When you pray for something......and God gives it to you.

Many times in my life, I have prayed ridiculous prayers. Most of them didn't seem ridiculous at the time, but in hindsight were things that I should not have prayed for:

"God, let me marry this man."

"Jesus, give me that job."

"Lord, please give me ________. I really want it!"

Most of the time, I am glad that He did not answer my prayer in the way that I wanted Him to. I can just hear him:

"Beloved, you don't want to marry him. He is not who I have set aside for you."

"Daughter, that is not the job that I want you at. I have some place else that I want you to be."

"Child, you don't need that thing. Your treasure is in Heaven."

God always hears your prayers. He answers them, as well. He just doesn't always answer them in the way that you expect. If we ask for things with His heart and His mind, He will answer. However, I truly believe that if we ask for things outside of His mind and His heart (using our will and our heart), that He will still give us an answer. It is just an answer to help us to correct our selfishness and wrong-thinking. You can read: 1 John 5:14-15, James 4:3, John 16:24, Jeremiah 33:3, John 15:7, and many other scriptures to gain insight on this.

Before I left for Africa, I prayed a very bold prayer. The last time that I prayed this prayer, I endured one of the toughest seasons of my life. However, I knew that God grew me so much. I prayed:

"Lord, put me in situations where I have no choice but to trust You. I want to rely solely on You for Your will to be accomplished. Help me to give up control."

The song "Oceans" by Hillsong comes to mind. The lyrics are:

You call me out upon the waters

The great unknown where feet may fail

And there I find You in the mystery

In oceans deep

My faith will stand

And I will call upon Your name

And keep my eyes above the waves

When oceans rise

My soul will rest in Your embrace

For I am Yours and You are mine

Your grace abounds in deepest waters

Your sovereign hand

Will be my guide

Where feet may fail and fear surrounds me

You've never failed and You won't start now

So I will call upon Your name

And keep my eyes above the waves

When oceans rise

My soul will rest in Your embrace

For I am Yours and You are mine

Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders

Let me walk upon the waters

Wherever You would call me

Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander

And my faith will be made stronger

In the presence of my Savior

I will call upon Your Name

Keep my eyes above the waves

My soul will rest in Your embrace

I am Yours and You are mine

That song describes my feelings towards Africa perfectly. I felt like I was walking out onto unknown waters, trusting that my Savior would be there to guide me. I wanted to feel the waves crashing around me and be scared of drowning, but to know that The One who breathed life into me would not let me drown.

He answered. God came through in unimaginable ways. Every expectation that I had of the trip was fulfilled. However, we know that He never does anything halfway. He provides exceedingly and abundantly (Ephesians 3:20). God blessed me in ways in Africa that I was completely not expecting.

Please know, it was not easy. A good friend of mine told me on the trip that he was praying for God to break me. After I had already prayed my scary prayer, this caught me off guard. Why did I need to be broken? Why would you pray that for me?

God did just that. He broke my heart for the children there, for Africa, for the culture. He broke my heart for the children here, for America, and for our culture. He broke me of my need for constant control. He taught me how to stop thinking so much and to start operating with faith. BOLD faith.

I have so many stories to tell, but this is what is currently on my heart. I don't know who needs to hear it, but I pray that you are willing to pray bold, scary, and faith-filled prayers. Let God show up. Be willing to put yourself in God-designed situations that require your complete trust.