Talk with me about Answered Prayers

Just in case there are skeptics reading this - I mean folks who doubt the existence of God's Love - I write today about prayer.  Often people pray and later exclaim that God never answers. He is absent. He doesn't care. He doesn't hear me, they say, and they move through life's challenges forgetting to pray, "thank you," or "I need your help", or "please partner with me." 

Well (and I know that's a deep subject), this quilting cancer girl would like to share a few answered prayers. They are worth noting. Believe me, trust me, they are worth noting.

As background, I relied on God growing up. I knew him early on when our family camped in the Adirondacks on the shores of 7th Lake in the Fulton Chain. My folks would ask my two sisters and I to plan Sunday worship around the campfire. Plan we did. And the outpouring of gratitude for the sunrises, sunsets, calm waters and family time filled our little worship prayers. Life was good.

When I birthed my three sons, I was grateful for the miracles of  birth and growth. I raised them along with 13 foster children; some who were emotionally crippled from abuse and abandonment. "God give me patience," I would pray, "at least for this  moment that I may love them the way they need to be loved." God did not fail me even as their were times when I felt quite alone. Today the kids have their wings and they are amazing people contributing their talents to this world of ours. Thank you, Lord.

Cancer arrived for me the second week of September 2021.  It flattened me. I agonized as I grieved and finally eased into accepting that I need to do what I need to do in order to cleanse myself of the tumor. I decided to return to church. That experience I had eliminated after relocating in the city, not successfully finding a church that clicked with me. There just wasn't any chemistry.

Dedicated to enriching my spiritual self, I came to the following peaceful feeling: "I trust God. Because I trust God, he will guide me on this cancer path."  You will never guess!!! When I attended church that first Sunday back, the sermon topic was: "If you trust God, he will guide you through this." I cried all the way home (seems I do that after church on Sunday) because God and me...we were on the same page...and I was so grateful he was hearing my pleas.

The next week, I was asked by the oncologist on Thursday to make a decision about my treatment plan. He gave me the options and I spent Thursday through Saturday pondering those options. I talked to cancer survivors. I prayed for them and me. I consulted with nurse friends, valuing all the input I could get. I wanted to be informed. I decided where I stood and what option seemed to make sense. I was ready to tackle the chemo treatments with every ounce of my emotional, physical and spiritual energy. So early Sunday morning, I wrote about my decision on the patient portal and went off to church.

Now church was almost a surreal experience, especially when I saw that the sermon title was: "Challenge Accepted!"  God was speaking directly to me through the words of our pastor. Others felt the same way, I'm sure, even as they are living in a different life situation. But for me, this was another answered prayer. God was hearing my anguish. God was affirming  his love and support. I would manage the challenge okay with him holding my hand. And he was 'in'!!!! That was enlightening. I had accepted the challenge and so did He!

This week, my husband Tom and I have also been playing with our finances to figure ways we can manage food, insurance and medical expenses in conjunction with other obligations. I hugged him last week and said, "This will work out. I just know in my heart the finances will fall into place. We will do what we need to do." Tom is a bit more of a skeptic than me. 

Day before yesterday, we were notified that a Meal Train has been initiated in our behalf by quilting ladies in my life who continuously are my sunshine. I never knew there was such an animal as a Meal Train. Meal Train? What is that? It's what happens when love takes over and kind, thoughtful people join in force to provide occasional meals and supportive help with finances. When I told Tom, he looked at me in disbelief.  I said, "We really will manage this. God will see us through this."

I know this is long. Sorry. Sometimes I talk too much when I get excited and have great news to share. So, I go back to the beginning of this article and pull in the following sentence: This quilting cancer girl likes sharing a few answered prayers. They are worth noting. Believe me, trust me, they are worth noting...as long as you are open and receptive to the miracles of love. We are so blessed, Tom and I, even with cancer staring us square in the face.