Did We Get The Answer We Wanted?

We all have prayed for many things in our lifetime. Some of those prayers have been what we call urgent, or an emergency. Some of those prayers are for direction in our lives. Some of those prayers are in desperation for finances. And so often some of those prayers are in desperation for a loved one's life, or for our own life.
This past week in the tiny village I live in we have seen the desperate prayers lifted up.  We saw a family lose their mother and sister in a horrific house fire. The family lost their loved ones and every possession they had. Of course the possessions mean nothing in comparison to the lives lost.
Also a very dear friend of ours lost his wife to cancer on Thanksgiving Day. This friend is like a brother to my husband and myself. They have two beautiful children.
These are two very different scenarios of what we call desperation for life. Does this mean our prayers were not answered?
The awful fire that broke out in the home of the family mentioned above was a raging fire within minutes. It broke out so quickly during mid morning that the mother and daughter could not escape.
There was an adult child and 2 small children that were rescued. Several other children were in school and the husband was at work.  So how do we pray in a situation like that?
Even though lives were lost, which is a horrible tragedy, the family was left with every need we could even imagine. Clothing, a home, food, financial needs, and the list goes on. Prayers were being lifted up for this family. And within 24 hours the majority of the needs of this family had been met. More clothing than you could imagine. A temporary place to stay with a permanent residence in the works. Enough food to feed this entire family, hoping to feed this family for a year. And funds raised to cover funeral expenses and financial needs for this family for sometime.
Were the prayers answered? Absolutely! This tiny village came together to help this family. Prayers for provision were answered.
Sure we'd hope this situation had never occurred, but it did. And our Lord Jesus heard the prayers being said and answered them.
Then we saw a loving wife and mother pass on into a life of eternity with our Lord Jesus. Cancer had robbed this lady of quality of life for months. There were so many praying for the Lord to heal her. We must remember, healing takes place in many different ways. While we prayed for healing, which we had hoped meant the cancer would be removed forever and she would live on here with her family, we also had to remember the Lord would perform her miracle in a way that would bring Him glory. And even though she has passed on, she lives in eternity with our Lord Jesus, no more pain, no more sorrow. Her husband is a strong believer in our Lord Jesus, and has been a great witness for God's glory.
We have two very different scenarios of someone passing away. The prayers for these families are and will continue to be totally different. And the answers we see will also be totally different in many ways. This is a very vivid reminder, we must not lose hope, we must continue to pray, and we must be open for an answer that we do not expect.
I am totally confident our Lord Jesus will take care of these families, from the youngest to the eldest. You may be thinking why did these things have to happen?  If there is is one thing I have learned over my years of praying for myself, for my loved ones, is to never ask why. That is something that can drag us down and pollute our attitudes and our faith. So I do not ask why anymore. Instead I ask for the Lord to fill me with peace, comfort, wisdom, and understanding. And that I always remain hopeful knowing Jesus will always take care of me, and my loved ones.
I ask you faithful readers as you go about your week, and especially this Christmas season, to please say a prayer for these families. Pray for peace and comfort to fill their lives. And most of all pray that they become closer to Jesus than they ever have before, and that they will be filled with faith once again.
We may not get the answer to our prayers that we want or expect, but we will get the answer that our Lord Jesus has declared the best for us.

Psalm 50:15Amplified Bible (AMP)

Call on Me in the day of trouble;
I will rescue you, and you shall honor and glorify Me.”