This is the house where it all began. I stopped by the other day when I was in my college town and it all came back when I saw the swing. The swing on this front porch is where I would sit and pray when I began my Master’s Degree in college. All my friends had graduated and returned home. I stayed and wondered, “what now?” I felt alone, confused, and questioned where my life was headed. All I knew is I wanted to be in ministry. So why did God have me swinging on a front porch, studying Education and crying out in prayer to “use me” as Steven Curtis Chapman wailed “Way Beyond the Blue” (great song btw) in the background?
If you told that “front porch girl” who this “now” girl is, she wouldn’t have believed it. She may not have taken the journey, quite honestly. There’s been some pretty tough places, but there have also been some good ones. “Front porch girl” is in ministry now and she’s been blessed beyond her imagination. But it was the journey that got her here, and it required a couple of things: prayer, faith and hard work. It also required (and continues to require) walking by faith when you have no idea what God is doing.
When we pray, every word is treasured and heard by our Father. I John 5:14 assures us that we can have confidence that He hears us when we pray according to His will. How do we know it’s His will? If what we are praying brings glory and honor to Him, rest assured, He has you covered.
What’s on your heart? What would you like to see God do for His glory in your life in 2022? Now, this isn’t a “name and claim it game.” Nope. He’s not some slot machine paying out at our command. He IS, however, the God of your life when you’ve put your trust in Him and He has created you for one purpose—to bring glory and honor to Him. So stop being afraid when you pray. Go for it! If He doesn’t want you to have it, you won’t! But we need Him and we need what He has just for us.
Wouldn’t it be a shame if when we get to Heaven we saw a bunch of boxes filled with paper. On each paper was an answered prayer with YOUR name on it. When you ask the Lord, “but why didn’t you give that to me?” He says, “you never asked?” If you’re like me, I want my boxes to be empty.
That thing that’s weighing on your heart? PRAY and ask God for an answer. Find your “front porch swing” and pour your heart out. He knows…and He has answers. Oh, they usually don’t come right away or how you want them to (this front porch swinging girl knows), but keep praying until you see something happen, because He will answer. John 16:24 is our promise— “Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full.”