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
