Unexpected Answers

“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.”

Ephesians 3:20 (NIV)

It has been exactly one month since I had to say goodbye to my daughter Hannah and our first granddaughter Raegan. My heart was breaking, as I knew I would not see them again until November. In the days following their departure, I began each day with a simple prayer of thanksgiving for the precious time we had together. Not many military families have the opportunity to live close together, much less in the same city. We had been blessed to have our Hannah and her husband, both active duty soldiers, be assigned to our location at Fort Bragg, NC. I had been given the gift of time with our first grandchild, watching her birth and then watching her grow into a beautiful, joyful, strong-willed 17 month old. Each day I would also pray for God to continue to comfort my heart until our planned visit in November as we plan to go to welcome our second grandchild, due November 21^st.

As my first week without Raegan began, I focused on thankfulness. I knew it was God’s heart for me to be grateful not matter what. 1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18 says, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and in everything give thanks.” Although I must confess my usual negative thoughts and sometimes unthankfulness toward invasive technology that has become apart of everyday life, I learned during this season to appreciate some of its benefits. I quickly realized how thankful I was to be able to facetime with my daughter and granddaughter everyday. This brought great joy to my heart. Each day got easier as I could see how happy our granddaughter was in her new home, room and most importantly with her mommy and daddy all living together. Then a wave of sadness would hit me as I still missed them so much. In these moments I would have the crazy thought and actually verbalize, “If we leave after dinner, we can surprise Raegan for breakfast.” I would drive ten hours through the night to fulfill the desires of my heart to hold and play with my granddaughter, even if for only a weekend. Knowing this was impossible, I continued in those moments to ask God for more of His peace and comfort for each day.

By day ten, not that I was counting, my husband came home with wonderful news. He now had a business trip scheduled for the first weekend of September in Alabama where my daughter and her family are stationed. My first thought was, “There is no way his vehicle is leaving our driveway without me in it.” My second, “Thank you God, for your demonstration of Your love towards me.” This would be an unanticipated opportunity to travel and visit my granddaughter. All the details worked out, and tomorrow I will be eating breakfast with my daughter, son-in-law and my Rae of sunshine, Raegan Faith. Only my God, who demonstrates His love for me each day, could have answered the longing of my heart in such an unimaginable way. I did not get to plan a trip to visit my granddaughter; God made it happen for me. He provided for me in a way that was immeasurably more than I could have asked or imagined. May you thank Him and trust Him with the desires of your heart today. Declaring, as I have, He is able to meet your every need better than you can ask or even imagine.