Little things

I used to think that if God answered prayers, it was only the big ones. I thought people were crazy when said they prayed about what car to buy or something like that. In my very first bible study class, I will never forget this woman saying that she prayed for God to let her get a rental car that was big like her Explorer, and another woman saying she prayed for good parking spots. My first reaction to those ladies was very extreme—how stupid! Why on earth would you bother God with such stuff!! That discussion went on (despite the extreme reaction inside my head) and I will never forget what I learned that day. The lady praying for an Explorer rental witnessed to someone standing in that line with her and then got her Explorer—and she did not forget to thank God for it right then and there. Maybe God blessed her for witnessing. The lady who prayed for good parking at Wal-Mart talked about getting the first spot at times—and praising God for it.

I guess I use to think that God could or should not be bothered by our petty concerns. I don’t know if I thought He did not care, or did not have time for such things, or if I thought it was disrespectful to bother Him with such. I can be stupid sometimes.

One of my favorite songs is He Knows My Name—actually there are two totally different songs by that name and I love them both. It amazes me and humbles me to know that the God who created the universe, "who counts the stars, knows how much sand is on the shores, is in control of each and every thing" knows my name, every thing I do, every tear I cry. He knows me, He loves me. He cares about every detail of my life. He can take bad things and use them for good, to teach me or help me. He wants me to love Him and to know Him and to treat Him as my Father, my friend. So why on earth would I NOT talk to my father or my friend about the “little details” in my life? Why not tell Him about the things that I worry about, the decisions I am trying to make, and the stuff that keeps me from falling asleep? What about the things that make my day harder or wear me out? I believe He likes it when I cry out to Him, when I make requests of Him, when I depend on Him to get me through every detail of my day.

The lady praying for good parking said she believed that sometimes He answers those little prayers so that we will see that He is listening to us, even about the small stuff, so we remember that He is paying attention and know that He cares about whatever matters to us. I believe that too.

God is not a genie in a bottle, answering all of our wishes. We pray and pray and sometimes it seems like He does not hear us. Sometime He is slower than we like. Sometimes He says no and we feel like little kids who cannot see what is for our own good until years down the road—if ever. But I know there is nothing wrong with asking Him to help us with the little things, no matter how trivial it seems to someone else.

When our neighbor prayed with us to find a lost baby tooth, I first thought that was a little silly. When she went over and found that tooth on a shelf that I checked several times, I believe that was a little miracle from God and he used it to give faith to me and my kids and none of us will forget that. Cynics can say I just didn’t see the tooth, that close parking and the car you wanted to rent—those were luck or coincidence. I see them as little ways, on normal days that God chooses to bless us and keep our faith strong so that it will still be there for the days when faith is all we have to hold on to.

So, I love it when God answers my little prayers. I am so thankful that He listened to me this week and did not let sick kids puke on the carpet or the furniture because Daddy is gone and I can’t handle that stuff by myself. I am thankful for magazine articles that get my attention and show me that my kid needs a visit to the dentist because she probably has TMJ after I have asked God to let us find out why she is having so many headaches. I accept those things as answered prayers and don’t take those for granted. I am thankful for each little answer and for the big ones too. I hope I never stop praying for the little things and never fail to see them as proof of God’s love and care for every detail of my life.