It had been six months since his last cancer checkup. For five months and 30 days, with God's help, he had been able to shift focus away from the reminders of chemotherapy, white blood cells and oncologists. But, today, the evil one kept his mind racing with the what if scenarios. What if the doctor walks in and says, "well, looks like the cancer is back." What if the cancer is back and the treatment doesn't work this time. What if, what if , what if.... and they continue on and on. As he makes the drive to the oncologist's office that morning, he feels the pit in his stomach, the nervousness makes his legs shake and he takes deep breaths to calm himself. Then he decides to say one last prayer and beg God for good results and to ask for God to be with him during this visit. He says AMEN and takes a deep breath just wanting this morning to be over.
At the traffic light, he takes the moment to look around him and then back in front of his car. All of a sudden his eyes widen and he can't believe what he is seeing. The tag of the car in front of him is a personalized tag. The tag reads.... ULBFINE.... (translated-you'll be fine). He closes his eyes and looks again to make sure he read it correctly. Yes, that is what it said. People can write it off as coincidence if they want, but he knows the statistical likelihood of this happening at this moment in his life is astronomical. He knows that that tag is GOD's answer to his prayer. A peace overcame him and he walked into the oncologist office and received the news from the doctor that he knew he would....everything is fine. This is a true story.... I am sure of this because it happened to me.
Now God doesn't always work this way. He's not a vending machine where we put in a request and get something back immediately. However, he works in mysterious ways and answers prayers in ways that HE knows is best for each of us. This experience may never happen again, but that doesn't mean it didn't happen. These intimate experiences with God, may not happen in this way often, but when they do happen, they strengthen our faith and the faith of those with whom we share the experience.
Consider this story from Mark 9:
Out of the crowd, one man answered Him, "Teacher, I brought my son to You. He has a spirit that makes him unable to speak. 18 Wherever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth, and becomes rigid. So I asked Your disciples to drive it out, but they couldn't."
19 He replied to them, "You unbelieving generation! How long will I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring him to Me." 20 So they brought him to Him. When the spirit saw Him, it immediately convulsed the boy. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth. 21 "How long has this been happening to him?" Jesus asked his father.
"From childhood," he said. 22 "And many times it has thrown him into fire or water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, have compassion on us and help us."
23 Then Jesus said to him, " 'If You can?' Everything is possible to the one who believes."
24 Immediately the father of the boy cried out, "I do believe! Help my unbelief
So, no matter your situation, pray to God and believe that you will receive when you pray. Expect God to do the unexpected in your life. God's Will is always best and perfect and so we must know and accept that as well when we pray. Pray according to His will and accept his answer, but if we ever expect to receive what we ask for, we must always BELIEVE he will do it.
