A PRAYER ANSWERED IN A DIFFERENT WAY
by Stacy Book
 

            Where does the time go?   Time goes by so fast.  I can't believe my kids are all grown up.  It seems like yesterday they were in diapers.  We hear these sayings so often as we talk to people and we say them so often ourselves.  I have two boys.  Joey is 20 and Cody is 15.  I will be 37 in about a month. 

            At the age of 29, I went through a period in my life where I wanted another baby.  I was realizing I was still young and my boys were both going to be adults before I am 40 years old.   My brother, at the time, had his first baby, and as I held him, that made it even harder.  Having an operation where I can't have children anymore did not help me any.  That was a problem, but as I thought, it was not a problem for God.  If it was meant for me to have another baby, God would provide a way because nothing is impossible with God.  So I prayed everyday that God would give me another child.  I prayed for probably close to two years.  After a few years, nothing happened so I figured it wasn't meant to be.  I still kept praying, though.  I was about 33 then.  If you read my other stories, you know God gave me a vision to start a youth center at our church.  At the time of the vision, my boys were the only children at our church.  The youth center was opened about 4 months later.  It was around the time of Bible School.  One of our members from the church brought some kids that were in the area.  Their names are Kelly, Becky and John.  Kelly, age 13 at the time, was our first teenager.  I still remember the first time I met her that night.  I remember what she was wearing, where she was standing and our first conversation.  It didn't take us long to start talking and getting to know each other.  Before too long, she started calling me and talking to me about what was going on in her life.  After a little while, she said I was going to be her 2nd mom, so she started calling me mom.  We've even had days we would go eat and shop together.  We had such a close relationship that we just decided she's going to be my adoptive daughter.  She was very faithful in coming to church.  She brought in other teenagers.  She was there to help with the children when they had activities going on. 

            I got to thinking one day about how I had prayed for another baby and the more I thought about it, I realized God did answer my prayer.  It wasn't in my timing or in my way, but He did answer.  He gave me another child, not a newborn, but a 13 year old girl who needed me.  She can be very trying at times.  Like a lot of teenage girls, she has a lot of drama in her life.  But I love her and she holds a special place in my heart.  It has been 4 years now since we opened the youth center.  I've built other relationships with some of the other girls and it has been such a blessing.

             Hold on, the story is not over yet.  About 9 months ago, Kelly gave me the news that she was pregnant.  It wasn't news that I wanted to hear yet, but I was going to be there for her and she knew I would be.  Later on, I got some more news.  She was not only going to have one baby, she was going to have twins.  February 15, 2009, she had a boy and a girl.  They were delivered a few months early but they are doing fine now.  So after some more thought on my prayer, not only did God give me a daughter, he did give me that baby I prayed for, not just one, but two.  I guess you might say I have grandchildren now. 

            Isaiah 55:8-9 says, "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,"  "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts."

            Be careful what you pray for.  You never know how God is going to answer it.  I'm going to help Kelly as much as I can.  I'm looking forward to watching the babies grow up.  It's so amazing how God works sometimes.  I pray for Kelly and her family and the babies everyday.  I pray God will give her strength each day and that she will always make God a priority in her life and that she will be obedient to what God wants her to do.  I pray she teaches the babies about God and continues to bring them to church.  I know it's going to be hard at times.  I know there's going to be times she feels like giving up, but I thank God she has family to help her.  I thank God for putting her in my life so I can help her too.  I want to always be there for her.  She also has church family that is praying for her and helping her and they will always be there for her too.

            I pray this story is an encouragement for Kelly and that she realizes how much God loves her and how much she is loved by others (especially her 2nd mom).  I like that sound.  GOD IS GOOD!!!!

            Psalm 28:7 says, The Lord is my strength and my shield;  my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped.