Published 11/1/19
By Greg Johnson
What If...
Mom, you receive a phone call from your dad right at the end of the dinner hour. Dad and we kids notice that you’re quiet for the first few minutes. Then you start asking questions in a low, broken voice. We can’t hear them all, and we know you’re trying not to cry.
When you hang up the phone you tell the family that Grandpa says Grandma has cancer. Then you really start crying. Dad, you immediately go and hug her, then suggest that we go into the living room to pray. We all get down on our knees and take turns praying. Mom prays, too, though it’s hard for her to get her words out.
As the days go by there are more phone calls and visits, but each night the family prays together. In the mornings, Dad, you and Mom pray while we’re still in bed. Both of you realize that Grandma is in God’s hands. She has always had a strong faith, and besides the little bit of pain and discomfort she’s in, her spirits are pretty good. Grandpa’s holding up as best he can.
But Mom, you are having a hard time. As the weeks go by, you sound frustrated in your prayers and it almost seems like you don’t really believe God is doing his job of handling the situation. When you pray you give Grandma over to God, but throughout the rest of the day you seem to take her back and worry about her all over again.
Questions to Think On
• Hopefully this situation will never happen to our family. But praying, then “taking back the situation” and worrying about it is common (or so says the writer of this book). Have either you or Dad ever done this before?
• How does taking back a problem that you’ve given to God help or hurt you?
• What types of things are easy for you and Dad to pray about and leave in God’s hands? What are the toughest?
• Has God ever proven to be untrustworthy when you’ve given him something to take care of?
What Does God Have to Say?
Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.
I cry out to God Most High, to God, who fulfills his purpose for me. He sends from heaven and saves me, rebuking those who hotly pursue me; God sends his love and his faithfulness.
(c)