I started this blog
to talk about my life. What God is doing, how I am growing, and fun adventures
I am having. But it strayed from that when I have tried to get all preachy and
that was not the goal. So, today I am
just going to simply state what God has been revealing to me in the past few weeks since I’ve been back at school.
God has been teaching
me about prayer in unfathomable ways lately. It started the first week of
school when my friends Mike and Murray moved into their new apartment that did
not have a washer or dryer and they informed me that they had begun praying for
one. Foolishly, I thought to myself, “That is kind of a silly thing to pray
for.” and that was the last thought I gave about it… until the next week when
their landlord showed up at their door saying, “I have this extra washer and
dryer I need to get rid of, do you boys need one?” Boom. Free washer and dryer.
WHAT?!?! Like seriously? Talk about ye of little faith on my part.
The next week, I was
dropping something off at Mike and Murray’s house, had a conversation with
Murray for a bit, decided it was time to leave, and realized I had locked my
keys in the car. This is not a new occurrence for me. This had to have been my 4th or 5th
time locking my keys in the car and every time, I try to break into the car on
my own before epically failing and calling a locksmith. We called the locksmith
and he said it would be $50… I am in college…. “ain’t nobody got money fo
dat.!” I knew I would have to pay it but I decided to attempt to break into the
car anyways. But first, Murray stops me and says we need to pray about it. Pray
about getting into my car? The car I have tried to break into multiple times
already? Ok…? Can you guess what happened? Me, Murray, a wire hanger, two
crowbars and 15 minutes later, the door is open. Jaw. On. Floor.
This happened on a
Wednesday night so by Sunday night, I had decided that I had been putting God
in a box. Sure, I prayed about abstract things but I never got that specific. I
never trusted like that. So Sunday night at CO Prayer, my friend Javona shared
that she had been praying every morning that God would use her to glorify
Himself that day. That really spoke volumes to me so I decided to give it a
whirl and prayed all day for God to use me. That day at lunch, I got to share
the gospel with my friend Madison and sitting there at Chick-fil-a, in the
middle of Russell Union, we prayed and she made Christ her Lord and Savior. It
was one of the most joyful things I had ever experienced. It taught me that
sharing the gospel IS experiencing God. I could not stop smiling and rejoicing.
If that wasn’t
already awesome, the next morning I woke up with a sore throat and sinus
infection but I was supposed to go give a campus tour for Southern Ambassadors.
The whole way there I prayed and prayed and prayed that no one would show up
for the tour so I wouldn’t have to talk about campus for an hour with a sore
throat. I walked in and there was one family waiting to go on a tour. Feeling
defeated and complaining in my head, I decided to pray anyways and thank God
for the opportunity to be a Southern Ambassador. Next thing I know, in walks
two more Ambassadors. They had three guides for one family so they sent two of
us home. God still answered my prayer! Even though it wasn’t quite the way I
thought he would. It was the cherry on top to a nice two-week span of God
teaching me about prayer and my lack of trust in Him.
All this brings me to
today, where the rest of my family and I are waiting anxiously to hear the
results of an MRI for my brother, Will. Will is one of the most talented high
school athletes I’ve ever seen, and no, I’m not just saying that because I am
his sister. He is only a junior and has been looked at and offered scholarships
to multiple schools already. Last year, he tore his ACL and was out all season
and Friday night at his game he injured it again. My heart is broken for him
and I know he is hurting and upset. But I also know that he trusts in the Lord
and knows that God has plans to prosper him and not to harm him, and to give
him a hope and a future (Jer. 29:11). But
I’m asking that you join with me in praying for him. Even if the results of the
MRI aren’t what we hope, pray that Will (and my parents) will have strength and
be encouraged by the fact that even of Will never plays football again, it is
by far the best thing that could happen to him because it is God’s plan and His
plans hold things that are greater than what we could ever imagine.
But
our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the
Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power
that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our
lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.
Philippians
3:20-21