Remembering Answered Prayers

When I was young - around three years old, I had a praying routine. Every night as I lay in bed I would pray for a brother, to be able to memorize the Bible verses I learned in church, and that I would be able to snap my fingers. ​

Then I would lay awake reciting the memory verses and trying to snap my fingers. 
    I memorized those verses.
    Not long after I got a baby brother.
    And I got the hang of snapping my fingers. 
    Those are my earliest memories of answered prayers. 
    Since then I have had dozens and dozens of prayers answered - from prayers about family members to people in my church with health issues, future opportunities, and safety, I can look back and see answered prayers. 
    I’m not saying any of these things to brag - quite the opposite. 
    Lately, I’ve been realizing that we spend a lot of time talking about unanswered prayers. About what to do when God doesn’t answer your prayer the way you want, or when you are praying for something for months on months and years on years. 
    We are trying so hard to come to grips with the fact that God is not answering our prayers that we forget to acknowledge the prayers that he has already answered. 
   That’s not to say that the things we pray for a long time aren’t important, because they are, but it’s to remind both you and me of God’s continual faithfulness. 
    Often, I find that when God answers my prayers I am joyful and grateful about it for a little while - maybe a day, or a week, or a month - or sometimes even a year. But once that prayer is answered and the initial excitement has worn off, I forget and once again get bogged down in the prayers that still remain unanswered.
    I wonder what would happen if we truly were grateful for the answered prayers if we dwelled on the answered prayers. Big or small. 
    If we showed God endless gratitude by doing more than singing another chorus of a Brandon Lake song, but if we lived in a way that showed our gratitude.
    I imagine that remembering and thanking God for the prayers he’s answered would change the way we pray for the things he hasn’t answered.
    As for the unanswered prayers - we should never stop praying those prayers and believing that God will carry us through, but instead of getting discouraged let's remember that once our answered prayers were unanswered prayers. And in that, we can reflect on God’s faithfulness. 
    Yes, sometimes our prayers don’t get answered, or answered in the way we want to. But I think we can rejoice in that too. We can thank God that he knows what’s best and remember that he works all things out for the good of those who love him (Romans 8:28).
    As you and I both sit here, praying our hearts out for the deepest desires of our hearts, let us acknowledge the progress in our prayers. The slow answers, the slow healing. Let’s realize the amazing people right in front of us, let’s take advantage of the opportunities right in front of us even if they aren’t what we dream of. 
    God works in ways we don’t understand - and that’s a good thing. 
    So right now, as you wait, rejoice in the prayers he has already answered, rejoice in the work that he is doing, and keep praying faithfully.


James 5:16
Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.

Do you have any answered prayer you can rejoice in today?

Belle Thomas

​Belle is the writer behind An Old Fashioned Girl. She is passionate about Jesus, good books, and living a beautiful life