God hears my prayers. They are often not answered in the way or timeframe I would prefer, but I know God hears them. I see this in the countless times when things unfold in ways I couldn’t have predicted, and in hindsight, I realize they were for my greatest good. Of course, there are still instances I don’t fully understand, but faith tells me that one day, I will.
As it says in 1 Corinthians 13:12, “Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely.”
There are no prayers too small or insignificant to bring to God. I’ve found countless examples of this, and I keep a journal of them to remind me of God’s love and power, especially when I feel small, weak, or insignificant. I’ll share two of my favorites from the past year.
The first one involves parallel parking. Yes, nothing is too small to ask God for help with! I had an appointment in a neighboring town with very limited parking, most of which was parallel parking. On Saturdays, it feels like a miracle to get a spot, and with my parallel parking skills, divine intervention is definitely needed to fit in. My appointment was on a Saturday, and from the moment I woke up, it was the first thing on my prayer list. I prayed again as I got into the car.
Driving down the main street, I saw no parking spots. My heart rate quickened, and my breath grew shallow. I reminded myself to relax—after all, I’d left plenty of time to find a spot. When I turned onto the street near my appointment, a woman crossed in front of me and got into her car. To my surprise, her parking spot was the last one before the curb, and it was huge! I didn’t have to parallel park at all; I could just drive straight into it. I sat there for a moment, saying “Thank you, God,” as I took a long, slow breath.
Since then, whenever I start to preemptively worry about something, I remind myself of that parking spot. God will work it out.
The second example that stands out this year is seeing Adele in concert. I’m a huge fan of hers and had always wanted to see her perform live. But her residency was in Las Vegas, and I live on the East Coast. Tickets were hard to get and expensive. After she announced that her Las Vegas shows would be her last for a while, ticket prices skyrocketed, making it seem impossible to attend. But through a series of unexpected events, I happened to be in Las Vegas on the night of Adele’s final show. At 5:45 p.m., a friend of a friend offered me a spare ticket.
The concert was incredible, but the lasting gift of that night was the reminder that unexpected blessings can be just around the corner. As Ephesians 3:20 says, “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.”
There is kindness everywhere. I keep a gratitude journal, and the kindness of strangers always makes the list. A few months ago, my cousin and I had tickets for The Lion King on Broadway. She got stuck at work and had seen the show before, so she sent the e-tickets to my phone and said she’d try to meet me at intermission. But when the usher tried to scan my ticket, it came up invalid. She told me I’d need to go to the box office and show proof of purchase, but my cousin was unavailable.
Just as I was considering my options, a woman behind me spoke up and offered me her extra ticket. She explained that someone in her group had canceled at the last minute, and the ticket was mine. I asked if I could reimburse her, but she refused, saying it was a gift.
The show was amazing, but the true gift that night was being reminded of the kindness of strangers. It also reminded me to be a kind stranger whenever I can, reflecting the light of hope for those around me.
Shared by Patricia Wu
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