Don't pray, people may be watching. (And I added two sentences at the end because forgetting to put in your conclusion doesn't work!)

I'm a bit cranky today.  First let me tell you a couple of stories…

When Moses was leading the Hebrew people out of Egypt the enemy was almost upon them when they hit a dead end, the Red Sea.  Israel cried out for God to show this power and so something.  God didn't respond in an instant.  The people had to wait until all hope in their ability to deliver themselves was gone. All man-made plans have to be exhausted.  It was only in that darkest hour did God respond.  Otherwise the people would not have realized it was God.  They would have figured their saving was their own doing.    

My second story is something I wrote about in the blog about 9 months ago.  Grandchild 11 was born and after about 10 minutes took a terrible turn for the worse.  She was transferred out of the military hospital and into a hospital that specializes in babies.  They didn't know if she would live long enough to make it to the hospital.  She did make it to the other hospital and once the transfer was complete and she was taken to the Neonatal ICU (NicU) the doctors hooked her up to a lung machine and stuck her with lots of IVs.  After they got done with that the doctors brought Army daughter and son-in-law in to see her.  They tried to explain what was wrong and what they were doing.  Then the doctors told them to pray.  They said that they can only do so much for the newborn but that God could do everything.  Just go pray.  And they did.  Probably their first real heartfelt prayers in their entire lives.  They did so ONLY because the doctors told them to but at least they prayed.  Army daughter and son-in-law were amazed that the doctors told them that they could only do what they are trained in and that it's all in God's hands anyway.  After 2 months in the NicU the baby was able to go home.  She has been a very difficult baby but is now pretty much a normal 9 month old.  Army daughter got off of active duty and she and son-in-law moved home.  And I've enjoyed every minute of it (except when I'm complaining about stupid stuff that they do). 

God will be there for us, although none of us can predict the plan he has for us as individuals.  The power of prayer works.  Often we only see that God is there when we are at our lowest and God answers.  We forget about all the day to day involvement that God has.

Ok, so why am I crabby today?  Yesterday boy got into trouble…he's getting into stuff that he should get into (not really bad stuff) but then lying about it when he's asked.  It's the lying part that got him in trouble much more than getting into Army daughter's shower gel.  Anyway, this morning Army daughter and I were discussing his having put money into the justice jar (charity – as it's often called, but I don't like that term), Army daughter told me something that happened earlier in the week.  She assumed that the kids had already told me about this incident.  They hadn't.

At one point, I don't even know which day, she and son-in-law had the boy and girl with them and they went to Taco Bell.  No wonder the kids didn't say anything.  I always tell them that we don't go out to eat instead of coming home to eat.  It's a waste of money and the food is not nearly as good.  Army daughter and son-in-law love going out to eat so to Taco Bell they went.  (Where was I that I didn't know this?)  Back to my crabbiness…

Around here we always say a blessing to thank God for our food.  It doesn't matter if it's a piece of candy or a full meal.  You should thank God after you eat too.  It's really easy to say a prayer of thanks when you are hungry…try putting out the effort when you are full.  Gosh, I'm really digressing today.  The grandkids were at Taco Bell, their uncle just brought them their food, so they start singing their blessing.  Army daughter was embarrassed that they would actually pray in public.  She told them that in today's society people react strangely and praying in public could put them at risk.  WHAT????  So they stopped their prayer.  I'm sure they said it to themselves but what a STUPID thing to tell the children. 

After she spent hours and days in prayer to have God save the live of her daughter she doesn't want anyone to know that these kids want to thank a higher source than the Taco Bell worker and their uncle for their food?  After all, they were required to say thank you to them! 

I am not a happy grandparent today.  Army daughter and son-in-law didn't want to hear my complaints.  They went to the gym.  All right no more crabbiness, thanks for letting me blow off steam.  Thinking about it I am blessed.  Their beautiful daughter that God saved the life of is sleeping soundly in the other room.  Boy is in the back yard picking plums up off the ground and giving them to the chickens.  Girl is hanging out at her cousin's house this weekend.  Another grandson is helping boy with the yard work.  I am sitting at a computer with electricity and am about to get off my rear and put in the whole house fan.  Then maybe I'll get back to the solar oven. 

So why do I prepare for the future when I know that God will be there when I am at my lowest?   After all, he told Noah to build an Ark.  He told Moses to take his people out of the land of Egypt and into the unknown.  It got put into my head to prepare.  So I do.  But before you get your "stuff" ready try to know God, not just believe in God.  That's the first part of being prepared.