Just be quiet and listen . . .

Those are words I've heard many, many times in my life. Or at least some variation of them. I've heard it from my parents, my sisters, my teachers, my friends, my husband, even my five year old nephew. I'd probably hear them from my pets/babies if they could speak. Most of all, I've heard them from God. I don't hear Him like I hear my family. Like many Christians (Yes, I said the word. If it bothers you, that's your issue, not mine.), I often hear God speak to me through thoughts that seemingly come from nowhere, internal feelings--sometimes peaceful, sometimes anxious--basically when I'm actually taking time to be quiet and listen. I heard Him say this to me this morning during a rather slow time at work. I looked at the payments that will come out of this check. I looked at the prices of the books again. I definitely won't be buying them from the university bookstore, but I will have the money to buy my books. That's great, since I found out tonight in Human Growth and Development that we will have a chapter test each week, beginning next Tuesday.

God definitely answers prayers. This time, He worked pretty quickly. Of course, I would've preferred to have the answer before last night. But, as I often remind myself, He knows the whole plan. And it's perfect. I don't know how many times I've heard somebody say that God didn't answer their prayer. I understand the confusion; I used to think the same thing. As I have grown in my relationship with God, one of the biggest things I've learned is that He always answers the sincere prayer. I asked for God not to let my papaw die. He said "No, I know better." I asked God to bring me the man He had designed to be my husband. He said "Wait. I'll bring him when you're ready." I asked God for a way to get my textbooks. He said "Yes." I just had to slow down, be quiet, and listen to Him. If I'd done that last night, I may have gotten my answer then.