How does prayer work? Does God answer our specific prayers? What did Christ really mean when He said, "All things, whatsoever you shall ask in prayer, believing, you shall receive"? (Matthew 21:22)
James Gilmour, a missionary to Mongolia, was once asked to treat some wounded soldiers. Although he was not a doctor, he did have some knowledge of first aid, so he felt he could not refuse the request. He dressed the wounds of two of the men, but a third had a badly broken thigh bone. The missionary had no idea what to do for such an injury. Kneeling beside the man, he prayed, asking the Lord for help. He didn't know how God would answer his prayers, but he was confident that God would supply his need.
He couldn't find any books on physiology in the primitive hospital there, and no doctor was near. To complicate matters, a crowd of beggars came to him asking for money. He was deeply concerned about his patient, yet his heart went out to those ragged people. Hurriedly he gave them a small gift, plus a few kind words of spiritual encouragement.
A moment later he stared in amazement at one weary beggar who had remained behind. The half-starved fellow was little more than a living skeleton. Gilmore suddenly realized that the Lord had brought him a walking anatomy lesson! He asked the man if he might examine him. After carefully tracing the femur bone with his fingers to learn how to treat the soldier's broken leg, he returned to the patient and was able to set the fracture correctly. Years afterward, Gilmour often related how God had provided him with a strange yet sufficient response to his earnest prayer.
When we raise our petitions to the Lord, we, too, can be certain that He will help us -- even though the answer may come in a way we might least expect. Not all prayer will be answered the way we think it should be; and in fact, most will not. But God does hear all our prayers and answers them in His best way. Jesus told His disciples, and also us: "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you." (Matthew 7:7)
God's answers are always best!
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