Meditation

Read Romans 1:8-12

This is the boldness we have in [the Son of God], that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.—1 John 5:14 (NRSV)

As I sat in the pew for the worship service, I thought about how disconnected I felt. My daughter is grown and now makes her home in another state, so I now go to church by myself. The connections we made together during her school years have faded leaving me feeling isolated.

Perhaps my thoughts were an upspoken prayer, because just as the service ended, a woman sitting near me greeted me and reminded me I’d met her at her place of business years before. If ever there was an answer to a prayer, that simple greeting felt like one. I left feeling grateful and a bit less lonely.

I know that God answers prayers; while I wasn’t consciously praying about my loneliness, God answered my need. Often I have felt that my problems are too insignificant to bother God with, but this encounter reminded me that God does care about even the smallest problems we face and will intervene in our lives when we need it.

Prayer: Dear God, thank you for answering our prayers in unexpected ways. May we be the answer to someone’s prayer today. Amen.

Thought for the day: God will answer my prayers—sometimes when I least expect it.

—Nanci Lamar, Tennessee