Rainbow Prayers

ByLyli

2013-09-24 19.11.53

He’d been sitting out there for hours.  We’d been sailing through the Inner Passage in Alaska for 13 days.  On day 14, my husband disappeared onto the balcony with his binoculars and never came inside.  I visited him a couple of times… with my winter coat on.  I did not find the chill inviting, so I watched the view from the comfortable sofa inside our stateroom.

Just before lunch, he came inside looking for the camera.  “I asked God for a rainbow,” he declared.

I looked outside.  Although it was cold, there was not a cloud in the sky.  Humph, I thought… a rainbow on a sunny day.  This should be interesting.

“Lord, send my husband a rainbow,” my spirit breathed.  I know he’s your favorite.

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A couple of days later, I was sitting on the couch back at home when my husband emerged from his office.  He’d just gotten off the phone — a call we had not expected to go well had gone decidedly in our favor.  Daily, we had prayed for God to make a way and give us favor in a seemingly impossible situation.

Honestly, I was not surprised at all when my husband said, “She gave us a green flag.”  After all, I had just finished uploading our Alaska pictures to Facebook.

The rainbow on the Alaskan sea smiled brilliantly back at me filling me with hope.

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“He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed,
miracles that cannot be counted.”

Job 9:10, NIV

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Q4U:  Has God ever answered a seemingly impossible prayer request that you offered up in faith?  I would love to hear your story!

My one-word focus for the year is “fruitilicious.”  Find out what that means here.

Thanks for stopping by!  I would love to connect with you on Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest.

Joining like-minded sisters today at Women Living Well,Tell His Story, Soli Deo Gloria, Hear it on Sunday: Use it on Monday and Playdates with God. 

25 Comments

  1. Dear Lyli
    I am bedridden at the moment with a Fm/ CFS flare-up. The way Pappa carries me every day to me is such a great miracle.
    Much love XX
    Mia

    Reply

  2. Wonderful post, Lyli! I love how God speaks through rainbows. They have blessed me at various times in my life beyond measure. Somehow I think you are God’s favorite too. After all, He is like a Father & each one of His children is His favorite 🙂
    Have a wonderful Monday,
    Joanne

    Reply

  3. Rainbows…always easy on the eyes, but for a time became hard on my soul. Not anymore. When my Dad was battling for his life against depression, I had just had my 3rd baby. New babies are a joy, but make you tired. Add to that taking care of & worrying about Dad who lived next door with a hefty burden of his own… and I was emotionally sustained by the Grace of God. One day, with nothing left but my everything (prayer), I went outside, looked toward my Dad’s house & then to my Father’s & prayed. A rainbow appeared above Dad’s house. I ran in got my camera & took a photo, still have it. God was promising me that it would all be okay & I was sure that meant that my Dad was going to win this battle, be healed & be with us for many wonderful years to come. About a year later, he tried to take his life. He didn’t die, but he ended up hospitalized and five days later we had to decide to remove him from life support. It was then, that he went home to be with his Jesus. He had a strong faith in Christ, given that-I know there are many that couldn’t comprehend such an outcome, but then again, many don’t understand the illness of depression. Those last few years were difficult for him, until they were so difficult that all he wanted was to be in our Father’s healing arms. When that happened, I recalled the rainbow. I knew better than to become angry with God. My energy was not to be wasted on anger, I was going to need every ounce of it for healing. So I reminded God about the rainbow & asked that He make me understand what that rainbow meant, the sooner the better. In my heart, I felt immediate peace & what my heart was told is that my Dad loved nothing but Jesus more than living for Him, being a Dad & granddad, so for him to end up this way, he was beyond his own grasp. My heart was told that Papa Dios had beautiful healing & a great mission for my Dad to continue reaching hundreds more than he already had for Christ, even though that was no longer possible. My heart told me, that like many parents, God had better plans for my Dad, his Child, than he had for himself. My heart was told that like many parents, when my Dad, His child did not go along with those plans, He still embraced my Dad in His loving, gracious, healing arms and carried him into his new, eternal home. His rainbows, every time I see them, remind me that His love, His peace & His answers to prayer are more perfect than I dare to imagine.
    Thanks for another beautiful post Ms. D xoxo

    Reply

    1. Claudia, you are not supposed to make me cry on Monday mornings! Thank you for sharing your dad’s story … I am so thankful that you know you will see him again one day and that he is now safe and whole in the arms of Papa Dios. On dark days, I try to hold on to the truth that God is working all things together for good. My job is to keep walking forward in faith and to trust. I have struggled with depression, and I am thankful for the care of a wise doctor and the prayers of my family. We need to fight for each other. You, my dear, are a fighter for your family — I have always loved that about you. xoxo

      Reply

  4. I’ve thought several times about doing an Alaskan cruise but I’m such a wimp when it comes to cold weather that I’ve been reluctant (not to mention that my hubby says he’ll never do a cruise–that’s the bigger issue, ha).

    I’m glad you got the answer to your prayers. Sometimes I expect to see God one way, and then he sneaks up on me and surprises me by answering another way, and even better.

    Reply

    1. Lisa, this was my 1st cruise. I loved it, but I didn’t get sea sick.. the cold was actually not that bad. We had 3 sunny days in port, which I was told was close to miraculous.

      Yes, God is always sneaking up on us. Today at work, I discovered that He had answered a “rainbow prayer request” for a co-worker. I have been smiling all day.

      Reply

  5. Love this post. I will forever remember when I was on a plane with our 3 year old and he peered out the window and kept saying “Rainbow” but nobody saw one. There wasn’t one in sight. He said this over and over and we all laughed at the image he was conjuring in his head. Well about 15 minutes later we all saw this amazingly gorgeous rainbow – like flying through it somehow??? And you could hear the gasps of everyone at how beautiful it was. I looked at our son and said, “You were right!!!” And he broke out in “God is so good”, a song we always sang at bedtime together. Priceless. And I haven’t thought of that story in a very long time.

    Reply

  8. Lyli, rainbows always give me goosebumps for I know God has created this colorful arch for us, reminding us that He is faithful to His promises. May we all pray for those rainbows.
    Caring through Christ, ~ linda

    Reply

  10. Lyli,
    Gorgeous photo…how encouraging to see that rainbow…Thanks for sharing and thank you for praying for my trip to Guatemala…God has provided donations for toothbrushes and toothpaste for the kids so I am excited 🙂

    Reply

    1. Thanks, Dolly. I couldn’t believe it came out that clear as he used a point and shoot camera… My sister in love goes to Guatemala on a missions trip every summer… she keeps inviting us, and we hope to join her one summer as the Lord allows… the last few summers have not worked out. I look forward to hearing about your trip when you get back. What are the dates you will be traveling?

      Reply

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