Answered Prayers...

I have a little testimony to share (like anything I share is ever “little” in length…). Many of you know that I am absolutely, positively, NOT a morning person. I really want to be one, but I am NOT! Well a few years ago Phyllis Elvington stepped on my toes…actually, she crushed them, in sermon at Caswell about quiet time in the mornings with the Lord. And she referenced numerous scriptures about early morning prayer time and Bible reading time. The scripture that she quoted that stung the most was Mark 1:35 “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” My initially reactions was “come on does it really say very early”???? So I looked it up (several times) and yes, yes it does.

For a while I prayed for God to wake me up at 6am so I could read and pray, but then I gave up and continued to hit snooze. And for the last several years now I have been justifying the reasons I am not and cannot and will not be a morning person. I was so tickled that I had found scriptural references to support my stance. The book of Exodus was riddled with support…Ex 23:16, 23:19, 34:26, also Leviticus, Deuteronomy, Nehemiah all supported me. All of these verses discuss giving the Lord the firstfruits of your harvest and livestock, and oil, and everything else. And the Bible clearly identifies the firstfruits as “the BEST” portion that you have. So I was clearly living in God’s Will because my “best” is not 6am….it is 9pm when the kids are tucked in and I can sit in my chair on the porch and take in His glorious creation. So there…take that Phyllis! (Disclaimer - I am quite certain I have told some of you these same things that I have told myself…to comfort you for not being a morning person either…so if I have…you had better STOP here…because reading to the end might be dangerous for you!)

The problem is…the subject kept coming back!!! I cannot tell you the number of times in the last four years Billie, Tim, and even Beth Moore have preached directly to me about Mark 1:35. Most times it was because they were reading a bigger portion of scripture and just breezed by that one…but it did not breeze by my heart. And then this year at Caswell…Phyllis did it again with a different message but the same scripture!!!

A year ago I started running. And I am speaking literally here in case you got lost because on surface you would be like “what? How did she get from Jesus to running????” I realize the transition is bad…but I am not coming up with anything smoother…sorry! =)

When we planned the WMU 5K last year and I ran my first ever 5K without stopping to walk…I really could not stop to walk! I fell in serious like with the feeling from running…tired, shaky, sometimes like I would throw up but amazingly so satisfied! Then on Jan 1 when I decided to start weight watchers to lose enough weight to get off of my blood pressure meds, I kept running to get activity points. 3 miles was worth 6 points and that was a great feeling of accomplishment! Not too mention helping TREMENDOUSLY with the weight loss and NO MORE meds!!! (Praise Jesus!)

OK so here is where it gets back to Jesus. All those months running by myself I was praying for a running accountability partner. Kind of like a spiritual accountability partner…someone stronger at running than me to push me along…not so we could enter a bunch of “official” races because I honestly could care less if we ever participate in anything official. Then a few months ago out of the clear blue I got a text from a friend who saw me running by myself during ball practice and lo and behold I have hooked with an awesome running partner (*wink* to her)…and we are scheduled to run a half marathon this fall!

And then as if that answered prayer wasn’t enough…He decided to really show off His power! Which I absolutely L-O-V-E when He does that!! *grin* You see juggling 4 kids on 3 different baseball teams and a dancer, two full time working and church volunteering moms and two husbands who are also busy at church, home and work makes for a VERY difficult time to find an hour each evening for running. So we decided to get up at 5am 3-4 days a week to run our short runs so we could make sure to get in 15-20 miles a week. Yes…you read that correctly…5am (eastern standard time in case you doubted me!)!!!

So the absolutely, positively, NOT a morning woman is now a 5am running 3-4 miles, coming in at 6am and reading her Bible and praying before showering woman! And it is ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY, WITHOUT A DOUBT, COMPLETELY a God thing!!! I would never in a million years do it on my own accord…it is His and His alone!

So ladies, never doubt that He will answer a prayer that is prayed IN HIS WILL for your life. He answers in His time and in His way…but there is always an answer if you pray IN HIS WILL! And if what you are praying is scriptural (ex- Mark 1:35 above) then you are assuredly praying His Will! Just anxiously wait for His time and His way! Remembering that "wait" is an active verb....but that is another post on another day!

So the moral today is….pray in His will and He will answer; maybe not in your time or in your way…but sometimes even better than you could imagine!

And also…be careful what you pray for because the Lord might just give it to you!!!! My Granny Capps always told me that and until the last few years I never understood it…but now it makes me grin to say it to my children and makes me want to give her a hug…someday on the other side…

Anyway, sorry it was long…and not very “ministry” related…but it helps me so much as a woman to hear others testify to His greatness and unfathomable power…so I wanted to share with y’all!

Have a Happy Mother’s Day weekend! And keep seeking Him!

Love you all!
Kristy =)

PS - For the record...I still save my in depth Bible Studying for 9pm. But now I begin the day in His Word and end the day in His Word...and my have my days of late been blessed!