Scan the Horizon

“Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours” (Mark 11:24).

When Florence Nightingale went to the Crimean War with her heroic band of nurses, she believed with all her heart that God was sending them there. But when they finally arrived after a horrendous journey, the officer in charge tried to send them away. The soldiers didn’t want women around in that ghastly environment. The nurses were confused and begged to stay and help, but the soldiers were adamant. This was no place for women, they said. The nurses prayed hard. It had been incredibly difficult to get there. And they had been so very sure God had sent them.

After a week or so, during which the camp commander refused to let the nurses do one thing, Florence went to him and begged him to at least let them scrub the filthy floor of the makeshift hospital. He relented, but said, “Only the floor now, and then you have to go home.”

So the nurses rejoiced and got to work scrubbing the floor till it was spotless. They saw God’s hand in the “small” answer to their prayers. They felt like Elijah’s servant on the top of Carmel. They had seen a tiny cloud on the horizon, and they believed God for the rest. Sure enough, within a few days the camp commander allowed them to do another job and then another, until the sky became black with clouds and the rain finally came. These great women of God learned to scan the horizon for the smallest sign that the Lord was at work, and seeing the “small” cloud, they took courage to believe that God’s full answer was on the way.

What is God asking you to pray for? Have you become discouraged by how few signs there are of His answer? Look up, scan the horizon. Watch for the little answers, and take heart. Soon the sky will be full of the evidence that God hears and answers your prayers. 

PRAYER

Lord, do I ever need encouragement today! I have been so discouraged because of how few signs I see in answer to my prayers. Help me to look up and scan the horizon and watch for the little answers. Remind me when it feels like nothing is happening that You are faithful and hear my prayers and will answer according to Your perfect timing. Show me the “small” cloud today. Amen.