By Karen Y. Stevens

One of my sisters called me up when we first moved to Orange in 2000. She was distraught about numerous situations and ask me to pray. Most of the items were very important to her, and some were small, but they all added up to stress overload.

My sister, at that time, was tittering on the fence with her relationship with God. I begin to fast, and I prayed for 3 hours straight, most of the time with my face on the floor. I called her later that afternoon and she was ecstatic. She went thru her list, and every one of her request that had been drawing out for 8 months, had been answered in that 5-hour window.

Luke 18: 1-7 – Jesus tells the parable about the widow and the unjust judge. She goes to him every day with her problem until he says (paraphrasing) “I’ll give her what she wants, so she’ll leave me alone.” Vs 6 states “And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. ⁷ And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off?”

I am a firm believer of storming heaven, based on my experience, and this scripture. The problem with that statement is “when do we have the time?” “When do we make time?” “When is something that important to us?”

The reason it was so important to me that day, was the love I had for my sister, and not wanting her to walk away from God. I haven’t spoken to her again about those answered prayers, but I’m quite certain the day meant more to me, than it did to her. I’m the one who saw God perform, based on the conversations He and I had. It’s an everlasting memory, and a building block in my faith to what God can and will do.

I am so far from being what God wants me to be, but no matter what I do, or what happens in my life, I know God is who He is, the creator of the universe, all knowing, powerful, and most of all; loving.

Yes, God has a side that I don’t want to get on, but even if I get on that side, I know He is justified for His actions. He is also gracious while He is being just.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 states – ¹⁶ Rejoice always, ¹⁷ pray continually, ¹⁸ give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

You know how we long for our children to ask for our help in different situations. Also, how we long for them just to pop in to say hi. We just need that connection with them.

I feel that is all God is longing from us. We need to pop in to say hi. Tell Him how great He is and thank Him for helping us out in our situations.

His response to us would be the same as ours, to our children. “Call me anytime, with anything.” “I love you more than you can fathom, and I want to be here for you.”

Karen Y. Stevens is founder of Orange County Christian Writers Guild