Praying!!

"Sometimes God delivers us from our problems; sometimes God delivers us through our problems."
"The primary purpose of prayer is not to change circumstances; the primary purpose of prayer is to change us! But either way, the chief objective remains the same: to glorify God in any and every situation."
These are quotes from a Daily Devotional I have sent to my email each day. Ever since beginning a prayer journal many years ago, I've learned that His answers come in various ways...not always as we hoped, but far better than we imagined and always for our benefit. He always knows what is best for us, even when we can't see it. Sometimes the lesson is so very hard, but He is always there to see us through it!

I saw this through my journey through breast cancer treatment, through side effects from various medications, through medical anomalies that occurred during (a nearly ruptured gal bladder), and through medical conditions that occurred since.  The answer isn't always the one we hope for, but He can use any circumstance to help us grow, or to help others on their journey.  

My most heart breaking prayer experience came while watching a young man named Tyler struggle through leukemia.  He always had a smile on his face, always encouraged others, his mother is the strongest person I know, and glorified God in every circumstance of his life and his death.  There were miracles along the way, and he did eventually die, but the number of people who came to Jesus through Tyler and who strengthened their faith is amazing.  No struggle, no prayer, no act of faith is ever wasted, and the work done through Tyler's influence continues on today.

I began praying for a friend's marriage while I was in the midst of my battle with breast cancer.  Now she and her husband in are the midst of a cancer battle of their own, and their marriage is the strongest it has ever been.  I keep praying for a miracle, that he will be healed from stage four cancer, but in my eyes one has already happened.  They have grown together through this tragedy, drawn closer to God, and continue to carry on through some very difficult days.  I've seen my friend grow so much in her faith, the transformation is amazing.  And through watching God work in this situation, my faith has grown by leaps and bounds, and my prayer life has never been so strong.  Yes, God works in mysterious ways...not always as we would hope, but always for our benefit.

Prayer is amazing!  So is our God!