God Answers

Bible Reading: Genesis 17:15-17; 21:1-3; Matthew 7:7-11; Ephesians 3:20-21

“Mom! Come quick!”

Mom stumbled out of bed to Cora’s frantic cries. “What’s going on, Cora?”

Cora pointed to the gerbil cage in her room. “I woke up and saw Salt and Pepper acting weird, and Salt had something in his mouth, and so I looked and, well—Salt has babies! He is actually a girl gerbil!”

Mom darted over and looked down at four tiny, dark bodies wriggling around by Salt the gerbil. Pepper scampered around the cage in excitement.

Mom shook her head. “The pet store said they were both boys. I can’t believe we’ve had these gerbils for seven months and one ended up being a girl!”

“God answered my prayer!” Cora whooped happily. “You told me I couldn’t get a girl gerbil so we could have baby gerbils, but God said ‘Yes’!”

Mom laughed. “There’s no stopping God,” she said. “I said no last week, and this week, you have babies.”

“God doesn’t always answer yes though,” Cora said quietly. “Sometimes He says no, like when I asked if he would keep my friend Marisa from moving away.”

Mom gave Cora a hug. “God had a different plan for Marisa’s family. Is there another way God answers besides ‘Yes’ and ‘No’?”

Cora thought for a moment. “How about when God answers with ‘Wait’? Like when God promised Abraham that he would be the father of many nations. Even though he was ninety-nine years old, God said he and his wife Sarah would have a son. Abraham laughed at first, and so did Sarah—probably because they had waited for such a long time and were pretty old—but a year later, God fulfilled His promise to them and Isaac was born.”

“Absolutely!” Mom nodded. “And through Abraham’s line of descendants, God eventually fulfilled His greatest promise of all—His promise of a Savior for the whole world. God’s timing is not always when we want it, but we know He loves us and hears our prayers, and He always answers.”

“Because of Salt and Pepper, we’ll always remember that God answers—even in ways we don’t expect!” One of the tiny babies let out a small squeak that made Mom jump. Cora giggled. “I think that little one agrees!”

-Savannah Coleman

How About You?

Do you ever wonder if God is listening to your prayers? When God doesn’t answer the way you want Him to or in your time frame, it can be tempting to assume He isn’t listening. Isaiah 55:8-9 tells us that God’s ways are higher than our ways. While we may only be able to see a fraction of a picture, God sees it fully. He loves to give his children good things and will often go above and beyond what we can imagine. So go to Him in prayer and ask. He is listening.

Today’s Key Verse:
Psalm 17:6 I call on you, my God, for you will answer me; turn your ear to me and hear my prayer. (NIV)

Today’s Key Thought:

God hears and answers prayer