As I write, I am looking out the window at our vegetable garden. The bean plants are producing a pretty good crop this year, and so far we have one yellow squash and 3 cherry tomatoes. The basil is limping along after a late planting and an insect attack. Last year at this time, the basil was a small bush, and we ate bruschetta every other day. I love eating the fruit of our garden, but half the fun is watching the growth process. Really, it amazes me that you can amend the soil, plant a seed, water it and weed the garden, and a plant grows that produces food. Â I know that there is a science to explain it, but in the end, there is a miraculous element of Life in that seed that no human can create.
Our prayers are in some ways like seeds. We plant them in the soil of faith that is amended with persistence, water them with the promises of Scripture (and sometimes our tears), weed out doubt and fear, and in some miraculous way, Life grows out of our prayers. The same Creator who grows the plants grows our prayers in the form of changed lives.
Some seeds sprout quickly, like carrots. The same is true in prayer. Recently my daughter came home from school and asked me to pray with her for her friend. The friend’s parents were fighting a lot and considering divorce. My daughter told her friend that she would pray for her parents. We prayed specifically for their marriage, their communication, and reconciliation. About three weeks later, the friend came to school, excited to tell my daughter that her parents weren’t fighting anymore. She also thanked my daughter for praying. We thank God that He cares deeply about marriages and families.
Other seeds take longer to germinate. Several years ago some friends of ours went to southwest Asia to be missionaries. Their job was to help local farmers develop farming methods to improve their crop yield. They gave us a bookmark to help us remember to pray for their work and the ethnic people group they were serving. I took the commitment to pray seriously and prayed sometimes regularly, other times sporadically. I prayed lots of things, but especially that this people group would know the love of Christ.
Fast forward 3 years to when my husband had the opportunity to go on a mission trip to Asia. He visited 3 countries and met several pastors, one of whom had an orphanage and Bible training school. Soon after my husband’s trip, that pastor’s son came to the U.S. to visit and came with his wife to our home for dinner. As we were sitting around the table getting to know each other, our guest began to explain to us the scope of their work, not only in his country, but in several neighboring countries. He kept talking about his “people”, referring to his ethnic people group. Suddenly a light bulb turned on in my head as I realized the name of his people sounded a lot like the group I had been praying for. I ran to my bedroom and came back with the bookmark our missionary friends had given me. When I showed him the bookmark, our guest got very animated in his broken English as he exclaimed, “This is my people!!”
Coincidence? I don’t think so. Our guest was encouraged to know that God had stirred someone half the world away to pray for his family in their remote, often violent place to live. And I still get a lump in my throat and tears well up in my eyes to think that God would bring into my home living, tangible proof that He was hearing and answering my prayers. In a way, those were “blindfold” prayers—I couldn’t see what I was doing because I was praying for people I didn’t know. But the seeds had germinated and were sprouting and were producing Life in ways that I hadn’t even imagined.
Some of the prayer seeds I’ve planted are still in the ground, not yet sprouting.  I can’t see what the outcome will be, and it feels like I’ve been waiting a long time. Some of the things I’m asking for seem like impossibilities, and I have to choose to hope. In some cases, I’m not even sure how to pray. The challenge for me is to keep praying and keep trusting. The same God who heard my other prayers will also breathe His Life into these prayers and produce fruit in ways that I can’t even imagine. I can trust Him to answer my prayers because I know that He is good, and He is faithful to keep His promises.
I haven’t given up on the basil yet either. I think I’ll go water it now. And if those tomatoes will hurry up and ripen, we can have more bruschetta.
Pam’s Bruschetta
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp fresh minced garlic (or more if you like garlic as much as I do!)
Cherry tomatoes, halved (or small campari tomatoes, quartered), as many as you want!
Handful of fresh basil, cut into thin strips
Favorite bread, sliced (I like to use multi-grain artisan type breads, but a plain baguette
will work also.)
Mix olive oil and garlic in a small oven-safe dish. Place sliced bread on a cookie sheet and then brush one side with olive oil mixture. Bake bread until crispy (about 8 minutes) at 400 degrees. Add tomatoes to olive oil and heat in oven 7-8 minutes, just until hot. Add basil to tomatoes, stir in, and heat in oven another 2 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool for a few minutes. Serve by spooning tomatoes onto bread. Enjoy!
Oh Pam, this was so good! And I can't wait to try the recipe! I've never looked at prayer like that before. I really love it!
This is THE coolest blog!! I am completely impressed and it makes me want to try the recipe too. xoxo
Prayer is an area that the Lord has been growing in me during the last year. Even though I have been a believer for 35 years! I really enjoyed your post and found it encouraging and a great reminder of the power of prayer and how personal it is. I am an herb growing loving girl too! I got my fresh basil and a handful of others out front in pots. My tomato plan has yielded one cherry tomato!
LOVE the "seed" article, my friend. 8-). I know you are faithful in prayer. I will never forget the time you dropped everything and came over to pray over me for healing. Thank you for all your prayers for me since then. Isn't it a wonderful feeling when we have been praying fervently for something and then God delivers? I find myself, almost ashamed of my amazement when this happens. WHY are we so amazed at God's faithful answers? Because he IS a faithful God who gives us more than we could ever ask or imagine and continues to blow me away with his love! Thank you for this incredible article.
This was so uplifting to me-God has been working in my heart and with my prayers the last few years. These last few days, I've been in the hospital with my son, Austyn, and am seeing the power of prayer as he recovers from surgery-So thankful for the power of healing through prayer. Thanks for posting this-and I have fresh basil and tomatoes at home-welll try the bruschetta soon! God bless! Nadelle
I love this analogy, Pam. So good, and a great reminder to wait for God's perfect answer in His perfect timing.
Pam…. I just love ur blog. I have been praying for a few things which are heavy on my heart for years now….. maybe not very consistently……. and I have not seen any change and of late I have given up in my heart. But thanks again for the reminder…. The Lord will hear and answer….
Thank you for praying for me thru my infertility…… even when I didn't even know you were praying. That's the reason you were so excited when I told you I was pregnant. What I love about you is that you never make a "show" of prayer. It's just who you are and I love love love you.
absolutely encouraging Pam!!!
Pam, I loved how you tied the garden to your prayer life and then left us with a yummy reminder and inspiration to press into prayer!
Thanks, Laura. I also see the fruit of your prayers for me.
Thanks, Natasha! Sweet Shiloh really is an answer to prayer! God is faithful.
Pam,
Thank you for the encouragement! "Life grows out of our prayers." Love this! This was such a good blog that now I'm hungry!!:)
Thank you for the recipe too! It's a keeper!:)
Love ya,
Maree
Beautiful!
And don't forget the part about when your own basil isn't growing, you most certainly have a friend around the corner who has sooo much she can spare some!! I love that when my prayer life is overwhelmed or dry, I can come to you and "borrow" some-knowing that some day I can pay it back! i love your recipe–maybe tonight!! love you~m
Pam, You reminded me of how truly empowered we are to move mountains
(on God's terms and timing)! Jesus taught us to pray because it is our direct line to the Father…and your blog made me think about all of the missed opportunities & people i've grown tired of praying for. Thank you for the encouraging reminder!
One and a half years ago I saw one of my biggest and longest prayers answered! My Sister Gina gave her life to Jesus after 25 years of drug addiction and stuff I can't even say. I truly believe that God is bringing a harvest time to the prayers for my sisters, even after a quarter of a century of praying them. I'm just glad my home-grown tomatoes have a faster turn around
Pam,
I love bruchetta … got to make this! I have to admit I don't have a green thumb but I do have a praying heart and had tears knowing what God has placed in my heart to pray is producing what is on His heart in His timing! I love your heart heart for prayer and connecting people to it … this article has completely captured you and I love that!
Great Love!
~Ris
Pam, I love this! First, a great reminder to keep pressing in through prayer and not lose heart when we don't immediately see fruit! Second, I love bruschetta! I'm afraid I would completely ruin your recipe though so maybe I'll ask someone else to make it for me!!
Thanks Pam! I needed this article to remind me to look at the fruit all around me. Sometimes I even forget that I prayed for the things I see happening all around me. So much of this year has been a harvest of prayers and I am humbled by the fact that God would include me in the process. Then I am drawm back to my knees to see what else He wants to accomplish.
Thanks for the refresher!!