When my daughter was very young, one night she was saying her prayers. She paused and asked me, "Mom, if I pray for a rainbow, will God make one?" Well, what could I say? Anyone who can part the Red Sea, can make a rainbow for a six-year-old. I hem-hawed around for a few seconds, and then told her that, yes, if she believed... Then I thought, "What have I done? What if there's no rainbow tomorrow? What if there are no clouds? And if there are, what if it doesn't rain? I've hurt the faith of this little one!"

The next day, there was not a cloud in the sky. Of course. Great. Now Mom's a liar. It was Memorial Day, so we went to the cemetery to pay our respects. We were walking around, and I had hoped she had forgotten about the rainbow prayer. Apparently she had, but I had not. The scriptures say that if you believe, basically God gives you what you pray for, if you ask in Jesus' (Yeshua's) name. I was having some worrisome thoughts as we walked through that cemetery. Then we came upon a section which was being watered with sprinklers. Lo and behold, there was Robin's rainbow, just as plain as day. It was almost as if God was saying, "See? Oh you of little faith. I can make it happen, even when it seems impossible." I wish the story ended there, but it doesn't. I saw it, but I didn't see it for what it was, until later. I didn't recognize it, to show her that God had answered her prayer.
Her little simple prayer was a huge lesson for me. He answered her prayer, as it turns out, for me. How many times have I missed the blessing? Now I look for answered prayers in whatever form they might take.

I guessed I would forgive her for the oatmeal dumped between the wall and the refrigerator. And telling the neighbor she had a "mold" on her face. And, saying, "huh, uh... no Mom, this is what you said," when I was trying to be a little too polite in conversation. And wallpapering the hall with stick-on feminine napkins... Sigh... I miss those days.

Dianne James
www.meandermagazine.com