Prayer

"If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer." Matthew 21:22
How many of us actually claim this scripture in our lives? I know that many times I have gone to God with a need or request and when everything was said and done, I felt like he didn't really answer my prayer--just b/c he did HIS will not mine. That is a tough pill to take. I have watched families mourn the loss of a loved one, pray for healing of a relationship that is never restored, a job that never comes, maybe even a child that cannot be conceived. When looking at these situations in the flesh one might say why me? where is God when I need him? Lately, I have been thinking a lot about the reverse... Why not me? God gives and God takes away and sometimes it is in the taking that we grow the most, or we need HIM the most. When I look at my own life and all that I have experienced (both good and bad) I have come to the realization that God is using the bad to create a greater GOOD in me. Without the hard times, the lost times, the tears and the saddness my faith would mean nothing. How easy would it be to say "I believe in God" if everything in life were just as I wanted it to be. The key is to keep our eye on the ball. We have to train our minds and hearts to stay so focused on God's will for us, that we finally develop those same desires. Lord, help me keep my focus on you and YOUR plans. Help me to be the wife and mother you have created me to be and increase the happiness in our home. AMEN