When Prayers are answered...I think we should share.

On my very first blog I wrote about the conviction we felt about our finances and expanding our family through adoption. I told you about how we prayed over two jars: one was in our car we decided to sell; the other with our cut-up credit cards.

I think often we ask for prayer from others, but then fail to share the praise when the prayer is answered. With that, I want to share about one of our answered prayers. I do not share so we can take credit for what has happened, but fully so the Lord gets the praise and glory for blessing us.

Sometimes we take prayer as a way to give the Lord our "wish list" for the things we want. I am striving (with some success and some absolute failure) to let my prayers to the Lord be honest, heart-felt and about far more than "stuff" but instead about changing my heart to be more like His; to lift up others; and to help me focus on His way of providing blessings. When my prayers focus on the shiny, new "something", they just become about wanting something from this world; short-changing the glorious plans the Lord has.

Last weekend the Lord took care of one of our jars. We prayed over the jar in the front seat of the car as we made the final decision to sell it. We prayed for the Lord to not just sell it, but to please over-flow the jar. We had honest wants for the over-flow and included that in our prayer to the Lord. (You have to be honest with your prayers anyway because He already knows what is in your heart.) After that, we made some effort to sell it with a false sense that poof! the Lord was just going to send someone to buy it. So, after a few days, we put it on Auto Trader. I think even then we thought ten minutes after posting it that a seller was going to be calling.

I found myself a couple of days later feeling very disappointed because not a single person had an interest in our car posting. I had a great pity party about poor me driving the old wagon while the nicer, newer SUV sat unwanted. Oh, and let me pat myself on the back for a moment or two while driving the wagon because I am so righteous to have made such a choice. HA! I am sure the Lord was just shaking His head at my heart that day in particular.

Fast forward a couple more days...thankfully, my heart had softened back to the reality of what the Lord wanted and just why we had committed to selling the SUV. I actually left town for a couple of days with no real thought to the fact that someone may just call about the car posting.

Long story short, all of a sudden I had an inbox full of emails with interest in the car, most wondering why I had not returned their phone call with hopes the car was not already sold. It was so encouraging! In the end, a very nice couple drove three hours from Georgia to look at our car. Upon test driving it (with our jar obviously in the front seat cup holder), we came inside to negotiate the sale.

I tell you this next part not to glorify "us" or boost about what "great Christians" we are, but to encourage you to never be shy about your faith. I personally struggle with that sometimes not wanting to offend someone, make them uncomfortable, etc. but I am learning (slowly some days) that by using those excuses I am really just denying Jesus at the very times He wants me to be sharing Him the most.

The couple started the negotiations with a comment about realizing that Grant and I are a "nice Christian couple". A comment like that makes my heart skip a bit because I pray that when I meet new people that the Lord's shine will be upon me...that my words and actions make me a Christian, not my actually having to tell someone I am. This lead to a question about the jar in the car. I could not tell them the story fast enough. I loved that I had a chance to share with them an example of our faith in Christ to sell that car.

And, here, were our buyers. A week after posting it on Auto Trader and here sit two people from a very small town in Georgia ready and willing to buy our car. We knew then our jar was filled. The couple paid more for the car than they had originally planned. They told us directly that our faith is what encouraged them to do so. I can tell you that the Lord did not only fill that jar, but allowed it to overflow.

I encourage you...if you have some jars that need to be prayed over, do it tonight. Let the Lord show you just how He blesses those who find their faith in Him. While I am certainly thankful for the Lord selling our car and blessing us with a little extra, I am most, most thankful that we were able to just let Him handle it. I am so thankful that when my sinful self was not so sure I really wanted to sell that car He intervened in my heart  to see His path.  (I should add that this came through my dear husband's words and patience as I had a complete breakdown over it just hours before the couple was to arrive.)

Know that your example may well impact the most vulnerable little hearts around. If you have a children, such acts are being watched by them. We were very open with our kids about the jars and selling the car. Days after selling the car, our daughter asked me about the jar because she wanted to see just how much money God put in it. It was such a great opportunity to talk with her about the heart of God and how He had not just blessed our family with that one thing, but does it every day in both big and small ways.

I pray you see Him through such eyes too.