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This week’s Five Minute Friday writing prompt is: DOUBT
Setting my timer for five minutes, and . . . GO.Â
In recent weeks, my extended family and I were praying for a specific positive thing to happen. A significant thing. It was a big ask, and we knew it. We did all that we could to make it possible, but humanly speaking, it was still very unlikely that the outcome would transpire the way we hoped.
We asked other people to pray for the Lord’s favor. I lost sleep over it (which is fairly uncommon for me, as I really love my sleep). 😉
There was a particular time at which point we knew we would know the outcome of our prayers. As the time drew near, I found myself pleading with God, “Please, please, please make it happen.” Yet in the back of my mind, I still knew it wasn’t likely.
When we finally got the results, we learned that the Lord not only answered our prayers as we had hoped — He went far above all that we could ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20). He provided in an extravagant, lavish way.
I was shocked. Gobsmacked, really. It all seemed surreal, too good to be true.
My reaction revealed to me my lack of faith.
I had doubted.
Deep down I knew God *could* do it, but I had not believed He *would* do it.
In my Bible study this week, we read this verse:
“Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him.” ~ Mark 11:35, ESV
“. . . and does not doubt in his heart . . .”Â
I doubted, and yet the Lord in His abundant grace not only answered my prayer but gave me far more than I could have imagined.
STOP.Â
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There’s still time to sign up for the next Writing Accountability Group!Â
We start Wednesday, February 1st and meet eight times on Zoom for live writing sessions.
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Join the link-up with your own five-minute freewrite on the writing prompt, DOUBT, below:Â
When in danger or in doubt,
there is one fail-safe solution:
run in circles, scream and shout,
and fill the world with noise pollution.
Let your screams reflect your feeling,
let your panic others awe,
let your dashing send folks reeling
at the edge of civil law.
Some might say this does no good,
you wind up in the same ol’ place,
but in this return you should
consider it a kind of grace
that headless chicken’s hard despair
might just help you clear the air.
Less than five minutes, fever of 104. Whatever.
So thankful your prayers were answered. I’ve missed you all
Love when God does things like that.
You’ve left us with a cliffhanger though, LOL.
Excellent example of His grace and mercy! Dawn #23
Oh my goodness, how many times have I also believed He could but doubted He would??? Too many I’m sure! I’m glad your prayer was answered in even a more wonderful way!
Your experience sounds familiar – I have no problem believing that God CAN, but somehow I doubt that He WILL, or that He’ll do it FOR ME. But over and over, God is good and gracious even if I waver and doubt. Glad he answered your prayers so abundantly!