My one-word prayer was answered
When I was young someone shared an idea that has helped me all my life. A family friend told me that the power of God is like the electric power in our homes. We are empowered when we plug in.
In the years since, I've proved many times that God is all-powerful and ever-present. And God's power isn't interrupted. It's constant. In fact, when we most need God's protection, comfort, and care is when the Almighty is most available because then we're eager to draw on God, eager to make the connection and to be blessed.
The Bible encourages, "Do not fear, for I am with you, do not be afraid, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my victorious right hand" (Isa. 41:10). The more we learn to trust that God is the warm, loving Father-Mother of all creation, the more we find this transforms our lives.
Here's an example. I was once wakened in the middle of the night by a great roaring noise. The house was shaking. "No," I shouted. It was the shortest prayer of my life. I don't remember thinking what I should do or pray, I just remember that word came out. In retrospect, I can see that when I realized that my three small children and I, living atop an isolated hill far out in farm country, were apparently vulnerable to some impending disaster, my first thought was of God's presence and power. That "No" came instinctively from the depths of many previous proofs of His care. No, God doesn't allow His children to be harmed. I knew that. I could prove it again.
Instantly everything became silent. Utter stillness. Not one sound. For a moment, the sharp contrast made me think I must be dreaming. I tried to figure it all out. I got up and checked the house. Everything was in order. The children slept soundly. I thought about the situation some more and then went back to sleep.
The next day at work, I overheard a new employee describing a tornado that had come through his farm, toppling massive trees and tossing huge pieces of farm equipment like toys, but missing buildings. It had gone into a cornfield, where it flattened every stalk to the ground. Then, beginning at one spot, every stalk stood upright, untouched. The tornado had lifted suddenly upward. I asked this man where he lived. I wasn't surprised to find out that his farm was right over the hill from our home. The path of destruction had been headed our way.
Had my urgent one-word prayer stopped that storm? We can't know for sure, but I have no doubt of it. I had plugged in to my God, whose power does not fail us when we seek and depend on it. Jesus stopped storms (see Mark 4:35-40), and he told his followers to do the works that he was doing.
Everyone can learn and begin to prove the power of God, illustrated in the Bible. From beginning to end, the Bible's developing message is that prophets, shepherds, farmers, townspeople, great leaders and kings, may at first, like us, wonder if there is a loving, caring God. Ultimately we all learn that divine Love and Truth and Life the one true God never fails us when we trustingly and unreservedly turn to divine help.
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation,
or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril,
or sword?
Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through
him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death,
nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to
come, Nor height, nor depth,
nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the
love of God, which is in
Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:35, 3739
