Bowing your head to say thank you for the food sitting right there in front of you, is not nearly as hard as when there is none to speak of. When was the last time you had to trust God for something that was no where in sight?
When we first moved to Toronto, Bill and I were nicer or perhaps more niave then we are today. I was running a group for recovering alcocholics and addicts and became good friends with the folks there. One of the guys loved guitar. I offered him( asked Bill first of course) to borrow Bill's guitar. I trusted God and this guy that we would see the guitar again. It was the one Bill used every Sunday to lead worship. He did not have a closet full of them.
Well... weeks passed, I prayed ferverently. I knew that Bill really loved that guitar. So , I prayed more. I prayed scripture, you name it, i did it. Never did have we seen that guitar again.
While that was a huge loss to Bill, he was given another...not quite as amazing but amazing none the less. We were grateful.
Praying over that old guitar does not touch the agony of prayer for loved ones who are making bad choices and even seriously endangering their lives. Perhaps you know exactly what I am talking about.
I have agonized in prayer for my dad, then my brother then a kid or two of mine. It takes alot of faith and trust some days I tell you.
One particualarly rough night I was praying for one of my boys and the Lord spoke to me. He said only a few words but that was all I needed. He said" I do not abandon the work of My Hands". He has heard my prayers and all my sighs. Those dear to our hearts cannot escape His sight. There is nowhere they can go, where The Good Shepherd cannot be.
The comfort that the Lord Jesus gives to me, honestly, I can hardly describe to you. I have walked some pretty rough pathways these last months. God does not abandon us. He never forgets His own. He does not answer us every time the exact way we had in mind, but He does answer. Not mater what, He will meet us if we ask Him. He longs to do that simply because He loves us.