If I had to choose three prayers I’ve prayed whose answers gave birth to other prayers, I would choose to trace the prayer-ology of praying for God to show me who He wanted me to marry, for more children when we were unable to conceive again after our first son was born, and when I gave my writing to God, setting it down for a season until He gave it back.

When I was 11, I asked God to reveal to me at the right time who I was to marry. My mother’s second marriage was ending in divorce, and I thought, “If she cannot find the right man, how can I?” I took that conundrum to God–and left it with Him. Of course, leaving it with Him was probably easier at 11 because I wasn’t going to marry any time soon. God did reveal to me my husband. He answered my prayer–and that prayer has given birth to more prayers. Prayer, I have found, isn’t really a one and done action.

I can trace the prayer-ology the journey through a prayer sent out in my infertility struggle. That prayer got me enrolled in one of God’s courses that drew me closer to Him. He also put people across my path during that season who prayed with me, talked with me, pointed me to God–oh, how they impacted my journey with God. A relationship with God was built during this season that would help equip me in the next stage of my journey living with the answer to the prayers I’d prayed.

One wise woman told me, “Ask God that if it’s not God’s will to take the desire away.” That’s a bold prayer–because He could have. Instead, He encouraged me over and over to not give up. That infertility journey? I walked it with God step-by-step. He drew me closer during that particular journey. I think He wanted me to know without a doubt that what He had in store for me wasn’t an accident. It was a planned answer to my prayer.

One doesn’t give up on an answered prayer. One doesn’t walk away from an answered prayer. When answered prayers get uncomfortable, more prayers are born. Perhaps, I would say that my steps to the presence of my Father went there more quickly. With each prayer, I knew Him better. I knew He wanted me to come–on running feet!

“The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe.” – Proverbs 18:10

The answer to the prayer for a husband took about eight or nine years of waiting for an answer. The fertility challenge? Five years. This last one? I could say it’s been over 50 years to come to where it is now. However, it’s probably only been about 29 years since I gave to God my writing as a gift. I laid it down at His feet for Him to keep. I’d tried lots of ways to keep my foot in the door to the writing world. Nothing worked, so I gave the one thing I loved doing, that I’d wanted to do since I was six years old. I loved it so much, I got a degree in it–and no matter the lack of support or encouragement, I kept chasing after that dream. Finally, one day, exhausted, in the middle of diapers, a bunch of pairs of socks to match and get ready for school, doors not opening, I decided to trust my Father with this precious dream. I loved and trusted Him enough to give it to Him. Yes–my children are precious. Yes–my husband is my Forever Man. Both answers to prayers. This dream? I’d dedicated each child to God. Maybe it was time to hand over this dream to God.

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” – Isaiah 55:8-9

I taught a few writing classes at the university. I raised these answers to prayers and sent out more prayers. Those prayers led to other prayers. Before one of the hardest seasons of my life, He gave back to me my writing. A door opened. I started a blog, about 17 years ago on Mother’s Day with a poem my son who had a baby girl in the winter of this year wrote about me where he says his mom is “a stick that will not be broken.” For 17 years I wrote. I’ve self-published. Then last summer, someone sent my resume to a new newspaper in town, a newspaper that allowed faith in their columns. I’ve been a mother a few weeks shy of 40 years. God answers prayers–and, every time I sit down to write articles, He answers new prayers born of a newly answered prayer.

If you have little children, teen children, adult children–I bet if you and I listed all the prayers you prayed, you could do a “prayer-ology” and trace those prayers back to which prayer need sprung from which answered prayer. You and I could probably construct a Prayer Tree of which answered prayer gave birth to answer which gave birth to a new prayer which when answered gave birth to a new prayer.

“In my distress I called upon the Lord;
I cried out to my God,
And from His temple [in the heavens] He heard my voice;
My cry for help came into His ears.”
~ 2 Samuel 22:7

Prayers are often born when we reach the end of ourselves, a place where we can no longer bear the heart-ache, minimize it, or find our own solution for it. Have fallen to the end of ourselves in surrender to our Father, asking for help, to give the solving of the situation to Him, daring to trust this Father who created the world and loves us enough to reach down and lift us up–each prayer given to Him is where we learn to sit with Him, to walk quickly to the shade of His wing, until we not only find ourselves running to Him with or without prayers just because we want to be in His presence but we’re taking others there, too–and they come because we tell them what this Father has done for us.

Somewhere in the journey of prayers sent out and answered, we start becoming the hands and feet of Christ. Someone once said, “Some people are takers. Some are givers.” It’s that way with praying, too. We cannot only pray for ourselves. It is important to give others the same gift given us through those God sent as encouragers during these challenges faced in faith: to join them in prayer. To be an Hur to their Moses.

“Again, I give you an eternal truth: If two of you agree to ask God for something in a symphony of prayer,  my heavenly Father will do it for you. For wherever two or three come together in honor of my name,  I am right there with them!” ~ Matthew 18: 19-20

In the Spring, I prayed with one of my daughter-in-law’s who had a miscarriage–confirmed by the doctor. She didn’t. In the winter, she gave birth to a baby girl. I’d prayed for her husband, my son, before he drew his first breath (you can read that story here).

About a month later, I sat with a young mother who’d had a miscarriage, talking about the feelings, about the little life that can’t be held until we cross over to the other side. Before we went our way for the day, we prayed for new life, healthy and whole. In the winter, she gave birth.

In the Autumn, I sat with another precious daughter-in-law in my Thinking Room. She’d had a miscarriage, and she came to tell me about it. Before she left, we prayed. She recently posted about this precious child’s due date, recognizing the life God gave her for a short time. She’s expecting twins in the early summer.

 “Because there are so many interceding for us, our deliverance will cause even more people to give thanks to God. What a gracious gift of mercy surrounds us because of your prayers!” ~ 2 Corinthians 1:11

We celebrated our June birthday’s early, because, well, identical twin boys are coming. As I sat there looking around the table, watching them sit long and talk much amongst themselves, watching five grandchildren running around, one carried around, and two on the way–I thought about all those prayers–and the ones I am still trusting Him to answer, which will give birth to new prayers.

Each of us around the table has prayers sent to the Father that I walked hesitantly to all those years ago. I don’t walk hesitantly anymore. I run now. I pray they run, too (another prayer sent out). We each have challenges that sting, that stretch us to God if we’ll allow. We’re each living in the wait of a prayer sent out. Learning how to live there is almost more important than the prayer answered. I had to stop living as though I were holding my breath in the wait. I couldn’t live fully like that. I couldn’t move forward through the wait. I needed to learn to breath, to live fully in that wait. Five, eight or nine years, 30 years–that’s a long time to hold your breath. That’s no way to live.

Keep in mind: an answered prayer comes with its own set of prayers to be sent out. What are three prayers you’ve prayed? Can you trace the prayer-ology of them? How does what you discover make you feel?

“Empower us, as your servants
,to speak the word of God freely and courageously. 
Stretch out your hand of power through us to heal,
and to move in signs and wonders
by the name of your holy Son, Jesus!” 
~ Acts 4:29a-30

Remember Me Monday: #134 Link-up

“I’ll make a list of God’s gracious dealings,
    all the things God has done that need praising,
All the generous bounties of God,
    his great goodness to the family of Israel—
Compassion lavished,
.    love extravagant.”
~ Isaiah 63:7, The Message

In the Old Testament, God repeatedly, quietly and loudly, tells his children, “You have forgotten me!”  (Jeremiah 3:32, Ezekiel 22:12, to name a few). It’s a heart cry from a father to a child who has forgotten all the love, all the saving, helping, little and big blessings – and it leaves me stunned when I realize our Father, the creator of the universe, who knows things I cannot begin to fathom, who authors storylines that leave me amazed, delights in all of us so much, He cries out, “Remember Me.”

While every day is a Remember God Day, I am inviting you to join me on Monday mornings to come by and remember what God has done for you, for your family. Maybe God sent a cardinal darting out in front of you, as if to tell you, “I’m here,” or broke a child’s fever after you laid it all down at His feet in a 2 a.m. bedside vigil. Maybe He stood with you in the wait of a prayer sent out, or brought someone you loved to Christ. Maybe He healed your broken heart, gave your courage, or you gave Him your dreams as a love offering only to have Him give them back in an unimaginable way. Maybe God helped you survive to bedtime after a crazy Monday, or forgive yourself for missing it with your kiddos –– Whatever it is, let’s Remember Him. . . in a “Remember Me Monday” love letter.

“My mouth will tell of your righteousness,
Of your salvation all the day long,
Though I know not its measure.
I will come and proclaim your mighty acts, O Sovereign Lord”
~ Psalm 71:15-16.

Let us delight in Him by telling the  stories of what He’s done!  If you wrote a blog post remembering what He’s done for you, join the linky. If you didn’t but still want to praise Him for what He’s done – write it in the comment section. Then visit a comment before or after yours! One of the beautiful things about the blogging community is the relationships it builds!

Rules?  Write long or short, a list or a story, include photos or not. Just Remember Him and what He has done, and let the gratitude of your heart guide you. Let’s make Monday so Rejoice, that the goodness of God spills into the rest of the week!

Link Up Below:

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!Click here to enter

Places I’m Linking at This Week:
  Instaencouragements, Legacy Link-Up, 
Let’s Have Coffee Wednesday 
Recharge Wednesday, Scripture & a Snapshot
 Grace&Truth, Sweet Tea & Friends