Luke 11:9-10 – So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. (NIV)

It was summer. Four of our family had come to Southampton, Ontario, Canada, to spend time at a rental cottage along Lake Huron. My husband, the two youngest (a girl and a boy), and I enjoyed the white sandy beach and the cold water of the lake.

This particular day, the four of us were walking along the beach in the afternoon. Our nine-year-old son decided that he would like to take a swim in the lake. The three of us watched as he waded some distance out in the shallow water. We noted the waves building higher. A storm was on its way that would become a heavy one that night. Our son, out in the water, was standing as the waves surrounded him. A high wave swirled upwards, reached his face, and washed away his glasses. As he searched in the turbulent waters, he could not locate them anywhere. He gave up looking and waded in to join us on the beach.

The loss of the glasses created a problem because this youngster really needed them. His vision was poor without them. So that evening when we spent time in a devotional, I prayed that God would help us find those glasses. Otherwise, we might need to take a long drive home and arrange for new ones.

That night, there was a great storm! In the morning when the four of us headed for the beach, it was a whole new scene. The storm was over, but it had left behind a great band of debris. It was perhaps twenty or thirty feet wide and fairly deep. The size was surprising, considering that the beach was kept clean. As we began to walk along and search for the glasses, it seemed an impossible task to find them. How could we possibly locate a little pair of dark-rimmed glasses in that mass of brown rushes, pieces of wood, and other fragments?

For our search, we sought out the approximate area where we had been walking when the accident happened. A man was approaching us. I spoke to him and inquired as to whether by any chance he had seen a pair of glasses as he walked along the beach. He glanced down where he was standing and saw tucked into the debris the dark stem of a pair of glasses. He pulled them out and handed them to me. They were our son’s glasses! What a remarkable answer to prayer!

That incident happened more than four decades ago. Since that incident, I have prayed many prayers. Lately, I’ve been thinking about the “yes” answers that God has given. It is faith-building to review thoughtfully God’s responses to prayers in our own lives and in the lives of people we know or about whom we have read.

Jesus encouraged people to be persistent in prayer. We can prevail in prayer with passion and commitment. Answers do not always happen as speedily as the one in the story. There are times when we are not given the “yes” answer that we desire. Sometimes, the answer is “no”, and sometimes we must “wait”. But there are those glorious “yes” answers that fill our hearts and minds with wonder, because we are so delighted. We are delighted not only because God has given us what we need, but also because He has listened to our prayers and given us a “yes”.

We can depend upon a living God who loves us and knows what is best for us. He has given us promises in the Bible. As we believe in His promises and wisdom, our lives become spiritually richer, and we grow more like Jesus, Who taught us to pray.

Prayer: God of wisdom and love, may Your Spirit daily nudge us to persist in prayer and intercession not only for our own family’s needs, but also for the needs of others here and abroad. Help us to remember Your promises and the wonderful answers to prayer that have we experienced or heard about. Grant us the wisdom to make time in our lives to pray to the One who loves and watches over us. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.

Joan Adams
Grimsby, Ontario, Canada Thanks to PresbyCan Daily Devotional