Leslie Thomson
I am always in awe and delighted when God answers my prayers, especially the ones He answers in a more subtle, amazingly simple way. I smile and shake my head when I realize it. I always pray in the name of Jesus Christ with confidence that my prayer will be answered. But when it happens I am still humbled knowing that God actually listens to me. ME! Some examples that I will share with you include an important presentation I had to give at work for our new Managing Director and her global staff. I was completely at ease and when I finished, it hit me that what I said and how I said it was GREAT! I was stunned and silently thanked God immediately for answering my prayer. Another time I prayed that He would help JayTee & me use our time apart this winter to think about, and work on being a better spouse instead of growing apart, and He did just that. Then there is Annie.
Annie is about 50 years old, Jewish, and has had MS for over 20 years. She has been in a wheelchair for 15 of those 20 years and has an Aid living with her 24/7. She has two sons in college and just recently found out her husband has a girlfriend. They own a large 2-level townhouse and Annie and her Aid live on one floor while her husband and sons (when home from college) live on the other floor, which has a private entrance. Pretty bleak picture, right?
I visit Annie several times a year, in truth, more out of a sense of service. Sometimes my husband or sister, or some mutual friends come along. We bring pizza or finger food, remember ‘old times’ and talk about now. Although we try our best and even go with a ‘script’ of positive things to talk about (including Jesus and our church family), Annie is understandably unhappy and negative and we generally come away feeling down.
I pray for Annie for a multitude of reasons. I pray that she comes to know Jesus. I pray that she is comfortable and gets good care. I pray that she is happy. (Which, by the way, is what one of our members on the Prayer List replied to me when I asked him “What I should pray for you?”).
I saw Annie a few weeks ago. She is a changed woman. No, she doesn’t believe in Jesus (yet). But Annie is HAPPY! She decided that she was tired of being holed-up at home and had her Aid bundle her up into her motorized wheelchair. She ‘drove’ three blocks on her own (up the STEEP hill that she lives at the bottom of) and started visiting an Assisted Living facility. Many of the seniors living there don’t have any family, and Annie became the person who cheered them up. She was bubbling over with stories of some ladies that she helped get over the death of their parakeet or how she brought everyone candy canes for Christmas. Now she goes three times a week.
Our God is awesome. Never in a million years could we plan something like this. But Annie simply feels needed. She has a purpose. It’s what she lives for. When I asked her what made her go in the first place, she couldn’t say. (Wink, Wink). “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17)
in His service,
Leslie Thompson
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