Our Faithful God ~ Billy Graham

The amazing Billy Graham wrote a short note in a book I recently picked up regarding our prayers and God's answers to them ~ excerpt from "God's Love For You ~ Hope & Encouragement For Life" ~

"One of the most frequent questions people ask me concerns unanswered prayers. "God must be deaf," someone bluntly wrote me. "My prayers never get above the ceiling," another wrote. But GOD knows what is best for us, and we need to LEARN to TRUST HIM for the outcome. Sometimes God answers "Yes" when we ask Him for something. But sometimes His answer is "Not Yet", or even "No". And sometimes His answer is simply, "TRUST ME, EVEN IF YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND".'

"Ruth's father, Dr. Bell, always kept a list of people for whom he was praying. After his death Ruth found one of his prayer lists ("Mostly illegible", she commented; "you know how doctors write") On it was a specific concern about one of our children. Not until five years AFTER his death was that prayer answered ~ a VIVID reminder of God's faithfulness in answering prayer according to HIS TIMETABLE, not ours"

(emphasis in above excerpt is mine)

I have a myriad of stories from my own life's journey where God has indeed answered prayers according to His timetable. When I was 23 weeks along with the twins pregnancy and one of the twins was diagnosed with having a dilated ventricle in her brain and water/blood on her brain ~ we prayed and prayed!! Upon their arrival, which was a heart wrenching 9 weeks early, the situation in her brain increased in severity. While in the NICU in Plano, Texas we were counseled by different therapist on Little "M"'s condition that would more than likely lead to cerebral palsy and her not being able to walk or talk.

Three months after they came home, we returned to Presbyterian Hospital in Plano Texas for a follow up scan on her little brain ~ a long 2 hour drive from where we were living at the time in Tyler. The drive there was painful to my heart. My sweet Little "M" did not respond like her twin to stimulation. She had the "lights out" look on her precious face since birth...a blank stare.




As we drove home, I found myself asking God "Why my baby"? We almost lost her twice in the NICU. Once we were told that we could lose her in the next 24 hours due to Necrotizing Entercolitis ~ a very serious and often deadly condition that preemies get. God answered our prayers and saved her life!!









As we continued our drive home we came upon a HORRIBLE storm. The sky turned black, the winds began to blow, blinding rain and hail the size of golf balls started to pummel the van. Just then the phone rang and it was Dr. Barret, our pediatrician in Tyler. The radiologist had called him with the results. They were amazed almost to the point of questioning if they had scanned the right twin. The dilation in her brain returned to normal and all traces of blood and water had resolved!!! It was/is a miracle.

SEVEN months....SEVEN LONG MONTHS after her diagnosis...God healed her. Today, she is a walking talking running joy filled two year old who seems to know the blessing God bestowed upon her and her precious life.


I want to remind them, as well as myself, that God hears our every prayer. He will carry each and every one of us through the valley. The Lord is our Shepherd!

~ Psalm 23 ~

1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,

3 He restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness
for His name's sake.

4 Even though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death, [a]
I will fear no evil,
for You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff,
they comfort me.

5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.

6 Surely goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD
forever.

God loves me. God loves you! We are HIS children. As parents, which one of us would not provide the absolute BEST for our children ~ would we settle to provide for them less? God wouldn't either and though in the valley it can be hard to remember that....together we can encourage each other.

I love each and every one of you!!

In His Grip!!!!