Praise Him

When I was little one of my favorite songs was "God is Love"

Praise Him, praise Him
All ye little children
God is love, God is love
Praise Him, praise Him
All ye little children
God is love, God is love

I invited everyone I knew to church, and I prayed daily for my friends and neighbors. I specifically remember having the chicken pox and being bored our of my mind (happened frequently as an only child...) and having a tea party for Jesus. I invited Him to my room and played just like he was there with my invisible friends. I never thought anything bad would happen, or I would ever not want to praise Him.

Many years and heartache later, I still praise Him. There are many times when it's hard, but there's many times when it's rewarding. I'm supposed to be journaling the "God Spots", the times when God reveals himself me through little answers to prayer. Unfortunately journaling is one of those things I love to do but don't always make time for. So tonight I'm going to share with you some ways God has answered prayer recently.

My husband, Shaun, has worked at the same gas station since right after our marriage. He quickly worked his way up to assistant manager, but was stuck in that position for several years. While we appreciated the paycheck, we struggled to make ends meet. There were times when I took two jobs or jobs far away from home just to make sure we had enough. When he couldn't get time off after William's death, I was ready to demand he quit. I was sure there had to be a better job out there. As usual, he calmed me down and assured me he was doing the right thing by staying. It was hard, but I trusted him. Earlier this year we learned there could be an opportunity for promotion as soon as next year. Imagine our surprise when the opportunity presented itself weeks (rather than months) later! We prayed through the application and interview process, and God answered! Shaun not only got the promotion, he also received a hefty pay raise. We are still incredibly thankful, and in shock. God is good!

I always hoped my home would be a safe haven for people who didn't have anywhere else to go. Not necessarily strangers, because I know that can be dangerous, but maybe friends or family who are struggling. Last week our community was hit by a tornado. It destroyed several homes and businesses, and with my babysitting job I wasn't sure how much I could help. I went to the ministry our church has and spent some time sorting through clothes and other donations. Then one of the moms said she wanted to go help with cleanup, but needed someone to watch her kids. Woohoo! Something I could do! For three days last week I had two extra little boys in my home. We had fun playing sword fights, building pretend fires, and they even built their own guns and played army! I've always said I wouldn't know what to do with boys, but it turns out I have more ideas than I knew. They're not as difficult as I feared. God has routinely placed boys of various ages in my life in recent years, and I don't think I'd be lost if he blessed us with a little boy to raise. Once again, it was nice to see how God can use our little home to bless others. It felt good to help someone help someone. He didn't answer my prayer when I wanted or exactly how I wanted, but He did listen, and he did answer.