Nearly four and a half years ago we pulled our Budget Rental van into the driveway of our newly purchased home and began the process of transferring our lives from the last place to the present.
Our children were younger--by four and half years, of course--but anxious to begin school and meet neighborhood friends. We waited . . . and waited some more . . . waited for weeks. No kids. We thought it odd. No giggling children, no goof ball gangs of little dudes making their way around the cul de sac on banana bikes . . .
Where was everybody? Our kids got discouraged. They felt we had ruined their lives! We'd brought them into the wilderness to wander endlessly far from the promised land we'd, well, promised them.
So we told them we needed to pray and ask God for a couple of friends. Good friends they could enjoy and ride their bikes with and run through the woods with on October afternoons. Seemed a little strange for the kids to pray for friends . . . we mostly prayed for grampa and gramma, Aunt Marvel's hives and friends who were living in faraway lands as missionaries. But prayed we did, every night asking the Lord to supply.
Life just moved on . . . then it happened. All of a sudden like . . . out of the wind came Sam, and Nathan, and Kate, and Evan and Zachary and Chara and Daniel and Haley and, what'shisname, and Grace and they kept coming. All of sudden there are kids everywhere, of every shape and size and gender, wandering in and out of our door, starting at about 330 PM and on through supper time.
The other day, I walked up the driveway and up the path to our frontdoor and Jonathan my three year old whooshed by following a small blond girl also whooshing by and slapped my hip as he chirped, "Hi, dad!" Tracy walked out and I said to her, "who is that girl with Jonathan?" She just laughed. Another blessing!
"Be careful what you pray for," Tracy said smiling. Then I remembered the prayer. No, the promise, "Now to Him who is able to do immeasureably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever."
He is able to do for you immeasureably beyond anything you could ask or imagine. We didn't ask for much, but neither did we imagine a house chock full of little people making our kids the happiest campers on the planet! But He did and that's what happened when we prayed.
Yesterday after a long stretch of ministry and work, I parked on the street because the driveway was literally filled with downed bicycles and bigwheels. Silent tributes to the faith of my kids and a powerful God who does what He says He'll do when we ask. Hey, go ahead and ask Him, I dare you. Just be careful for what you pray.
We're going to need a bigger refrigerator.
Pastor Mark
