Answered Prayers
And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him. - 1 John 5:14-15
Answered prayers are one of the greatest things we have to be thankful for. There’s nothing like the feeling you get when God finally answers a praying you’ve been praying for weeks, months, or even years. But as I’ve been following Jesus for the past two decades, I’ve learned that most of the time, God doesn’t answer your prayers in the way and the timing you expect Him to.
I remember when I was in the tenth grade, and I was really struggling with finding good, quality friendships. The girls at school were nice, but I just wasn’t clicking with them. I felt lonely, and I wanted nothing more than to have a best friend that I could walk through high school with.
After many conversations with my parents about this friendship I was wanting but not finding, my mom encouraged me to start praying for a best friend. She told me to be specific and to be honest in my prayers. So that’s exactly what I did.
I marched up to my room that very night. I closed the door. And I pictured Jesus sitting in my giant hot pink moon chair. I paced back and forth in my room for the next hour, praying and asking the Lord to give me a best friend. I asked for Him to bring me a friend who wouldn't mind going out in public with me in sweatpants. I asked for a friend who would like me for who I was, and wouldn’t talk about me behind my back. I asked for a friend who would bring out the best in me, while still lovingly making fun of my flaws. I asked for a friend I had a lot in common with, a friend I could talk to about anything, and a friend who shared my faith in Jesus.
As I closed the prayer, I remember saying, “Lord, I really just want a friend like Melanie.” You see, Melanie had been my best friend in 7th and 8th grade. We were practically inseparable. We talked all the time. We played on the same basketball team. She was the very first phone number I added to my contacts when I got my fist cell phone. She was a true best friend.
Unfortunately, Melanie had started going to a different school in 9th grade so we hadn’t been as close during our freshman and sophomore years. But I knew that if I could just have another friendship like the one I had with Melanie, that would be the biggest answer to prayer.
Several months went by after I prayed that prayer with seemingly no sign of anything changing. I was discouraged, wondering what was taking so long and why God seemed so silent when I had poured my heart out to Him about this aching desire I had for a best friend. But looking back, I know He was listening. I know He was working. And I know He was there with me the whole time.
I prayed that prayer for a best friend in February of 2009. In August of that same year, I remember walking up to the window at Bruster’s Ice Cream and running into none other than Melanie. She happened to work there, so we got to talking and started catching up. In the midst of swapping stories about what was going on in our lives, she tells me she left her old school. And not only that. She says, “Kristen, I’m coming back to play basketball with you this year. We’re going to get to finish out high school together!”
We’ve been best friends ever since.
In that moment, I realized that God had not just decided to answer my prayer by giving me a best friend like Melanie. He gave me Melanie. And to this day, that is one of the greatest answers to prayer I’ve ever received.
So whatever it is you’re praying for right now, whether it’s about a friendship, a relationship, a job, a diagnosis, or a big decision, I want you to remember three things:
Be specific and honest with your prayers. Don’t be afraid to ask for what it is you really want.
Don’t think that just because things feel still and silent on your end, that means God isn’t working and moving. You never know what He’s doing behind the scenes that you’re not even aware of.
Never underestimate God. He can answer your prayers in ways you never even dreamed of, and you’ll be absolutely blown away if you trust Him to give you His best.