Effective Prayer
1) Persistence pays
For over three years my daughter has been praying for a baby brother and sister every night before bed. Part of our nightly prayer routine consists of a moment when I'm wrapping up that I give her an opportunity to share her requests with the Lord. Her requests generally stay the same, "I pray for a baby brother and sister, that the people in Haiti get better, that the people in China are okay, and that the kids in Mexico are okay." Quite the global prayer warrior isn't she? When someone we know is sick she adds them to her requests. My daughter is consistent and quite thoughtful in her prayer life.
2) Don't allow your disappointment with God to become disillusionment with God
For the past four years my wife and I have been trying to conceive and it just wasn't happening. I got checked out and she got checked out. All systems were a go with both of us but no baby. This caused some stress in our family but we continued trying. Then, a little over a year ago, we hit pay-dirt, my wife got pregnant. Needless to say, we were all really excited by the news, especially my daughter. But not long after we shared the great news with her we had complications and lost the baby. After spending ten hours in the emergency room with my wife wrestling with God I had to prepare myself to have a conversation with my daughter informing her that she in fact wasn't going to be a older sister, not right now at least. What happened following that conversation was exactly what I needed in that season of mourning the loss of our would be child. Without skipping a beat, my daugther started praying for a baby brother and sister again, that night.
3) Resiliency is key
She was no doubt upset and we gave her an opportunity to express her emotions and answer her questions the best that we could. One thing had changed following the miscarriage. She started praying for a baby brother "or" sister rather than a baby brother "and" sister. We have had many conversations regarding prayer and I wondered if her faith had wavered a bit or was she willing to compromise with God, if you will? You see, twins run in my wife's family and that had been my daughter's original prayer. Twins is what she meant by "a baby brother and sister." Whatever her motivation was, she bounced back and the news that I was sure was going to break her didn't and she got right back to praying!
Baby Update: Yesterday we found out the sex of the newest addition to the Monzón family. We're having a boy! God saw fit to answer the faithful prayers of one of his most precious daughters. To God be the glory.
“Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you." - Matthew 7:7 (NLT)
