Putting Feet to My Prayers and Prayers on My Feet
My mind has been fixated on feet for the past few days. I have no idea why. In the last post, I talked about how the children of Israel journeyed through the wilderness for forty years without swollen feet or worn out shoes. In fact, I was thinking about that post as I walked my dogs this morning. I thought about the "small" and "big" miracles, and at that point, I realized I was wearing one of those "small, not-so-obvious" miracles.
Last year, I decided to make a better effort to get out and walk every morning, weather permitting. (Unfortunately, I've been very lax in making that happen, but after a recent appointment with my doctor, my discipline has been renewed.) Anyway, I wanted to walk. I knew I needed to walk. The problem was that my walking shoes were in terrible shape. They were worn out in the heel (as usual), the mesh at the toe was torn and worst of all, the foundation of the shoe was beginning to collapse.
If I was going to walk each and every day, I knew I needed a better pair of shoes. At the time, however, I didn't have the money for a new pair of shoes. Please understand, I cannot wear cheap shoes. There was a time when I could, but since my back injury and the onslaught of arthritis in my knees and back, I must have quality shoes, which means I would need to dish out some serious money. . . money that I didn't have. So, you know what I did? I prayed.
I know it may sound silly to some, but I prayed every day that the Lord would somehow provide me with a good pair of walking shoes. I laid out my petition before Him day after day, and I knew in my heart that God was going to take care of that need.
About two weeks after I started fervently praying for my new shoes, I was at a thrift store picking up something for a friend. As I walked down the shoe aisle, my eye caught sight of a name-brand, hardly-worn pair of walking shoes. I picked them up and examined them carefully to determine what was wrong with them. The soles looked great. There were no holes or tears anywhere that I could see. The insides were completely intact. And believe it or not, they were even my size. I tried them on and smiled. They felt wonderful. And best of all, the grand total was $3. Yep, $3 for a very nice pair of walking shoes that I'm still wearing to this day.
But God's goodness doesn't stop there. About a month or two later, Jason and I were popping into several different thrift stores, looking for a particular book that we wanted to read for our evening devotions. Once again, a pair of shoes caught my eye. They looked brand new, and when I examined them more closely, I realized they were Asics. Further examination, however, told me that they weren't my size, but I decided to try them on anyway. I'm so glad I did. The shoes fit fine. They are roomier in the toe than my other shoes, but they weren't so big that they slipped or slid. I looked up to find out the price and smiled again. The shoes only cost me $4.
Within a few months, God gave me, not one, but two pairs of wonderful walking shoes, both of which are still in great shape today (although they might be a little more worn if I had been walking like I should have, but we won't go there). God answered my prayers. They weren't big prayers. They were fancy. They weren't extravagant. And honestly, the need was not that dire. But God provided anyway. That's just the way He is.
Perhaps you have a need today, but you feel it's not really big enough to take to God. After all, He's busy dealing with big problems like war, famine and disease. Does He really care that you need a pair of walking shoes? In a word, absolutely! He cares about every need, no matter how big or small. And He wants us to make our requests known to Him. Yes, He already knows what we need, but by asking Him for my shoes every day, I showed God that I was serious and that this need was important to me. And you know what, since it was important to me, it was important to Him.
Mind you that I'm not saying that God will give you anything you want, but He will always give you the things that you need. So go ahead and ask. Don't be embarrassed. Don't wait until the need is greater. Just ask. Show God you mean business. And then stand back and watch. If you'll put feet to your prayers, God will answer those prayers for your feet!
Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. - Hebrews 4:16