Even Before

I don't remember much from my childhood. I don't remember what my days were like as a kid, or going to school, or much of anything really.  I have a few strong memories- some important, like the night my 1st sister was born, and some weird, like my Papa Al peeling potatoes for hours on end, even though I can't remember ever eating potatoes at my Nana's house.  

One such memory is from Christmas Eve.  I don't remember if my sisters were born yet, but I was little.  I had a cradle for my dolls, and somehow it broke. I went to my dad, and he took a look.  It needed a screw, and he couldn't find one in the house.  He said he would go to the store later. After a few hours of Christmas Eve party planning, and twirling in my poofy dress, I asked my dad if we could go to the store to buy a screw to fix the cradle.  He said he didn't need to go to the store.

I'm not sure what went through my head, but I remember running from the room and crying, thinking that he didn't care about my cradle, and therefore, me.  I remember being disappointed because I had thought that he would take care of my problem.

And I remember him coming to find me a little while later and explaining that the reason he didn't need to go to the store was because he had already left the house, gone to the store, bought the screw, come home, and fixed the cradle.

Before I even asked if we could go get a screw to fix the cradle, the cradle was fixed. Clearly, this is not a life changing event.  But it did teach me something. 

Isaiah 65:24 says, " Before they call I will answer, while they are still speaking I will hear."

I've been looking for this verse since September for my mom.  I told her there was a scripture about God answering prayer before we even ask for it.   And then I couldn't find the scripture.  I asked people. Google and BibleGateway were useless. I had no idea where it was in scripture, just that it was there.

Thanks to my sister, I finally found it on Christmas Eve this year. 

The NLT translation reads, "I will answer them before they even call to me. While they are still talking about their needs, I will go ahead and answer their prayers."

Reading the verse again this week, my cradle memory came to mind.  My tiny little kid flesh jumped to conclusions about how Dad didn't love me, and didn't care about my cradle, and probably laughed at the thought of my Water Baby sleeping on the cold hard ground.

But while I was wondering if he was going to fix my problem, my problem was already fixed. 

I'm by no means suggesting that God (or dads, for that matter) will fix all our problems before we ask. Or even after we ask.

But He knows our needs.  He knows everything. He knows us.  He doesn't need us to ask for things.  To tell him our problems. The praying part, the asking, is for us.  To get to know Him.  To learn that we can trust Him.  That we can call on Him.  That he cares for us, and our needs, even the small ones.

When my dad fixed my cradle, it helped me to learn his character, his love for me.  It made me like to be around him, because I had faith that he cared about me. It added to the foundation of our relationship. It taught me, even if it took me time to realize it, that I could trust him, even with something as small as a bed for my doll.

Since then, I've gone to my dad with just about every problem I've had.  Small and large, important and silly.  And while he hasn't fixed everything each time, I feel better knowing he's there. The minute I hear his voice on the phone, I feel better.  Sometimes I even feel better while the phones still ringing, just because I know he'll care.  It's a real drag those few times he doesn't pick up. :)

Each time I go to my dad, it adds to our history. He imparts wisdom, I ignore it. I ask questions and he answers. I learn lessons and he encourages me.  He shows me more of his character, and unfortunately, sometimes I show him some of mine. After all these years, I usually know what he's going to say. In situations where I can't go to him, I can try to think like him, behave like him, love like him.

The same holds true with God. The Bible tells us that God cares for us.  That He loves us. But when we actually take Him up on His offer to bear our burdens and call on Him, we learn to believe it.  We live it. We are better for it. The more I turn to Him, the more I'll trust Him, the more I'll get to know Him, the more I'll be able to emulate Him. I can love the world the way He loves me.  I can reach out to others in His name.

We can't be the hands and feet of Jesus without knowing Him. We can't have the mind of Christ without knowing Him. We won't know Him if we don't experience the truths in His Word. We don't experience without prayer.

I feel very guilty for ending this post without using "Beauty-Full" in it at all.  Forgive me :)

Brooke


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