Prayer Works by Min. Michelle Goodwine

Have you ever been so down, that you thought there was no way you could ever get up?  Have you ever been unemployed, and you thought you would never get another job?  Have you ever been faced with eviction or foreclosure, and it looked like the homeless shelter would be your next residence?  Or maybe the doctor told you that your body was so sick, your chances of survival were slim?  Well, I am here to tell you that no matter what your circumstances, no matter how bad things look, PRAYER WORKS!!!

Philippians 4:6 says, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." When your world is crumbling around you, and you don't see any way out, take it to the Lord in prayer.  Time and time in my life, I have faced problems that seemed insurmountable - unemployment, broken relationships, financial struggles, just to name a few.  And it seemed the more I tried to do to solve it, the worse the problem became.  But when I realized that there was nothing that I could do, and it was all in God's hands, I would turn my problem over to the Lord and pray.  And no matter the need, no matter what the problem, God would solve it.  He may not have solved it the way I wanted, or as fast as I wanted, but He definitely solved it for my good.  I have hundreds of examples of God answering my prayers, but today I will tell you about just one.  Here is my testimonial:

In November 2009 my life was in shambles.  My husband's abuse was becoming more violent, and I feared almost everyday that he was going to kill me. My 14-year old daughter was so stressed out about our dysfunctional home life that she suffered from major depression, and was told by her school not to return until her mental health improved.  On top of that, the temporary position that I worked at a State agency ended. My world was crumbling all around me.  

I went to the Lord in prayer, and begged for His help.  I asked the Lord to tell me what I should do.  And the answer he gave me was so unexpected.  God told me to move quickly to another state.  He told me that if I had faith, and put my trust in Him, He would take care of my daughter and me.  I didn't know how we were going to make it.  But what I did know was that time and time again, God had made a way for me out of no way.  What I did know was that His word said that He would never leave me, nor forsake me.  And what I did know was that I had no other option.

I prayed fervently for God's help and guidance.  I prayed for Him to show me the way. And He did. My daughter and I moved across the country to escape my abusive husband.  We went to a state where we believed we would be safe.  We went where we had never been here before, we had no family here, and there was no reason for my husband to believe we would be there.  And I am here to tell you that PRAYER WORKS!

When my daughter and I arrived in Austin, Texas on November 12, 2009, we did not have an apartment, I didn't have a job, and we were not certain that my daughter was well enough to attend school.  Matthew 7:7 says "Ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find, knock and the door will open". And that is just what I did.  I asked the Lord in prayer for a home, and I asked the Lord for a job, and I asked the Lord for a school for my daughter.  And He gave all those things and more to us.  He answered our prayers.  He put people in our path that helped us along the way. He blessed us through the kindness of others.  

Within one month, God delivered all of the things I prayed for.  My daughter was enrolled within a week of arriving in Austin at a private school that catered to artistic children who typically had problems socially at traditional schools. In addition, she had been award a partial scholarship.  In about a week and a half we had moved from the cheap hotel we had stayed in since arriving in town to a 2 bedroom apartment that my sister and father helped us to afford financially.  And within a month, I had a job.  Philippians 4:19 says, "And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus." And He has.

We have been in Austin for almost 4 years now. And it hasn't always been easy.  My daughter and I continued to endure trials and tribulations.  But through it all, each time trouble comes, we know that God hears our pleas. Romans 12:12 says "Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer".  And that is what we have done.  Do you know why?  Because we know that PRAYER WORKS!