Thankful Thursday: Praying Specifically with our Children

For a few weeks Elaine and I have been praying for two specific things that the kids needed for this winter.  God has been very faithful to provide for all of our needs.  Though we could have scraped together the money to go and buy these items new, we decided to pray about it, with Elaine, and see what God would do.  And, there’s no rush because winter is not upon us yet.

Sometimes I forget to pray for these items, but Elaine reminds me.  Yesterday we had the first part of our answer to prayer.

Nolan needed a winter coat.  I had gone through all of the hand-me-downs, but the coats we had were either pink or too big.  I even checked the thrift stores when I was visiting my in-laws.  Yesterday as I put some of the fall clothes into the kids’ dressers, and hung up some clean clothes in the closet, I spied a blue winter coat.  It was shoved way in the back.  I was sure it was the 3T coat, too big for Nolan…but I decided to check again. To my delight and surprise, as well as Elaine’s {and Nolan’s, because he got to try it on} it was an 18-24 months winter coat. A brand new coat. 

Matthew 6:8 says that our Heavenly Father knows what our needs are, even before we ask Him for them.  This is how God chose to answer our prayer – before we even asked for it.  {And then He just had to remind me it was there, because my brain is really mushy these days.  I blame it on my kids.}

Ben also had a specific prayer request.  The day after he told me what he had been praying for, we received a card in the mail which answered 20% of Ben’s prayer.  Then after our trip to Massachusetts we sat and talked about it, realizing that God had indeed provided the exact amount for which Ben had prayed.  It came a little at a time, from new and old sources, but just when we needed it.

Now Elaine is still praying for one other item.  And I’m not going to tell you what it is.  But I know she is even more excited to see God answer it now that she has seen what Nolan got!  And I am thankful that God allowed us to show our little two year old daughter the power of prayer to our powerful God.