Published 10/16/19
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“And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.” 1 John 5:14-15
Reflect
Do you pray about everything—both big and small? Why or why not?
Beth has been a type 1 diabetic since the age of seven, and she’s now sixty. “I’ve learned that no insulin equals no life,” she says. “I’m extremely careful to follow my physician’s instructions, and I’m consistent to take the medicine I need without varying the dosage. My body needs a very specific amount, so I don’t deviate from what has been prescribed.
“I live in Dennison, Ohio, but I receive my insulin from Canada because it’s a lot less expensive than buying it here in the States.”
Because Beth doesn’t have insurance, the cost of her medicine is $500 for two vials of insulin if purchased at a pharmacy in her area. By ordering it from Canada, however, she gets four vials for $525.
Beth’s husband was working in Alaska, and she was scheduled to see him on the weekend. When she received the tracking number for her insulin on Monday, she realized there would be a dilemma in getting the medicine she needed at the time she needed it. “The tracking showed that I wouldn’t get the insulin until Friday, but there was no set time as to when the mail carrier in our small town would deliver my package. I wasn’t going to be home much of the day—lunch with my parents in a neighboring town and time with friends—so I knew I had a major problem with my schedule and the delivery of my medicine.”
Beth began praying in the wee hours of the morning, asking God to bring her insulin early in the day on Friday. “Besides my body going into shock, the other consequence of not receiving the insulin was that because it was coming from another country, the postal service had the right to throw it away if I wasn’t present at delivery time, and I wouldn’t be able to get reimbursed.” As Beth prayed, she sensed God challenging her. “Do you believe I answer all prayers? Small prayers as well as big prayers? Simple requests as well as complicated ones?”
“I knew my prayer was a mix,” she says. “Asking God to bring my mail early was a simple request, but the consequences I would experience if I didn’t receive it before my get-together with my husband were quite complicated.”
Beth never doubted God’s ability for a second; she knew He could send an angel with her meds if He wanted to. “But I did worry about the system,” she says. “I had full confidence in God, but I was unsure about our postal service. As I continued to pray, though, God reminded me that He has control over everything and can even intervene in the postal service.”
Beth’s insulin was delivered before she left the house on Friday, and she was able to enjoy time with her husband without any concern. God cares about every detail in our lives! His timing is always perfect.
There’s nothing too small to pray about, and there’s nothing too big to pray about. We’re told in Philippians 4:6 to pray about everything. God wants us to give Him our concerns. Why is this important? Because prayer dissipates worry. The more you pray, the less you worry. Prayer also acts as a bonding agent. It cements you closer to your heavenly Father. And when that happens? Your God confidence deepens!
Pray
Lord, show me how to pray. Help me to for everything—big and small. Amen.