Then before we said good-bye, she would give me a verse to
memorize. It was like a vitamin pill to sustain me until the next time
we met.
One of the first Scriptures was Philippians 4:6–7. It was life alter-
ing! It encouraged me in prayer. It gave me hope to ask God for what
I needed and faith to believe he would answer. It called me to give
thanks and allowed me to trust God’s peace even though I didn’t un-
derstand yet.
Little by little, as I stopped trying to dig up the small seedlings of
faith in my life, they began to take root. They began to grow and
spread out in me.
Someone has said, “When we work, we work; but when we pray,
Godworks.” As I prayed and petitioned God about everything that
winter, giving him thanks even before his answers materialized, I
began to see what a powerful God he is. As I gave him room and per-
mission to operate in me, I began to experience more of his peace
and love. His supernatural strength became the bedrock of who I
was (and am).
I am aware that there are those skeptics who view answered
prayers as coincidences, but to those people I have to echo what an
Anglican bishop once observed: “It’s amazing how many ‘coinci-
dences’ occur when one begins to pray!”
Father God, I thank you for friends who lead us, stand beside us,
and help us to grow in faith. Thank you for the tremendous gift of
prayer. In Jesus’ name, amen.101 MOST POWERFUL PRAYERS IN THE BI BLE 137