God's Bowls in Heaven

I had a *God Moment* recently and thought I would share it. God ALWAYS answers our prayers, even when we think He forgot or didn't think it was possible or important. God's Word tells of His many promises to His people. In the Book of Revelation there is a wonderful description of the prayers of saints which are placed in *bowls* in heaven. These prayers are gathered up in bowls (Rev. 5:8) where the angels add to them before mixing them up with fire from the heavenly altar. These prayers are then returned (hurled) to earth where they have a powerful effect on all creation. (Rev. 8:2-5) In the prayer room at our church, there is a prayer bowl that is filled with prayer requests. I just realized how significant this is. . .

About forty years ago I prayed a prayer as a child asking God to give me perfect hearing like everyone else. Life was hard, I had few friends, and people made fun of me because I talked *funny.* I felt singled out because I was a deaf person in a hearing world and never really *fit* anywhere. I didn't belong in the deaf world, either, because sign language was not a part of my life and was taught to speak orally. (This was very unconventional at the time because my parents were advised by doctors and other healthcare professionals to put me in an institution for the deaf. They were told that I would never be able to have a *normal* life and would face many difficulties.)

Later, as I grew older and wiser as an adult, I put that first prayer on the back burner. I didn't think it was even possible for it to be answered and assumed that God forgot about it, too. Well, we all know that things on the back burner eventually come to the front burner, right? Yes, life was still difficult at times but I had a great support system with my family and friends. That first original prayer was then changed (so I thought) and I asked God to just let me keep what little hearing I had (which wasn't much at all, even with hearing aids). Well, that prayer wasn't being answered, either, in early 2005 when this *little bit of hearing* started to disappear.

Fast forward to today: I now hear almost normally with my bilateral cochlear implants (and probably better than some people my age!) It doesn't take much for the tears to well up in my eyes and and start flowing down my cheeks when I hear the joyous sounds of the spring birds and everything else WITH TWO EARS. I can even have a conversation with my husband on the phone who is halfway across the world in Latvia, which I did yesterday.

My supervisor asked me recently how I was doing and, as we conversed, I shared with her my original prayer request that I had prayed forty years ago. And how God always has a better idea when He answers prayer. I told her that I never dreamed it would be possible to hear this good in my lifetime. Nothing is impossible with God!

Then, in my devotional reading the next day, I read Deuteronomy 2:7. I've read this verse many times but this time it JUMPED right off the page. Here is what it says: "The LORD your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He has watched over your journey through this vast desert. These forty years the LORD your God has been with you, and you have not lacked anything."

God sent one of His angels to reach into one of His many bowls filled with the prayers of the saints and pulled out my prayer from forty years ago. . .the one I forgot about. . .the one that was wwwwwaaaaayyyyyyy down on the bottom. . . and answered it. . . and has blessed me more than I deserve in everything that I've done. . . and, He has walked right by my side all this time on this journey called "Life." I have never lacked for anything . . .ever . . .even when I couldn't hear. . .

So, my dear friends, even when you think God doesn't hear your prayers or answer them, just wait. When He decides that the time is right for a *miracle,* He will send an angel to draw one of your prayers out of the prayer bowls in heaven. His timing is perfect and He will amaze you and blow your socks off! Forty years is not too long to wait for answered prayer. . . :-)

Blessed be the Name of the Lord!

(Please note: This is my interpretation of these verses in the Bible. I truly believe God speaks to us in many different ways and this was one of them.)