In Part I, I challenged you to check out the Prayer Folder in the memory section of your brain (very technical neurology) and shared about my experiences with answers to prayer. When we see God’s answers to prayers, they’re filed correctly. When we miss them, we have an inaccurate picture of God’s response to our prayers.
We all want to know how to hear God in our daily lives. We all want answers to our questions. Say you pray for something—or ask Him if it’s even something He wants for you—and then … forget? Most of us do this constantly. If we aren’t intentional, we can miss his miraculous answers to those prayers simply because life continues on.
Some ideas:
Do you ever write in a prayer journal? Writing down my prayers is a game changer to keep my focus and to sloooow doooown. My brain hops around between a billion topics. God can follow, but I can’t.
Bonus: A journal leaves a record, so you don’t second guess yourself when you see His answers later. I rarely go back and read what was written, but I want to fix that. When I have in the past, it's always blown my mind.
I don’t use a Kairos journal anymore, but it’s easy to copycat:
Read the Bible and record what stands out. What do you think God is saying to you through His word right now, today?
How did God show up during the day? An encouraging word from a friend, a wise thing you read in a book, heard on a podcast, watched on a reel, whatever! If it zinged in that true section of your heart, notice it and jot it down somewhere. (Maybe a different use of "zing," but I'm going with it.)
Check back frequently about what’s been zinging. Look for patterns. In my life, God often brings the same thing up over and over in various areas of my life. For me right now it’s the Loaves and Fishes—bringing our meager offering to God because he deserves it. It’s fun (okay, and sometimes brutal) to see how God answers prayers in this way. Ask for wisdom? It's coming right up!
Live in gratitude. I mess this one up a lot. If you’re keeping an eye out for the wonder in your life, for the good everywhere, you’re likely to see that some of the good God put there was in response to prayer. Remember praying a few years ago for new friends and Voilà? Remember praying for help in your relationship and it’s improving? Remember asking for wisdom with a decision and things are much clearer? Look for God’s kindness, and I promise you will find it.
When this little guy came around, my whole life changed. I changed. My husband changed. My family changed. My outlook changed. My body changed. My brain chemistry changed for a time (not fun). We'll never be the same. Three years later, God's been showing me a fuller picture of His work through it. I asked for transformations—for me, for Brit, for my family. Safe to say I didn't have a clue what I was signing up for, but I wouldn't take back of an inch of the beautiful work God did in us. And look at that cutie that inadvertently kicked it off! He's a gem. There's that time God rescued my family from missile-flooded Israel. I link it all over on this site because it was such a profound (and condensed) answer to prayer for my family. And I'm still watching for answers to plenty of prayers—about my writing, my books, how God wants to use me, and so many others. How about you? Send me a message and tell me about your answers to prayer, or apparent lack thereof. I'd love to chat about it. Jesus is my very favorite subject.
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