Prayers Answered Without the Glamour

I've been praying over a very specific matter over the last several months. It's one of those situations that swells and recedes over the course of time. Some days it's very bothersome, other days it's out of sight and out of mind. I've prayed quietly and I've prayed intensely, depending on the momentary ferocity of the situation. In my angst and despair, like David, I asked God to destroy my enemies. Not actually destroy the people, but to destroy the enemy that has taken foothold in their spirits.

I've even given God advice on how to go about handling this situation. I imagined that He had not enough time to give this situation much thought, so I was trying to give Him a headstart on solving the problem. Guess He took some time to mull over my sage wisdom.

Or not.

As the thing continued to drag on and on and I began to sense Him gently reminding me to pray for my enemies. Reminding me to pray for ME to change. Not THEM.

So, knowing He was right, but not really feeling like admitting it, I began asking blessings over this individual's life. Every day I would battle through the feelings of anger and bitterness and pray for blessings over him. Over time, the sharpness of the pain began to subside. Not because the situation had changed, but because I began to see the individual through Christ's eyes. A lonely, hurting individual who professed to be a Believer by mouth, but whose actions soured his words. While the bitterness would well up now and again, it was receding. And I began to sense peace from the Lord about the situation.

One day, without fanfare or fireworks or trauma, tears or shouting, the situation was resolved. One phone call brought the report of the answer to my prayer. Exactly as I had prayed. For the individual to be blessed. Which brought resolution to my situation.

Don't we really like it when God makes the thunder roll as He announces that He has answered our prayers? The drama queen in all of us rather likes that, I think.

But more often than not, He chooses the quiet, round-about route, much like He did over 2,000 years ago when He sent Jesus to be born a pauper's birth.