Saturday, March 9, 2013

Pink Blanket Prayer

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It started with the story of the pink blanket prayer.

Several weeks ago, I was reading The Duggars: 20 and Counting, when I stumbled upon the story of the pink blanket prayer. The Duggar's second daughter, Jill, wanted a pink blanket. A pink blanket similar to the one her older sister had. But the Duggar family got this money thing right from the start. If it was not necessary, you did not need it. And Jill did not need a new pink blanket. She simply wanted one. So, her parents encouraged her to pray. Her parents encouraged her to ask God for a pink blanket. Not because a pink blanket is all important in the grand scheme of life, but because they wanted to teach their daughter to take all of her cares to her Creator. They wanted to teach Jill that nothing is too big, or too little, for God. So, Jill began to pray. And the story goes that sometime later, as Jim Bob was cleaning out an old car he had just purchased for his used car lot, what should he find in the back of that car? A pretty, pink blanket, of course. And Jim Bob knew that God had answered his daughter's simple prayer. Her pink blanket prayer.

At first, I must admit that I scoffed a bit at the story. It had to be coincidence, did it not? God wouldn't answer a simple prayer about a pink blanket. Surely not. But then, as I thought about the story over time, I realized that my problem with the story was jealousy. I wanted my own pink blanket prayer to be answered. I wanted to know that even in the small things, God heard, and he answered. So, I began to keep track.

I bought a pink notebook and divided it into five different categories: faith, family, friends, personal, and life/other. And over the past several weeks I have listed any prayer requests I have had, big or small, under the appropriate category. Inspired by the faith of a child and her pink blanket prayer, I began to list my own pink blanket prayers. Areas of my life in which I was asking God to work. And as I have prayed more fervently than ever before, God's work has been astounding. So many prayers answered in such a short amount of time. And I give the glory all to God. I have come to believe, or rather to know, that God is there. He is waiting to work on our behalf. He simply wants us to ask him to do so. He wants us to acknowledge his power. So, I daily list my cares, big or small, and I wait in watchful anticipation of how God is going to answer.

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The story of the pink blanket prayer has changed my life. My pink blanket prayer book, a constant reminder that God is always at work. I want to encourage you today to lay your requests at your Father's feet. Big or small, he can handle them all.

Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. Matthew 7:7 (New Living Translation)






3 comments:

Brittnie said...

What a great story - thanks for sharing!

Unknown said...

Brittnie - Thank you for encouraging me in my writing!

Unknown said...

What a precious story! Our first son was a beautiful, brown eyed, brunette. THEN, we had not 1, but TWO red heads! Well, when we were pregnant with #4, he truly longed for someone who looked like him (and who did NOT have 20 grandmothers touching and oohing and aahing over them in the grocery store - ha). During Sunday school on week shortly before #4's arrival, his teacher that week (a grandmother, herself)asked for prayer requests. Byron asked for prayer for the upcoming delivery. She asked if we had named the baby yet, and he said, "Yes, her name is Evelyn." She said, "Oh, Byron, when I heard her name just now, I had a vision of just a beautiful brown haired baby!" Byron looked at her with tears in his eyes and asked, "Really??!!!" She didn't know how much it would mean to him until that time, and began to pray for a sibling that looked like him. A week later, Evelyn was born - brown haired! He was so thrilled, he cried! God cares about EVERYTHING! He now has 2 brown haired sisters whom he is so thankful for :)