TYL

I own a lot of Bibles... each seems to have their own story. I have one that my parents gave me as a teenager, another that I used faithfully in college, one I received from my dear friends in Florida before I moved back to NJ last year and one of my mom's Bible, to name a few.

The other day I grabbed my mom's Bible as I went to church. It had been a while since I used this particular Bible, and when we were turning to the scripture for that day, a piece of paper fell out. It was a prayer list I had created back in June of 2006. There were several items that were scribbled on there... a wide range of needs. Many urgent pleas, many longterm desires and general requests for healing, wisdom and provision. What I loved the most about this list was that several of the items had been crossed off with a "TYL" written above it. "TYL" was my abbreviation for "Thank You Lord".

As you can imagine, there were needs both great and small on that list. My friend and her husband wanted desperately to be parents, but were having issues getting pregnant at that time. Of course it seemed like other couples would just look at each other and they would be pregnant which made it that more difficult for our friends. We prayed and interceded for them for a long time. They are now the proud parents of a baby girl who is almost a year old. I took out my pen and happily crossed it off that list on Sunday and added a "TYL" next to it.

There were prayers for marriages in crisis... many of which have been healed and a few that were not. The list had needs for jobs for family members, child-rearing issues and salvation for loved ones. After examining this long-lost list, one thing became clear. God does answer prayers and there is nothing like going back to a list just like this to see his hand throughout time. He may not answer your prayer tomorrow or in the way you would like him too, but he is going to give you an answer. Yes, No, or Wait.

I think I'll keep making these lists and stick it in my Bible as a constant reminder of God's faithfulness through the years. Sometimes when you are going through a rough spot, it is helpful to see how God has helped you in the past. I hope you can put many TYLs next to your prayer needs.