Answered Prayer: When God Shows Up in the Middle of Heartache
- meetgodattheedgeof
- 7 days ago
- 3 min read
1 John 5:13-15
[13] I have written this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know you have eternal life. [14] And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him. [15] And since we know he hears us when we make our requests, we also know that he will give us what we ask for.
My wife and I were faced with a heartbreaking situation a couple of days ago. Our daughter was going through a tough time. It was something along the lines of not being recognized in her sport when others were. My poor wife took the brunt of it because she had to see my beautiful daughter's face when she was passed over.
As my wife explained what happened with tears in her eyes, my heart broke, and I did what I always do—I tried to come up with a fix. None of it was going to work. Forcing them to award or recognize her kind of takes all the special out of it.
Praying about it released a lot of the frustration, and I was able to focus on spending time with my daughter and loving on her.
The following morning, as they left for the last day of the program, I prayed over her day and asked the Lord to reward and encourage her.
He did!
My daughter received recognition twice for her hard work, and it more than made up for the heartache. It was a beautiful reminder that God still hears His children and that answered prayer is one of the ways He reveals His love and care for us.
As a dad, I want to protect my kids from pain and heartache, but these things are so important to learn from. It reminded me of why we encounter hard times and disappointment.
It is my belief that everything we go through presents us with two options: we either allow it to drive us closer to the Lord, or we walk away.
The Lord desires a close relationship with all of us and will answer our prayers to help build a strong foundation of trust. One of the greatest ways our Father communicates His love and guidance is through answered prayer.
Even though we can feel sad or angry in these situations, our Father is trying to draw us closer and use these moments to draw others in as well. He was after my daughter's heart, and I made sure to tell her that I prayed for her and God answered my prayer. He made a way through what seemed like a sad, dark situation, and it ended in a great way.
As awesome as the recognition and awards may be, they are meaningless in light of the God of the universe seeking a relationship with her. The focus needs to be on what God did and how He showed up to bless, encourage, and protect her like a great Father does.
Hopefully, this experience will lead us into a life that seeks only the Lord's approval. Thank Him for providing, building our character, and give Him all the glory for it. The outcome is not what's most important. What matters most is what the situation develops in us: resilience, patience, faith, and trust. Sometimes the greatest gift of answered prayer isn't the result itself, but the relationship with God that grows because of it.
Thank you, Father, for one more day. Amen.
Philippians 4:6-8
[6] Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. [7] Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. [8] And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.
