Those of you who read this page regularly know that we believe God answers prayer. We are thrilled to hear of the progress on the Eternal Wall of Answered Prayer (https://www.eternalwall.org.uk/), a sculpture being built in the North-East of England which will have a million bricks, each giving a specific answer to prayer which people have sent in. Their aim is to ‘make hope visible’. Such a project, combining faith and the arts, thrills my heart.
As we approach the end of 2022, I’m mindful to pause and reflect on the many ways God has answered prayer in my own life this year. We need to pause and ‘count our blessings’ if we are to have God’s perspective on matters.
I’d love to hear your answered prayers as well! What has God done for you this year?
I am grateful for the funding God has provided for the events we run, including CRT funding for our Parent & Toddler group, funding from the Dearne North Ward Alliance for the Jubilee Fun Day at Phoenix Park and funding from different organisations towards the Dearne Community Arts’ Festival. God is ‘Jehovah Jireh’, the Lord who provides.
I am grateful for the way God gave us good weather for the Jubilee Fun Day and other outdoor events – it’s getting to be a talking point at these events as the weather is usually horrendous immediately before and after the events, but the sun shines when we need it to! It poured with rain on Sunday 5 June, for example, but our afternoon tea that day was held indoors!
I am grateful for a baptism at our church this year and for the large numbers of families who have attended the Parent & Toddler group and fun days over the past year.
I am grateful for the numbers who attended our carol service yesterday and for all the children who were present.
I am grateful for God’s provision of a mattress for my son and daughter-in-law.
I am grateful for the opportunities we have had this year to do ‘normal’ things again, especially having 4FrontTheatre back with us this past week.
Answers to prayer are sometimes spectacular (the email I got last week saying there is funding available for the 2023 DCAF Community Art Project is an example of that), but as I have been preaching all year round, sometimes God works in the mundane as well as in the miraculous. For every ‘spectacular’ answer to prayer, there are a dozen ‘ordinary’ answers: keys that just get found, people who just happen to phone when you are feeling down, that random act of kindness which leaves you undone. God is faithful in all His ways and works in so many different ways. However He answers us, let’s be grateful for a God who loves us, listens to our cries for help and answers us in our times of need.