I thought things couldn’t get any worse after my husband lost his longtime job, in February 2012. But they did. Our investments, which we’d counted on to cover us, tanked. Our savings were running out. We couldn’t afford health insurance. Every day brought more bad news, one blow after another.
Now it was January 2013 and we were about to lose our house. I was so frantic, I couldn’t sleep. My husband was already stressed out and I didn’t want to burden our kids.
I couldn’t keep unloading on friends. I felt all alone with my worries. I’d been reading Daily Guideposts as part of my New Year’s resolution to pray more, but even that didn’t seem like enough.
One sleepless night, I went onto guideposts.org and clicked on “OurPrayer.” That brought me to a page that asked, “May we pray for you?” I couldn’t think of anything I needed more.
“Please help me and my family,” I typed. “I’m desperate. We need a second chance.” I clicked “Submit Prayer” and the strangest thing happened. I immediately felt lighter, almost as if I were lifted up.
Our troubles hadn’t gone away, but for the first time in ages, I slept soundly and woke up feeling renewed. This is powerful, I thought.
I returned to OurPrayer often to ask for prayers—and to pray for and with others. Occasionally, I requested an e-mail response from the OurPrayer team. Finding their words of encouragement in my in-box gave me such a boost.
Somebody out there cares about me, I thought. I don’t know where they live or anything about them. But I’m not alone. With every prayer request I posted, my faith was strengthened.
In March, we got the second chance we needed when my husband found a new job. We downsized to a townhouse—so close to the beach that even our kids were excited.
Yes, we still have a ways to go to regain our financial footing. But I’m no longer weighed down by worry and fear. I’m full of hope. That’s what being prayed for and prayed with will do for you.
