God’s Promise and Scripture

God’s Promise: God’s promise to answer prayers. 

Scripture: “And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.” (Matthew 21:22 ESV)

Devotional

“And he said: ‘Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.’” (Matthew 18:3)

I had an amazing childhood—blessed with two parents who loved each other and loved the Lord. My younger sister was less than two years younger than me and we were best friends growing up. As soon as I was old enough to realize I didn’t have a brother, I started asking my parents for one when I was just four years old.

My parents had already decided to stop having children, but my mom told me that nothing was too big to ask God for. So every night, I prayed that God would give me a baby brother. As the years went by, I accepted Jesus into my heart at the age of six and continued to pray that same prayer. It became a funny story among my parents’ friends—I would volunteer to pray for dinner just so I could sneak in, “And please God, give me a baby brother.” Everyone wondered when I would give up and realize it wasn’t going to happen.

When I turned eight, my parents began to consider adoption. After a lengthy journey of exploring agencies, conducting home visits, and submitting applications, we entered the adoption process in 2009. My prayers shifted slightly—from “God, please give me a baby brother” to “God, please give us a baby,” since we didn’t know whether it would be a boy or a girl.

My parents chose to adopt through Gladney Adoption Agency, where birth mothers typically review family profiles and choose where their baby will be placed. Because my parents already had two children, they were told it might be less likely that we’d be chosen.

But about a year later, we got a call—a mother had gone into labor early, and we were the family she had chosen. On my 10th birthday, I met my baby brother for the first time. Six years of unwavering prayer and faith that God would hear me—and He did.

The Lord doesn’t always answer our prayers in the way we hope or expect, but He is always faithful to listen and to deliver what is right in His perfect timing. As an adult, I sometimes find myself questioning God when I don’t hear from Him after what feels like forever. But then I remember the six years I prayed for my little brother—a season that felt long then, but was such a small part of a bigger story God was writing.

The faith of a child is what we should all be striving for: complete confidence in God and total surrender to His plan.

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

1. When was a time in your life that you prayed for something with childlike faith — fully believing God would answer?

2. How might remembering God’s past faithfulness help you stay patient and confident in seasons of waiting or unanswered prayers?

3. What helps you stay persistent in prayer even when you don’t see immediate results?