Answered Prayers

In March of this year, I asked the cyber world via this blog to pray for my friend and her very serious illness.  Six months later, I revisit my blog post, I re-read my prayer request, and  I report to you that prayers have been answered.  By no means is this beautiful, brave young lady out of the woods, in fact, she has quite a road ahead of her ,but she has come to this critical point and now the recovery begins. 

I am thankful. I thank God for helping her get to this point. I thank you for your prayers.

I can't help but reflect on the last six months and her initial words to me.  "Don't feel sorry for me"  "Don't treat me differently"  "Pray for me".

• In the last six months, never did I hear her complain. 
•  She came to work every day, she did her best.  
• She exercised with a personal trainer.  
•  She focused on her nutrition.  
• She remained positive.  
• She laughed. I"m sure she cried, but I never saw her cry.  
• She prayed.  
• She inspired.

 Was it the prayers that helped her?  Was it her attitude?  Both?  ( Did those of us who were perfectly healthy do all of those things in the last six months?)

For as long as I can remember, I have believed in God, I have had faith. I have believed that there is a divine plan, much bigger than you or I could imagine and often do not understand.

 Over the years, as I have experienced disappointments, loss, unanswered prayers, trials, I have questioned my beliefs, my faith.  I have wondered if my beliefs are outdated, immature, unevolved.  There are people in my life that don't believe, that think differently than I do and that has also caused me to question. 

But then...some little miracle occurs, you could call it a coincidence, you could call it luck, I call it answered prayers.  Ironically, the prayers I most notice getting answered are the ones where I have asked God to help someone else.  It's like those prayers never seem to go unanswered.  I am not naive enough to think there won't be more loss or that I won't lose people I love regardlelss of how hard I pray, but those heartfelt prayers for the well being of another, the realistic ones, there is no greater gift than watching those get answered.

I leave you with a couple of thoughts:

1.) Did you know this is not really a Bible verse?  No where in the Bible does it say this!

"God helps those who help themselves!"
Hezekiah 6:1

2.) "Work as though everything depends on you, Pray as though everything depends on God."
It doesn't say this either, but I sure like it!

Thank God for Life, Love & All that Jazz, and ask him to help a friend!