Why Would God Answer My Prayers? PRAYERS REWARDED By Ada Nicholson Brownell and #giveaway!!!

Today we welcome Ada Nicholson Brownell to my blog. Ada is very graciously giving away one ebook copy (or PDF) of her new book "What Prayer Can Do."  Please leave contact information.  

Ada, glad to have you stop by. 

What makes you feel God will answer your prayer? Who do you think you are?

These thoughts came recently as I prayed specifically for something I urgently needed. Immediately I was humbled. I knew I wasn’t worthy of the wonderful things God already had given me, let alone more. A great heaviness covered me.

Only a few days later I noticed the latter part of the verse of Scripture with which I was familiar. Formerly I’d always paid most attention to the first part: “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is …” But now the rest of the verse caught my attention: “…and that he is the rewarder of them that diligently seek him” (Hebrews 11:6).

Those words came alive to me that day. I realized when we pray, believing God for the answer, we are pleasing Him—not imposing on Him! To please God we must believe that He will reward all who diligently seek Him, and we do that when we pray in faith.

Because I am from a family that believes in prayer, I saw the rewards of diligent prayer early in life. We saw one relative after another surrender his life to God in answer to prayer.

We also saw physical healings. Years ago my mother had a growth come on her eye, and it rapidly increased in size. Two of my aunts, Marge Weekley and Dorothy Howard, fasted and prayed 3 days. At the end of the week the growth fell off.

My mom’s brother, Willie Shepherd, became blind after his one good eye hemorrhaged following cataract surgery. He went to one of the best eye doctors in Colorado and was told nothing could be done for him.

“You might try prayer,” his hometown doctor finally told Willie’s wife.

When we went to see Uncle Willie, he chatted with us awhile and in the course of the conversation he wanted to show us something someone had given him. He felt around on the table in front of him, then in exasperation cried, “I can’t see!”

We sent word to the family to pray. The progress seemed slow, but one day Uncle Willie called me on the phone. The doctor had just taken the bandages off and Willie was crying.

“I can see my coffee cup,” he choked out.

Only a few months later his vision was completely restored, and he got his driver’s license back.

Prayer has brought me through many crises. My sister Erma Sparks found her daughter Pam had numerous lumps under her arms. Doctors said the lumps could indicate any one of several diseases, most of them fatal.

But God answered prayer, and no serious trouble developed.

My sister, Joan, had a large mole removed from her body which was identified as being a smalignancy of the worst kind, melanoma. Surgeons expected the cancer to spread and take her life. God rewarded diligent prayer.

Does God always answer prayer the way we expect? No. We lost a daughter to cancer and the opening chapter in my book, What Prayer Can Do, addresses seemingly unanswered prayer before it goes into the amazing results of prayer such as a blind man instantly healed and numerous miracles, including lives changed for the better in a moment with God, plus much encouragement.

WHAT PRAYER CAN DO

A Collection of true stories by Ada Brownell Published by The Pentecostal Evangel

By Ada Brownell

Ennis L. Surratt clutched the cool metal handle of his .45 pistol. Through the weeds he could see three men coming. He knew they would come near where he crouched because they would be coming after the barrel of whiskey that had disappeared from his still the night before.

When the men were only a few feet from the barrel, Ennis stepped out in front of the man who seemed to lead the way.

“You’re not taking this barrel,” Ennis growled, keeping his right hand next to the gun. “You stole it last night, and we’re going to settle it right here.”

He drew his gun and aimed it at the thief.

“Shoot!” the thief yelled as he whirled with his double-barreled shotgun.

 An explosive charge sounded from the shotgun and Ennis fell to the ground. Pain surged through his neck and chest, and hot blood trickled from the wounds, but Ennis raised up on one knee and fired the pistol.

With a cry of anguish, the thief dropped the shotgun and fell into the weeds.

Ennis fell back again, and both men cursed and writhed with pain until they were taken to town for treatment. Ennis was filled with buckshot but not hurt seriously. The other fellow, however, was in serious condition.

Events like this were why the bootlegger became known as “the meanest man in town” and that caught the attention of two lady evangelists holding a tent revival there. The women decided if the meanest man in town would be changed by the power of God, there would be revival.

God reached down one night and struck Ennis upside the head like He did the Apostle Paul. Ennis changed so much he became a fiery gospel preacher that won not only many others to God, but his own children, who became ministers as well. One of his sons pastored the author’s church several years.

Read the story of Ennis Surratt and many other testimonies and truthsin What Prayer Can Do, on sale now at http://ow.ly/9CEI30h4IdL

MEET ADA BROWNELL

Ada Brownell blogs and writes with Stick-to-Your-Soul Encouragement. She is the author of eight books, more than 350 stories and articles in Christian publications, and she spent a large chunk of her life as a journalist, mostly for The Pueblo Chieftain in Colorado. She and her husband L.C., have five children, one of them in heaven, eight wonderful grandchildren.and two great-grandchildren.

Her book, The Lady Fugitive, was one of three finalists in the 2015 Laurel Award.

Ada Brownell author Page: https://www.amazon.com/author/adabrownell

Her blog: http://www.inkfromanearthenvessel.blogspot.com

Barnesandnoble.com Ada Brownell author page http://ow.ly/PUWHO