THE PATIENCE OF PRAYER THAT BELIEVES

LORD... HOW BLESSED I'VE BEEN TO BE UNDER THE ANOINTING OF MY GRANDMOTHER'S ANSWERED PRAYERS...

I CAN REMEMBER WHEN I WAS A VERY YOUNG GIRL...KNEELING BESIDE HER AS SHE CRIED OUT TO YOU FOR THE SAVING OF HER FAMILY...HER CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN...

I WANTED TO TALK TO YOU LORD, JUST LIKE SHE TALKED TO YOU...SHE WAS SO MUCH IN LOVE WITH YOU...AND AT THAT TIME LOVE WAS NOT SOMETHING THAT I KNEW OF...EXCEPT IN GRANDMA...(ALTHOUGH NOW I KNOW THAT I WAS LOVED AS MUCH AS HEARTS COULD LOVE ME...)

IN THE MORNING...I ALWAYS FELT BAD, BECAUSE I COULDN'T STAY AWAKE ON MY KNEES LIKE GRANDMA....SHE'D STILL BE THERE AS THE MORNING SUN SENT IT'S FIRST SUNBEAM THROUGH THE CLOSED CURTAIN, AND LANDED ON HER HEAD AS IF ANOINTED WITH WITH YOUR LIGHT OF LOVING APPROVAL...

WHEN WE WOULD GO TO REVIVAL...SHE'D BE ON HER KNEES, WHEN OTHERS WOULD BE CAUGHT UP IN THE SINGING AND SHOUTING...I SAW HER RAISE HER HANDS IN PRAYER DURING A SERVICE, WITH TEARS ROLLING DOWN HER CHEEKS, OBLIVIOUS TO WHAT WAS GOING ON IN THE SERVICE...I WISH I COULD SAY I INHERITED GRANDMA'S INTERCEDING HEART... I'VE COVETED IT ALL OF MY LIFE...TO NO AVAIL....

BUT YOUR TIMING IS ALWAYS PERFECT, LORD GOD...AND WHAT I MEAN BY THAT IS...YOU'RE NOT 5 FOOT TALL...UNTIL YOU'RE 5 FOOT TALL...I HAD TO GROW IN UNDERSTANDING...I HAD TO MEET YOU LORD, AND FALL IN LOVE...I HAD TO COME TO KNOW YOUR HEART TOWARD THE LOST AND TOWARD THE BRETHREN...AND THAT CAN ONLY BE KNOWN BY BOWING THE KNEE...

THE MORE I SPEND TIME WITH YOU...THE MORE YOUR FELLOWSHIP FILLS THE VERY MOMENTS OF THE DAY...ONE PRAYER MOMENT TO THE NEXT...PRAYER WITHOUT CEASING..YOU WALK WITH ME, AND TALK WITH ME...MY EVERY THOUGHT IS ON YOU...AS I FIX MY EYES ON YOU...

MY EARS BECOME TUNED TO HEAR YOUR VOICE,AND ONLY YOUR VOICE...IT IS THE SOUND OF A DOVE...IT IS THE SOUND OF A LION...IT IS THE SOUND OF A TRUMPET...IT IS THE SOUND OF A SHEPHERD...IT IS THE SOUND OF A GROOM...IT IS THE SOUND OF A LOVING FATHER...

THIS IS WHAT I HAVE COME TO KNOW OVER MANY YEARS...SOMETIMES THERE'S BEEN DOUBTS ABOUT WHETHER IT WAS REALLY YOU OR NOT...SOMETIMES THERE WERE PERIODS WHEN YOU WOULDN'T SPEAK AT ALL...AND ALL I HAD WAS YOUR WORD OF PROMISE...AND THE FAITH TO WAIT FOR YOU TO COME FIND YOUR 100TH OUT OF THE NINETY-NINE LOST SHEEP...ACTUALLY YOU NEVER REALLY LEFT MY SIDE...AND NEITHER HAVE GRANDMA'S PRAYERS...

I'VE SEEN HER PRAYERS ANSWERED BY YOU, LONG AFTER SHE YOU CALLED HER HOME...I PRAISE YOU LORD, THAT GRANDMA'S PRAYERS ARE STILL BEING ANSWERED...EVEN BEYOND THE GRAVE...FOR YOU HAVE PROMISED...AND YOU WILL TAKE ALL OF ETERNITY IF THAT'S WHAT'S NEEDED...