I heard about someone who kept a journal filled with prayers made to God. Initially, it was meant to be just a regular journal, I suppose; one that marked life’s trivial and mundane acts with a surprise here and there. But, what the person discovered is that when he flipped through the pages of his written memories, he saw how God had been in communication with him. Every worry, regret, heartache, triumph, need, and desire had been answered. This is not to state that God’s responsiveness was always in the affirmation; sometimes God said, “no.” However, there were other instances when God said, “wait.” 

My journal keeping skills have retreated, finding a comfortable place in the realm of potential. However, I often reflect on where I am in life as a person, in relationship to my family and friends, and with respect to my career. During these ruminations, the gospel song “How I Got Over,” plays sweetly through – my soundtrack. The verse, “How I made it over/Going on over all these years/You know my soul looks back and wonder/How did I make it over?”, is my refrain. It is a rhetorical questioning; both the writer and singer know the answer. Still, the wonder, the awe, of God’s miraculous works when enduring hardship and then prevailing evokes reverence. 

God has answered a prayer that I and a community of affirming voices have prayed since 2012. I was not ever certain that the answer would be what I wanted. In actuality, there were numerous hindrances that made the hope for a favorable outcome ridiculous. Nonetheless, the prayer has been answered. God has said, “yeah.”