I find myself listening in those quiet moments after prayer when the voices inside my head have been silenced. It is in those moments that small prayers are answered.
That’s what happened to me last night. I was struggling with what I wanted to write. I knew essentially what I wanted to convey but the flow and the tone just did not feel right. So I prayed on it. I asked God to soften my tone. I asked God to give me the words to convey my feelings without being harsh to others or dishonest to myself. I wanted the words to be honest and kind.
Then, in that quiet moment … I heard “cut the cantaloupe.” Not exactly the words I was looking for. I was looking for something more poetic, more profound. But I did it anyways trusting that somehow there was a reason. So, I began to cut the cantaloupe and, in that moment, my small prayer was answered. The words which evaded me came tumbling down. The flow was effortless. It was honest without being unkind. A small prayer was answered.
It may not seem like a lot but to me it is. You see, those small moments give me hope that my larger prayers will not be left unanswered. It may take longer than I’d like. It may require more patience than I am used to. I may need to continually and consistently ask God for help in matters which appear at times to be unanswerable. But I know He hears them. I know they will not go unanswered forever. I sense that He just wants to know how much this means to me. Or maybe, just maybe, it is His way of reminding me that the most precious gifts never come easy.