Phil. 4:6-7 is such an amazing verse to live by! It is amazing the peace that God gives when we come to Him with requests accompanied by a heart of thankfulness and praise! Last summer I wrote a note in my phone of some specific things to pray about for my future. Anytime I would get anxious, I was reminded to go to Him in prayer. Now looking back at those prayers that I prayed, I see Gods hand and provision working and walking me through each step of the way.
It is amazing how God works through our circumstances, knows the desires of our heart- if our motives are pure and if they align with His, he is MORE than willing to grant us these requests! It is amazing to recount the faithfulness of God in how he answer specific prayers.
1 John 5:14-15 "And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him."
Here are some examples of how God showed up through prayer this year... Not only my prayers, but the many prayers of my friends who have been praying for me as well. How awesome it is to have encouraging friends who I pray for often and who I know do the same for me! Last week I found a "note" on my phone that I had written this past summer and it is amazing to see how God has answered every single one of these prayers, even better than I could have imagined. We serve an amazing God who is faithful and keeps His promises!
"He is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us." Eph. 3:20
I knew I wanted to learn more about the bible and be challenged to grow deeper in my faith in Jesus. I was contemplating if I should go to the Kanakuk Institute or not, whether or not I would take time away from working full-time and be a student again... I knew if I asked God for wisdom he would give it to me... As I was praying, I thought "Why WOULDN'T God want me to dedicate a year (and a lifetime) of studying His word and learning about Him??" It became evident that the Lord wanted me to go! It was a tough decision to resign from working in Special Education at the school, and even though sometimes I miss it- it has been so worth every second!
The second thing I had been circling in prayer was about the internship I was going to do while attending the Kanakuk Institute. I have a huge heart for helping others grow in their faith, specifically college-age women and I wanted to get plugged in to a ministry that would foster deep relationships and allow me to lead small groups and ultimately encourage and equip others to become fully devoted followers of Christ. When Autumn and Brian Wang told me about being able to work with The Fort young adults ministry and start a small group ministry as my internship, I was beyond thrilled! It couldn't have been more of a perfect fit. I love being able to organize the small groups and lead one of them. The Fort sentry groups have been so uplifting, encouraging, challenging and edifying! The relationships that have been built have been so life changing. We call ourselves the "iron tribe." This comes from the verse "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another." When we come together we sharpen each other. We are not scared to be vulnerable, open and REAL with each other & we seek to refine and encourage each other to be the women that God has called us to be! God has totally answered this prayer even and blown my expectations out of the water with allowing me to be a part of this much needed young adults ministry in Branson.
Next, I had been envisioned teaching fitness classes as a part time job. I applied to work at a local gym in the area to be able to work as a fitness assistant and teach a fitness express class. I applied, went in for an interview and to my dissapointment, did not get the job. I was pretty upset and I did not understand why I did not get the job. I felt more than qualified and wondered if I did something wrong. The feeling of rejection is one of the worst feelings! Anyone agree with me? Now looking back, I am so thankful I did not get that certain job! I am so glad that God directs our paths and we can trust in Him and not in our own understanding! I would have not had the time to invest fully in my studies at the K-Institute. It would have also cut a lot of time away from building strong relationships with the other students here and my other friends in Branson. It would have taken away time I could be helping at my internship as well as when would I have time to have quality time with my husband (the most important priority!). The Lord knew what was best and even though I did not understand it. I was reminding to continue being faithful in the small things. I know now that it worked out for the better, I would have been spread way too thin last semester with several different commitments. However, the desire to get my certification to teach classes kept arising. Midway through the semester, I decided to
get my certification in teaching group fitness and specialized in teaching PiYo and would begin to seek out opportunities to teach. Applying and not getting called back from certain places was hard, but ultimately God had the BEST for me. I kept praying and kept applying. One day at church, I saw that our church had hired a new director for the Life Center and heard that he was going to get some group fitness classes started. I spoke with him that Sunday and told him that I was interested in teaching Piyo. Lo and behold, he told me that he had been praying specifically that God would provide a group fitness instructor- and crazily enough- he was searching for a PiYo instructor! I was hired and told I would begin in January. God paved the path before me and pushed this door right open! God's timing really is perfect. It is great to know that even though we try to plan our steps, it is the Lords purpose that prevails- and His plans are better than ours! I have been teaching for two weeks now, 3 times a week. The classes have gone ABOVE and BEYOND my expectations and I discovered how much I love to teach and help others reach their personal goals! The amount of joy I get from this new venture makes me wonder why I didn't get involved it this sooner!! God worked everything out for good. He gave me strength to persevere, to wait, to not get discouraged even during rejection and ultimately gave me the perfect part-time job doing what I love to do!
The fourth thing on my prayer list was that we would be able to live close to campus if I had decided to attend the K-Institute. Oh how abundantly he had provided provision for our every need. We not only live CLOSE, but we live ON campus. Class is just across the street and we get to be a part of the community here. Both Tyler and I have made lifelong friends with the people here and we appreciate "doing life" with people in this community. It is only for 8 months, but it has been a blast and we could not have made a better decision. Sure, there are certainly sacrifices we had to make in order to live in this small of a place, (no t.v., coffee maker, big fridge, kitchen, and no place for visitors to stay with us... we also had to find a place for Darling our dog.) That was the hardest thing about living on campus until God crossed our paths with a family that lives up the road and they immediately & cheerfully volunteered to take Darling until graduation. That whole story is an answer to prayer in itself! It really couldn't have worked out better as we know she is taken care of and we get to stop in to see her quite often. Ultimately God has used this year to change our perspective on what we truly "need" and to get rid of excess things that took up so much time or were becoming distractions. We no longer feel the need to keep up with the traditional "get married, buy a house, get a fancy job, have super nice things..." Sure some of these things would be nice eventually, but we don't have to try and keep up with others and compare our lives and timeline to theirs! We have decided living simply is simple... (who would have known, right?)... and we like it that way! We have chosen to live with an open hand to what God is calling us to do and not be so concerned with material possessions or keeping up with "the Jone's." It truly is freeing!
These are just SOME of the ways that God has shown up through prayer. Just wanted write these things down, first- so I will always remember to give my desires and burdens over to God and second, to remind you of the power of prayer in your own life! Prayer really does change things. Most importantly, prayer will change YOU and begin to align your desires with things that bring Him glory!
Oh how wonderful it is that we have direct access to the God of the universe! He speaks to us through His word and we can pray anytime and anywhere about ANYTHING! I hope we will always remember to be anxious for NOTHING, but rather by prayer and petition, with THANKSGIVING, to present our requests to God and receive the peace He gives which transcends ALL understanding and that will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
How will you begin use this great gift of prayer?
What are your motives and desires in your prayers? Are they self-centered or God-glorifying?
What are some things you are "circling" in prayer?
If nothing comes to mind, pray God would align your heart with His and give you a passion for what He is passionate about!
Keep your eyes fixed on Him,
D. Pro
