The Lord has heard my cry for mercy; the Lord accepts my prayer. Psalm 6:9
I am sharing this because it is good to remember the ways God has been good to us. I wrote this over 8 years ago, but on this anniversary, I thought it would be good to share.
On Monday Sept 22, 2014 our five year old daughter Leah had surgery to repair her hip socket. She was born with hip dysplasia and surgery was necessary to close the hip socket. There was also the possibility that the doctors may have to also cut the femur just below the hip ball in order to properly re-set the femur into the socket.
The night before I prayed that cutting the femur would not be necessary. It would require pins and screws in the bone, and a longer healing process and then a second surgery to remove the hardware. It was very likely that this would cause one of her legs to be permanently shorter than the other one.
As Leah was in surgery, I continued to pray the surgery would go well and asked God to take care of Leah. I again prayed, begging God to make cutting the femur unnecessary. I knew I was begging, and it was my only hope, I was not in a position to bargain with God. I had no leverage, and he didn’t need anything I had. I could only rely on his love and mercy (his willingness out of love to give me what I was asking).
As I prayed this, I looked at the clock and figured my prayers were probably too late at this point in time. By this time, the doctors would have already made the decision and have cut the femur if it was necessary. But I prayed anyway, begging God to spare Leah from having to have her femur cut.
Within 15 minutes they called from the operation room and told us they were finishing up and it had not been necessary to cut the femur. My voice shook and tears welled up in my eyes as I said thank you to the person on the other end of the phone. I walked back to the chairs where Rebecca was sitting. I sunk into my chair and started crying, thanking God for that answered prayer.
I can’t explain and do not pretend to know how prayer works and why God clearly answers our prayers exactly the way we want sometime. I am convinced that our prayers change us far more than they direct or change God’s plans. I clearly had the feeling that he had heard my cry and answered my prayer. I know He did not answer my prayer because I had asked in the “right” way, or said the magic word, or came to him with a stack of credit I somehow could redeem like some kind of tokens at an amusement park.
He answered my prayers that day, because He is good and loves me. I don’t conclude that he is good and loves me because he did what I wanted, but that answered prayer was evidence of his love and goodness to me.
I have never felt such an overwhelming sense of his answers to my prayers because of his love for me than I did that morning. I truly believe that he answered my prayer that morning. The condition of the femur was already set long before I began praying. The condition of Leah’s hip wasn’t changed by my prayer. But God used that situation and my utter dependence on his mercy to remind me that he is a God that cares and loves me. I had begged God and had no ground to stand to say he owed me. I knew no matter what the answer would have been; he is good and loves me, and was working all these things for my good and his glory.
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28
A Long Intentional Walk 