Part of any traditional Christmas service is the lighting of the final advent candle. A family came forward to tell their story of hope, faith, and the light (Jesus) during their dark times. She mentioned something about a rose... a prayer... God not answering her prayers... and not sending the rose back. I was completely taken by her story, but I didn't understand her references to "the rose." But at the conclusion of her story, she tells how God HAD answered her prayer by putting her son in jail, because that was the only way he would be off drugs.
So, the rose thing. There is a huge wreath that has lots of little roses. Every Christmas, Pastor Dan says a prayer to heal whatever hurts we may have - whether physical or emotional. And he prays. It was powerful. Then we take these little roses that are passed around in a basket. In one year, if our prayer has been answered, we send the rose back with our prayer and how God answered it. He adds it to the wreath. Cancer in remission, pets healed (no prayer too small!!), physical ailments healed, depression lifted immediately, miracles. Just a few of what those roses already on the wreath represented.
This family's story was a sad story on the outside, but a beautiful story of faith. A story of heartbreak about a mother's love for her son where drugs had completely taken over his life. Her and her husband were raising their grandchildren and describing the things they (the children) had seen. The year prior, at the Christmas service, her prayer was for her son to be off drugs. When it came time to return the rose to Pastor Dan, with a note telling how God had answered her prayers, she didn't want to return it. Because that year, her son had been put in jail; to her, God did not answer her prayer. However, when the deadline came to return the rose, she felt God in her heart. "Why didn't you return the rose?" "Because, you didn't answer my prayer." "In My time." In God's time... she knew then and there that God HAD answered her prayer. Her son was in jail, but he was off drugs. God may not answer our prayers in the way we expect, the way we think is right, but He listens, and He will answer prayers.
The children, whose father was in jail, read my favorite verse. Jeremiah 29:11 - "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." I was truly amazed at the pain this family had experienced and the amount of hope, faith, and love they had. I know God is real. I have a million things that have happened in my life, that I know he has had his hand in. I know it in my heart, I feel it. And you cannot argue with me that it's not real. He is the light in the darkness. He has been the light in my darkness.
I know my prayer. It's a big one. And I have ENORMOUS faith that in one year, I'll be able to send my rose back.
