Opportunities for Answered Prayers

We all do it. We ask God (or The Universe, or whatever you believe your higher power to be) for help; we either scream, shot, beg, beseech, whisper, cry or simply ask in frustration for something we deeply want for ourselves in that current moment. But how often do you notice your prayers get answered?

If you're like me, I bet you think you never get what you ask for. But I am here to share where you are wrong. The trick is to notice how your prayers get answered! And that my friend, is a whole different ball game!

These last few months, I've really been struggling with not having enough money to meet my basic needs: rent, car insurance, etc., and never having enough to "play" with. I've been praying for help healing my finances, help bringing in more cash, just so I don't have to struggle anymore. And help just being open to the opportunities to HAVE MORE in my life.

And maybe, like me,  you probably expect a windfall of cash to fall in your lap, right? Or maybe win with a scratcher loto ticket, or some great lost relative leaves you a bundle in their will. But here's the funny thing I discovered for myself, just the other day and thought I'd like to share: it NEVER happens that way! Or not until you're really ready to have more, and that means saying yes to the little opportunities that God sends you. That means awareness of where your prayers are being answered, especially because the answers and help are not coming in the fashion you think they should!

For example, in the movie Evan Almighty , one of my all-time favorite movies, Lauren Graham plays a suffering wife who's husband, Evan (played by Steve Carrell), has gone off the deep end, thinking he's Moses. He wants to build an Ark in their Washington D.C backyard, and wants his family's support. He's a congressman, and has been spending all his time at work, breaking promises to his family about spending time together and having adventures as a family. Lauren's character has been praying fervently for help from God, asking for them to have more time together as a family. When Evan asks the family to help him fulfill his dream to build an Ark, she thinks he's lost it, and takes the kids and leaves.

Meanwhile, everyone is miserable. Morgan Freeman (As God) appears to her at a restaraunt as a waiter, and asks he what's wrong, and when she tells him her problems, he sits down and gently explains that when we pray for something, God doesn't just hand it to us, he sends us opportunities to create the thing we most desire for ourselves, giving us free will to chose to have our prayers answered or not. She gets the "aha" moment, and realizes as crazy as it sounds, building an Ark with her kids and husband is exactly the type of family time together they need. Now it wasn't quite the way she was picturing getting her prayers answered, but with God's prompting, she realized that opportunity was the answer to her prayers. Long story short, they return, and help Evan build an Ark and the whole story unfolds in yet more miraculous ways.

My point here is this: where are you getting the opportunity to get your prayers answered, but are either not aware that's what they are, or are rejecting them because that's not how you thought your prayers should be answered?

For me, my aha moment came in the most benign but generous way. A girlfriend invited me out to lunch, and wanted to pay for my meal. Me, being raised Catholic, instantly felt guilty and started to decline the offer out of shame and guilt. I should be able to pay for myself! But I barely have enough money to meet my monthly expenses, so lunch out was an exceptional extravagance. And then it hit me: here was my opportunity to have more in my life!! If I couldn't even say yes, and thank you for the gift of a lunch, how could I possibly have more abundance in the way of increased financial rewards? I kept saying no to God's answers to my prayers because it wasn't how I expected my prayers to be answered. And so God kept sending me opportunities to allow more abundance into my life to practice saying yes. So that when the cash flows in, I'll be ready and waiting with open arms to say Yes Please!! I'll take it!! I won't turn it away because it doesn't arrive exactly the way I  expect.

Maybe noticing the answers to your prayers isn't your problem, but accepting them is. It's the same thing. For me, this is my big wake up call. I see now that my job is to ask (pray), and then notice (awareness), and then say thank you and accept the gift of answered prayers in whatever form it takes, which I know now, is not ever going to be the way I expect it to be. And once I do, I know more miracles and opportunities will follow. That's how it works. That's the secret.

Today, practice noticing how your prayers get answered. They always do. Its just up to us to recognize it, say yes, and let them in.