February 15, 2012

The Power of Unanswered Prayer

"Life is like a box of chocolates...you never know what you're going to get."
Forrest Gump

Last Saturday my family experienced a traumatic situation. My cousin, July, and her husband left their 3 kids with his parents for the day. Soon after they left, the grandparents realized they didn't see the youngest child, one-year-old Eastyn, and they found her at the bottom of their swimming pool. After pulling her out and calling 911, she was unresponsive for an hour and a half. News from the Doctor was quite grim. There were so many uncertainties. Would she live? Would there be permanent damage? Would she ever return to the same sweet Eastyn? At the very least, she would be in ICU on a respirator for a week. Family prayed, friends prayed, even strangers prayed for Eastyn and today, after only 5 days, not only is she out of ICU, she is home! A true miracle! God has received all the glory as the Doctors and Nurses scratch their heads, glad she is ok.

Also today, I called my mom as I headed back to work after my lunch break and I could tell that something was not right. My mom's close friend, Steve, was remodeling my grandparents bathroom this afternoon, when he suffered from a heart attack. Steve didn't make it.

What just happened? Steve was relatively young. Could God not help Steve? Is He a God who is distant, never personal? No, I just saw Him miraculously touch Eastyn. Then, why not Steve, too??

"In the end, unanswered prayer brings me face to face with the mystery that silenced Paul: the profound difference between my perspective and God’s." —Philip Yancey 


I don't know why Eastyn was saved and Steve died, but I know the character of my loving Father. I know that God's timing is perfect and His perspective is clear. Eastyn's mercy does not make me question, but instead brings me peace. God could have miraclously stepped in and started Steve's heart this afternoon, but He didn't because He knows something that I don't. I trust God's love, His hand, and His silence.

Thank you, God, for being worthy of my trust.

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