My granddaughter Kaity was faced with a dilemma: She wanted to play basketball, a commitment she had made to her North Hills Christian School team, and she wanted to go with her youth group to a winter retreat at Winter Place in West Virginia. The problem: her ballgame was in southeast Charlotte at 4 p.m. on a Friday afternoon and her youth group at Trading Ford Baptist Church would be leaving our church in Salisbury 62 miles away at 6 p.m. She had an obligation to her team and very reluctantly decided to forego the trip.

Her parents and I, however, wanted to enable her to do both; but it was questionable how we could help her. The game which would begin at 4 would take at least an hour, and the drive from the gym—62 miles away–on a Friday afternoon in rush hour traffic would surely take more than an hour.

Praying for the Lord’s direction and help, we headed to the ballgame. The NHCS team played well and won the game. It was 5:01 p.m. An alert on my phone came up: “Heavy traffic. One hour thirty-four minutes home.”

Wow! It was going to be impossible! Our finite minds could not begin to see a way. My daughter-in-law Kandee spoke up: “We’re going to make it. Let’s pray.”

And the praying began! As we hit the beltway around Charlotte, traffic was backed up. We sought an alternative route on our GPS—there was none.

We crept along for a few minutes, and then as if the Lord were parting the Red Sea, there was an opening in the traffic. All the way from Providence Road in South Charlotte to Exit 81 in Salisbury—62 miles–the cars just seemed to move out of our way. We reached our destination in one hour—without speeding. It was a miracle!

As we pulled in to meet the church bus, everyone stood in amazement. Lisa, one of the youth leaders, exclaimed, “We are truly amazed! We stood in the parking lot at the church as a group and prayed. I told the kids to get specific in their prayers, and they did! The Lord answered!” Yes, He did.

Now in the scheme of world events, this was a very small matter. Yet in the eyes of 31 youth and their leaders, it was a big deal. They got to see first-hand the power of God’s people when they unite in prayer:

“Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.” (Matthew 18:19-21 NKJV)

I know without a doubt that the Lord is concerned about everything in our lives. The scriptures tell us to “pray without ceasing.” (1 Thessalonians 5:17 NKJV). If we really do follow this command, then we should be talking to the Lord about everything from the seemingly insignificant matters all the way to those that seem monumental.

After all, who are we to determine what is a small issue versus a big one? Only the King of the Universe can see what is taking place behind the scenes and determine the course of the future.

I have been leading a Bible study on Henry Blackaby’s book, Experiencing God. In the book the author explains that there are seven realities that form the foundation for truly experiencing the Lord and His power:

1. God is always at work around you.
2. God pursues a continuing love relationship with you that is real and personal.
3. God invites you to become involved with Him in His work.
4. God speaks by the Holy Spirit through the Bible, prayer, circumstances, and the church to reveal Himself, His purpose, and His ways.
5. God’s invitation for you to work with Him always leads you to a crisis of belief that requires faith and action.
6. You must make major adjustments in your life to join God in what He is doing.
7. You come to know God by experience as you obey Him and He accomplishes His work through you.

Kaitlyn, her family, her friends, and her youth leaders experienced God first hand that Friday afternoon. We all saw for ourselves the power of prayer, and we came to know Him in new ways as we experienced his mighty presence.

Who knows, though, what the Lord will do with that one seemingly small answered prayer that Friday afternoon as we rushed to catch a bus to a youth retreat?

For me I saw an immediate result the following Sunday as Pastor Mike Motley preached a message on the power of prayer. He spoke about Elijah and his dramatic encounter with evil King Ahab. (1 Kings 18) Now, that was a prayer of great magnitude when Elijah literally called down fire from heaven to consume his sopping wet sacrifice and demonstrate to everyone who is the real Lord of the Universe. That prayer was one that changed the course of history.

Following his sermon, Pastor Mike extended an altar call and people made their way to pray. A young mother of four whom I know to have some big issues in her life knelt at the altar to pour out her heart. Then from the corner of my eye, I saw a slender young teen slip up beside her and kneel to pray with her. I was surprised—but delighted—to see that it was Kaity. My heart overflowed as I saw her tender expression of compassion.

On our way home from church, I commended her for her sweet gesture. Her response spoke volumes, “I really wish you wouldn’t say anything about that. When you feel a tug from the Lord, you just have to act.”

Ummh! Too bad we don’t all respond to that little nudge from the Holy Spirit. The world, I believe, would be transformed if we just obeyed those little prompts!

In that brief instant, I was reminded of Paul’s words to Timothy, “Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love in spirit, in faith, in purity.” (1 Timothy 4:12 NKJV)

The words of Zechariah also took on new meaning:

Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin.” Zechariah 4:9-11 (NLT)

Bottom line, the Lord is interested in every dimension of our lives—the large and the small. “Don’t underestimate the power of little things. Jesus took a little lunch from a little boy and fed thousands. With a little jawbone, Samson slew an army. David took a little stone and brought down a giant. With just a little faith, great things can be accomplished.”*

So the Lord said, “If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.” (Luke 17:6 NKJV)

What about you? Seen any miraculous answers to prayer lately? Care to share? I’d love to hear from you!

P.S. Thanks to all of you who have taken time to read and comment. Thank you for your thoughtful responses last week on late-term abortion. May the Lord pour out blessings on you and your loved ones.

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NKJV)

*https://www.amazingfacts.org/news-and-features/inside-report/magazine/id/10687/t/the-power-of-little-things