“Mommy, Mommy,” my daughter called out in the middle of the night when she was 4. “I’m scared. Come quick!” I stumbled down the hall to her room, muffling a yawn. “It’s that awful dream again. A monster’s in my closet!” She said trembling. “There’s no monster in here,” I said, checking her closet as I had done every night for the past week. “I’m afraid in the dark,” she said. “When I’m afraid, I pray to God, and He always takes care of me,” I said. “Just tell God how frightened you are, and He’ll take care of you too, OK?” “OK, Mommy.”

The next night, I woke up again. The house was quiet; my daughter wasn’t crying-so why was I awake? I got out of bed, tiptoed down the hall, and paused at the door to her room. “Are you awake, honey?” I asked softly. “Yes, Mommy,” she said. “My prayer worked. I had that dream again, but I didn’t yell for you. I asked God to bring you to me. And He did!”

As I hugged her close, I thought about God answering prayers in mysterious ways. All we had to do was ask, and, just as He had brought me to my daughter in the middle of the night, He would find a way to take care of all the “monsters” in our lives.

Nancy Burcham, Sullivan, Illinois – Signs of the Times, October 1996. With permission from Dale Galusha dalgal@pacificpress.com