My grandmother Lester was a woman of prayer. She included a saying in her prayers that family members have continued throughout the years: “This is what we’re praying for, and now we’re waiting to see.” Often when we share concerns within our family, we end with her wise words which serve as a faith builder for us.

Prayer is an integral part of who we are as children of God. Imagine a child who never talks with their parents or a parent who never hears the cries and joys of their child. How difficult it would be to deepen such a relationship! How easy it would be to begin to think that love, care, and concern did not exist in the relationship! God beckons us to pray and to trust that our prayers are heard and met completely with God’s gracious and steadfast love.

When Elijah prayed for the rain to stop, he did so to show God’s power and faithfulness. (See 1 Kings 17:1.) Elijah had a close relationship with God. His praying was constant. He brought his anger, confusion, doubt, hopes, dreams, and sorrows straight to the God of heaven. His prayers were effective. They changed him, and they changed the lives of people around him.

My grandmother Lester had nine children, twenty-eight grandchildren, and many great-grands after that. Her prayers for us were constant. We often reflect on the blessings of love that are present in our family. Did we create that love? Or is it the answer to the faithful prayers my grandmother prayed for us each day as she prayed with the trust of a daughter, a child of God: “Lord, this is what we’re praying for, and now we’re waiting to see”?