Lenten Reflection - Day 36: by Shirley Evans

READING: Isaiah 50: 4-9a

“The Sovereign Lord has given me an instructed tongue,
to know the word that sustains the weary….”

As I’ve grown in the Word of God, I’ve been taught to be direct in prayer, to ask for something specifically, not to be general (although that’s OK too). So this is a prayer story and a faith story.

Throughout our lives together, my husband and I were sailors – sailing small boats in lakes and oceans near where we lived. We sailed small Corps of Engineers lakes in the Midwest, the Great Lakes, the Atlantic, the Caribbean, the Gulf of Mexico and enjoyed our weekends and vacations on the water. When it came time to quit sailing, we needed to sell our boat – one we loved and used for many years. It had often become our home away from home on long distance cruises.

We listed the boat with a boat broker and anxiously hoped for a quick sale. Our days of waiting turned into weeks and then into months. During this time my husband’s health continued to decline. My anxiety increased as time passed.

One morning as I drove to work, I said a prayer asking that the boat sell soon – thus making my life less complicated as Carnot’s health worsened. (Is that a specific enough prayer, Lord?)
That same morning in the middle of a meeting at work, I got a phone call and briefly left the meeting. The broker had an offer, close to our asking price, and the boat was sold!

I felt like the Holy 2x4 had hit me – it’s that submission thing that Pastor Nathan is telling us. Why hadn’t I prayed for help before? Why is it that we are surprised when He answers our prayers?
…”it is the Sovereign Lord who helps me.” (Is. 50:9a)