Answers To Prayer

This blog has been very "quiet" for a week.  I have been grappling with funeral plans, other responsibilities, and the beginning of the lengthy process of settling an estate.  After tomorrow's memorial service for dad, my efforts will focus on the estate, a process I never wanted to face.  But God has been so good.  The last three months have been very challenging, to say the least.  The illnesses and passing of both of our fathers and a host of other responsibilities and problems have sapped our energy.  During that time I had three specific prayer requests for myself.  I prayed daily for strength, wisdom, and peace.  Even though I haven't slept much at nights during these months, the Lord has given me special strength and relief from many of the physical problems I have encountered in recent years. A year ago I'm not sure I could have handled all of this.  PTL!  And I believe that he gave me wisdom as I had to handle many challenging decisions about our fathers, arrangements, Awana, and other pressing situations. PTL! However, I can't really say that He gave me peace through these challenges.  That is, not until Friday morning, February 6, when I found my father.  You may think I am terrible, but I just can't describe the relief and peace that came to me when I knew He was safely home with His Father and would not face more suffering here. That is what he really wanted.  People didn't realize how ill he really was because He just kept on going on, without ever complaining.  But those of us who saw him everyday knew what he wouldn't say.   So God did answer my prayers. PTL! And there are so many other answers that we've seen these months, even in things like the weather.  God is so good and His ways are perfect.  My challenges are not over, there are still many ahead.  But I know that He will provide, so I continue to ask him daily for strength, wisdom and peace as we move onward. What a great God we serve.