Answers to Prayer

My heart is so full as I write this.  Today has been a full day, and I’ve shed quite a few tears.  Some sad ones, many happy ones.

Brother Clark M. at our church has been ill for several weeks.  He had a stroke and has difficulty recovering.  The kids have helped me to pray for him many times a day.  We pray for Brother Clark to be healed, and we pray for Mrs. Linda (his wife).  Today, God answered our prayer.  In the wee hours of the morning, the Lord saw fit to call Brother Clark home to heaven.  We received the news as we were preparing breakfast this morning.

Linda gave such a sweet testimony of the Lord’s work, His grace, and His salvation in the church this morning.  We know of at least one person who trusted the Lord because of the witness of Linda during Clark’s illness.  I am so happy for Clark – he is healed – just not here on earth.  He is in such a better place, in the presence of our Lord.  My heart is heavy for Linda.

We have a good friend named Carol.  We have prayed for Carol’s salvation for several years.  She comes to church often.  My kids love her, and I know she loves them too.  Today, after the services, Carol made the decision to be born again.  I cried again – such happy tears.  I was so thrilled that I got to see her today, on the day when she received new life.  My kids have also prayed often for Miss Carol.  It was with great excitement that I told the kids of her decision.

We have this jar with popsicle sticks in it.  Each one has a prayer request on it.  We let the kids pick one to pray for before bedtime.  It is not often that we get to remove a stick, because the prayer requests are mostly long-term concerns.  Today we got to remove two sticks from our jar: one stick for Brother Clark, and one stick for Miss Carol.

I can’t help but think that Brother Clark is having a grand time rejoicing in heaven today because a "new name was written down in glory".  He was a prayer warrior, and I know he prayed for Carol’s salvation for quite some time.  Today he gets to rejoice over this answer to prayer from the glories of heaven.