God answers prayers...boots!

I wanted to tell of a blessing God just did in our lives. One, to encourage you, and two, to give God the glory. Most of you probably have had a prayer answered before, and when we think of prayers we tend to think in terms of LARGE needs, don't bug God with the little things, am I right? I want to encourage you talk to God! Is He not your friend? Your Father? Does He not love us more than anyone? Yes, he does!
     Now, I guess most of you have heard the saying, "Poor as a church mouse." Well, if the mice are poorly you know the family he lives with is squeaking. As a ministers wife, I have had to come up with some pretty ingenuous ideas, if I say so myself, to make meals, clothes, and the daily necessities. With the economy in the shape that's it's in, I have a feeling many of you have felt the same pinch.
     Winter time is fast approaching, as the females in our family wear dresses and skirts only, boots are a wonderful thing to help stay warm in cold weather. My children are growing like weeds, and clothes that fit last winter, certainly don't fit this winter! We like to yardsale, second hand stores, and flea markets; it's a treasure hunt, you never know what you will find. However, due to the economy, the yard sales and second hand stores have been a little lean, in fact, plumb skinny! Now, in a pinch I can make the clothes but I am not a cobbler. I cannot make shoes, or at least cold weather, heavy duty shoes. With the arrival of Fall, we began to look into closets to see what warm clothing we had, or what we needed. The children had sweaters, hoodies, tights, socks, mittens, hats, and coats. But somehow, shoes, boots in particular, were nowhere to be seen! My little girl tried squeezing her foot into last years boots and immediately complained of the foot not fitting. Imagine that?
     After the inventory of winter clothes, I sat down at the kitchen table with a heavy heart, my children had needs, and I was trying to bear it alone. Thankfully, as adults, last years clothes and shoes still fit the Rev. and I, or they would if we'd stay out of the pie! Back to the problem at hand. I sat with a list (yes, I love list) in front of me. The bills due this month, the next, and so forth. How was I going to put boots in with all the other things we needed? I'm certain some of you have already spotted the problem. Working with the mathematics of the situation for awhile, counting all my fingers and toes, I still didn't have a solution. In frustration I pushed the papers away, and felt the tiniest, smallest, pittance of self-pity. Oh alright, I felt a gush of that yucky faithless stuff wash over me! Self-pity! Me, a child of God, trying to spin a pair of boots out of thin air! With a sigh, I got to my feet and began preparing supper, but I continued to mull over this problem.
Finally, I remembered that my daughter, had just celebrated a birthday, the first of October, and had received a late card with ten dollars in it. After pondering for awhile, I went to her and said that if she would put that ten dollars towards a pair of boots, she could pick the color, style, etc...(ever try to bribe someone?) She didn't want to, she had found a book she really really wanted. Looking into her eyes, those precious eyes, I was filled with love. Then a soft voice spoke in my heart and reminded me how much more does our Heavenly Father love her.
     Both my son and daughter were watching me, I shook myself, how silly I felt, I hadn't even prayed about it! I told them both we were going to pray right then, for Hailey a pair of boots, and with a firm conviction, I then told them I wanted them to see how the Lord answers prayers. We prayed. Just a simple prayer, the children adding in their own words. Then we went on with our business, we left it in the Lords hands.
Monday morning, I received a text from my oldest sister, she told me she had came across a few things that would fit Hailey. I was excited, but to be honest, I thought it was only clothes. I told the children of the message, Sis was excited, but it meant little to my son. We had to wait till Tuesday to go pick them up, she had left them at my mothers home.
     When we walked in I saw the bag lying beside her couch, I immediately went and began to look inside. My breathe left me. I sat speechless, there lay a pair of boots (her size, did you expect anything less?) lying on top of the pile. Hailey had went to the bathroom, my son was looking inside the bag with me, he quickly grasped the boot and rushed to the bedroom yelling, "God is so good! God is so good, He sent you boots!"  How can I explain to you the feeling of utter awe of such a loving and caring God? When God does it, he does it right! Inside the bag were four, count them four, pairs of boots!! She had a black pair, tan pair with fur, leather ankle boots, and a pair of tennis shoe boots with glitter. There they lay, like precious jewels to me, I picked them up, and just rejoiced! My children will always know that they serve a God that answers prayer, they have witnessed this countless times, but this time they had joined in the prayer, this time their prayer was answered!
     Now, I'm not finished yet, there's more to this wonderful blessing God sent us. I have a good wool black coat, yes, it's old (by years!) but it's one of those classics (shhh, don't pop my bubble), always in style.
We had prayed on Saturday for Hailey boots, on Sunday I was looking through the sale papers and found pea coats on sale. They sure were pretty, and a lovely price, and I mentioned in passing to the Rev. someday I would like to purchase one of them. (He was not with us when we prayed for the boots), quickly I went on to pricing boots. I did not pray for one, I did not even bother to ask for one. I simply mentioned in passing and went on. No, I didn't feel sorry for myself (this time) I just didn't need it, so I didn't really think on it. After sorting through the bag of clothes and shoes, I told mother how the Lord had answered the childrens and my prayer. She was thrilled, but not surprised, afterall, I'm talking with a seasoned prayer warrior here.
We oohed and ahhhed over the clothes, the boots, even a little hat for dressy days in the winter! We were getting ready to leave for church when Mom said, "Oh, I almost forgot, she found this coat for you" She went into the bedroom and came out with....

Isn't God good? Amen!

     What? You want me to finish? Nonsense. You know the ending. In her hands she held out a brand new (it looked it) peacoat, AND it just also happened to be my favorite color, green. Don't worry, it fits perfectly.
The Rev.s' eyes were shining, I'm certain mine were, with tears. The Rev. is such a good and kind man, how he desires to give us good things. How he rejoiced with me over God's provisions!
     How precious is our God? How loving and kind is he? Do you really have words to tell of his wondrous faithfulness? I don't. Praise God for His faithfulness. He is our provider!
     I want to encourage you, God cares about the BIG and the little. God cares about us. What things bother us, what things scare us, what things we love, what things we desire. God is good.
In the words of a precious friends little boy who had moved to the country from the city; looking out at the farmland covered with cattle he asked her: "Mom, God owns the cattle on a thousand hills? Yes, said his mom. Then we live next to God, don't we?!" Yes!
Someday's I say to myself, "Oh yea of little faith!" Then I can tell you I'm am ashamed.