Standing in the Gap

By Monica Moreland

     I ran up the stairs two steps at a time.  I couldn’t wait to tell my mom the good news.  As I rounded the corner into the kitchen I called out, “Mom, guess what!  Jenna invited me to her birthday party!  Can I go?  Can I go?”

     “When is the party?” Mom asked.

     “It’s Friday night, and it starts at 6:30.  Can I go?” I asked again excitedly.

     Mom thought about it for a moment and then looked at the calendar.  “Yes, you can go.  I will have to talk to your dad about taking you because I will be at your brother’s track meet,” Mom explained.

     I jumped in the air and ran to hug her.  All the girls from my class would be there.

    

     ON FRIDAY

     I moved Jenna’s gift closer to the door and looked at myself in the mirror again.  Where was my dad?  It was almost time to go to the party.  I checked out the window again.  Nope, not here yet.

     I waited a few minutes and looked again.  I was starting to get impatient.  I was going to be late to the party.  “Dad, where are you?” I cried out.

     At 7:00 p.m., Jenna called me to see if I was coming.  I told her I had to wait for my dad, but I was coming soon.  I checked the window again.  No Dad.

     By 7:30, I was getting worried.  Maybe something had happened.  I decided to pray for him.  I knelt down and started to pray.  I asked Heavenly Father to watch over my dad and help him to get home safely.  As I prayed, I felt led to pray for all my family.

     I prayed for my mom and brother at the track meet, my sister who was babysitting, and even my grandparents.  As I finished my prayer, I felt God wanted me to pray for my mom and my brother again, so I prayed for them again.  I thought through their situation and prayed for each aspect specifically.

     When I looked up after my prayer, my dad was pulling into the driveway.  He told me as I got into the car that Mom had never told him about the party.  He had decided to work late and finish his project.  I was glad he was okay.  He drove me to the party quickly.

     Later that night, my dad came to pick me up.  When I got in, he told me that my mom and my brother had been in an accident.  A car cut off a semi, and the semi swerved into the lane that my mother was merging onto as she entered the highway.  The semi hit our minivan in the back corner, and the van did not flip.  It skidded sideways and stopped short of the construction on the shoulder.  My mother and my brother were perfectly okay, no bruises or any pain.

     At that moment, I remembered my prayer, and I knew that God had used me to fill in the gap.  My prayer had helped my mom and my brother.  I was so glad I had listened to God’s Spirit and prayed again for them.  Prayer really works and God can use us to help others!

“Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;” ~ Ephesians 6:18