Truth or Dare?

Oh remember when we were kids and we played truth or dare? I remembered I always chose dare because I did NOT want anyone to know anything personal about me. If you can’t tell, that has stuck with me throughout the years. I didn’t care how silly I looked, I had no problem telling a guy he was cute or picking my nose in front of any one. I’ll take the dare.

Well today, I’ll give you a dare. I dare you to question the power of prayer. Go ahead. I. Dare. You. If you have ever doubted the power of prayer, just stick with me a little bit longer. Let me share with you how marvelous the outcome might be. The bible says that we should always be joyful, and pray continually (Thessalonians 5:16). Is it really that simple? YES!!!

Let me share a little bit about me with you. I moved to my current town shortly after college. It was close to friends and it was even closer to my boyfriend and that was all I needed. I will admit I spent very little time praying about this decision. Actually, while on the phone being offered the job, I said YES! Right then, with no hesitation to pray about it or anything. Was it the best decision I have ever made, you may ask? Probably not, but it is certainly coming to be something amazing.

For the first few months, I spent most of the time travelling out of town on the weekends, leaving little time to meet people. After six months of calling the place “home,” I felt alone. I was struggling in my earthly relationship and felt alone. I tried to fix it in every way I knew.  I tried every path I could until it led me to resort to prayer. There would be nights where I would lay across my kitchen counter (yes weird, I know, but that’s where I find it so comforting to talk to my Jesus), and I would pray. I would journal. And I would read deep into the word of the Bible. Call me funny, but I would actually “Google” bible versus about what exactly I was struggling with: stress, jealousy, fear, patience, did I mention stress already? At this time of my life, the devil knew he was in my thoughts. He knew exactly what he was doing, and he knew I was hearing his words over God’s. He was winning me over, like he did Eve in Genesis. “Amanda, are you sure you don’t want to try this fruit? You would have all the knowledge that God has.” I took it as: so what you’re telling me is I can figure out my future. Sounds easy enough, huh?

Boy was I wrong. I was unhappy. Not many people knew that. I am very good at hiding things. I actually didn’t know it until my whole family (cousins, grandparents, sisters, aunt and uncle, and parents) were sitting around the dinner table all laughing about our lives when someone asked me about mine. And in the middle of a joke, I broke into tears. I was so unhappy, that I couldn’t even resort to telling a joke successfully (which is how I deal with things most the time). I was lost. I was unhappy. And I was not praying, at least for the right things.

I was praying for my own motives. "When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures" (James 4:3). God knew I wasn’t praying for the right things. After that weekend I knew I had to become myself, and make this town a home. I prayed that God’s will be done, and boy has it ever. Last Friday when I left work, I left thinking that I was going to miss my fellow employees over the weekend. Call me crazy, but I was having a ball at work. And even better I got to go back to camp as a head leader and have a ball at doing that. Through the power of prayer, God has made me feel very accomplished. He has given me the strength to wake up everyday with a smile on my face, with no burdens. He has taught me not to stress, because he is taking care of me, his daughter. And he has taught me the power of prayer.

Just last weekend, my Grandfather was able to ride an hour to watch my cousin play in her last college home basketball game of the season, and receive an MVP/ Scholar Athlete Award. This was a big deal to us because he hasn’t left the house in quite some time. We were all so proud of him. And I think I speak for everyone when I say we had to fight to hold back the tears. I had every prayer group, friend, acquaintance… really just anyone that would pray, praying that on that Saturday, he would have strength. Not only did he have strength on that day, he had the strength of God. All prayers were answered.

So I dare you: doubt the power of prayer. Let me know if you do. And I will start praying for you, because I know my God doesn’t disappoint.