Day 21

Douglas Barrie | Re:Hope Motherwell

“Then the Lord God said, ‘It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.’” Genesis 2:18 

Like many young Christians, I prayed on this a lot through my 20s. Often wondering if God would ever answer that prayer. And if not, why not. Then (on a Christian dating website) I started speaking to someone called Gillian. And we had our first date on March 1st…2020. 

Weeks later the whole world was living in isolation but God had answered my prayer at the exact moment he knew it needed to be. When he didn’t want me to be alone through that. 

Now we’re three years married and have an amazing two-year-old daughter, Morgan. 

Karen Tada | Re:Hope West End

I gave up on myself, with respect to dating, after many failed relationships.

He was praying in anguish, after a divorce, with a child with his ex. We both thought we would not be able to love again and we have been led to each other by God.

Debbie Travers | Re:Hope West End

For the last year or so I have been asking God to place me in a new job. My current job has me travelling an hour and a half everyday to and from work. I was feeling deflated and definitely ready for a new challenge and a reawakening, which I had also been praying for. 

Over the last year I have been to countless interviews and although they’ve gone well there’s always been something that’s seen me fall at the last hurdle. The process of searching, applying, and interviewing for jobs was becoming a battle. And it just felt like one more battle on top of another. My prayer list started to become longer and longer. 

I had days where I would ask God where He was in my battles and struggles and for him to let me hear His voice. Then I had days where I would plead and beg and cry. Work was becoming harder to cope with.  And my prayers went unanswered.  I found myself distancing myself from church and friends in church because I felt they obviously had more faith than mine and that God was ignoring me for reasons I couldn’t understand. 

Then about a month ago, I submitted another application and went to another interview for a job that shouldn’t really have happened. The difference? I specifically asked someone on the Alpha team I was part of to pray for my interview the night before. I received the call that I had got the job. The commute? 7 minutes (with traffic) from my house. And I’m to be given a pay rise. (And saving money on petrol and brain space is an added bonus).

So yes, God did hear me. And He answered my prayer.  But until this point I still hadn’t heard his voice.  Then I was praising and worshipping and thanking Him for all that he had done for me and I went back to church and shared my story with friends.  The same night I felt Him as much as I heard Him.  What I had been missing in my time of prayer was to submit to Him and His ways. I was also reminded to worship and meet Him with thankfulness, especially during the hard times. I hadn’t been doing this. I was so caught up in finding a new job that I forgot to speak to Him and to be thankful.   I also learned that there is power in numbers when it comes to prayer, and that I was to stop trying to face battles alone.  I needed to trust the prayer team at church and trust my prayers with friends and trust that God would hear them. 

I’m so thankful to God for my new job. But I’m thankful for his faithfulness and continued provision and for reminding me that my relationship with Him is not transactional. It’s relational. And I need Him and to be completely immersed in all He has for me. What a reawakening that I did not even know I needed! Praise be to God!

---

Who can you bring into your prayer need today? Ask God to bring someone to mind, then take the bold step to ask them to join you in your specific prayer.