answered prayer

I still have some leftover injuries from birth. Given Baby D's size, I believe this is understandable.

Well, I hadn't been doing a very good job of taking care of some of my wounds. In my defense, I didn't know how bad they were.

On Monday, I called my midwives and they said I needed to clean out the wound. I started doing it at one point, and it was so excruciatingly painful I ended up unable to walk, and just trembling with pain. So I gave up. But it still needed to be done.

I was so upset and afraid to just bite the bullet. I kept praying that I would be protected from the pain. But I was still so scared.

Finally I decided I had just better do it--better to get it over with than risk further infection or anything else. I said a final prayer, but then prepared for pain, faithless. I was sure it would leave me as incapacitated from pain as the last time.

But just as I was about to do it, I heard this:

Heavenly Father, are you really there? And do you hear and answer every child's prayer?

And it made me brave enough to get it over with. The pain was terrible and I cried, but I survived and it was okay.

The words came from my favorite hymn growing up. As soon as I thought the questions, I knew the answers. Heavenly Father hears all our prayers, even if He doesn't answer them the way we want. I still felt all the pain. But He gave me the strength to go on through it.

Heavenly Father, are you really there?
And do you hear and answer every child's prayer?
Some say that Heaven is far away,
But I feel it close around me as I pray.
Heavenly Father, I remember now
Something that Jesus told disciples long ago:
"Suffer the children to come to me."
Father, in prayer I'm coming now to Thee.

Pray: He is there.
Speak: He is listening.
You are His child, His love now surrounds you.
He hears your prayers; He loves the children.
Of such is the Kingdom, the Kingdom of Heaven.

as performed by Sweethaven