse would have a wonderful, godly man, and I know it will happen. Somewhere in this world there is a young man who is being pulled by God, because God has a special plan for him. I have been praying for him most of his life – just as I prayed for Jesse – just as I prayed for a sister.

Don’t tell me God is not working on this young man. He is a worker of miracles. And He answers the prayers of the faithful.