Answered Prayer, Faith and Questions

I had to learn again this past week that God always answers our prayers, though not always in the way that we expect. I asked God to help me be a better father and soon after this, my ex-wife called to say that my daughter needed more attention from me. My ego rejected her words while my heart knew her words were true. It wasn't that I thought her words were untrue, it was the sting of hearing it from her. But after more prayer, I came to realize that her call was sent to me from God in answer to my prayer and I needed to heed the message, despite not being comfortable with the messenger.

This led to further exploration into the nature of what was really needed from me by my daughter (and I'm sure others in my family as well). In the book "A Case For Faith", interviewee Peter John Kreefe says that in human relationships, lovers don't want explanations, they want PRESENCE. I have lots of explanations for why I don't always spend very much time with my family, but no one cares about those shoddy reasons, they just want me to be there for them. For my daughter, it's an occasional conversation, a dinner out, help with a school problem, but mostly just BEING with her. I've had similar problems with my son recently in which I did not know how to initiate a conversation with him that wouldn't sound like a lecture. I thought and thought about the right words, but they never would come, and so I just avoided him. Recently, I realized though that the only words I needed were words of love, compassion, empathy and concern for his well-being. Just saying "hi" when he walks in the door and trying to BE there with him. In the Bible, it says that in the beginning there was the Word... I think the original Hebrew word "logos" for "word" actually is translated as "word in action". So, my words alone are meaningless without the action of PRESENCE and BEING that goes with the words. At the end of the book of Job, God speaks to Job, but it is not God's words that Job treasures, but the fact that God showed His PRESENCE to Job.

Sometimes we question whether God is really present in our lives and whether He is speaking to us, answering our prayers and acting in our lives. I can assure you that all you have to do is simply ask God to work in your life, surrender fully to His loving and wise control and then sit back and have faith that He WILL work in your life in amazing ways. He does for me everyday.