He Hears Us: Two Small Prayers and a Very Big God

A Prayer for My Nephew

A couple of weeks ago, my sister-in-law texted me an update about my nephew.

He was only a couple of weeks old at the time. His little eye was swollen and irritated, and the second I looked at the picture she sent, my heart just broke. There is something about seeing a sick baby that completely bypasses everything else and goes straight to your core.

They cannot tell you what is wrong. They cannot tell you where it hurts. They cannot fix it themselves.

So, parked right there at my desk at work, I started praying for him. And when lunch rolled around, I kept right on praying.

I asked God to completely heal that little guy. But I also included a very specific request: “Lord, please don't let him be in pain and please don't let him be uncomfortable.”

I told God I knew He was fully capable. I mean, this is the God who has cured blindness, made the deaf hear, and given voices to the mute—things humans could never pull off. I knew without a shadow of a doubt that He could handle a baby's eye.

So I prayed. And then I handed him over to God.

Later that night, I texted my sister-in-law to ask how he was doing.

Her reply made my heart swell with gratitude: he had not shown a single sign of being uncomfortable. In fact, he had been smiling all day long!

Then she sent me a picture.

There he was—this tiny little baby flashing the sweetest, happiest grin you have ever seen. And right then, I just knew.

I knew God had heard my prayer.

Now, I cannot explain the medical breakdown of what was happening inside his little body. I do not know every single detail God was orchestrating behind the scenes. But here is what I deeply believe: God met my nephew right where he was, flooded him with peace, and answered the exact prayer I offered for him.

God's answers are not always loud. There is not always thunder and lightning. Sometimes it is just a baby grinning from ear to ear when you totally expected him to be miserable.

And that alone is enough to make you stop and say, “Thank You, Jesus.”

Then Came the Storm

That exact same evening, another prayer opportunity popped up—this time involving two of my own children.

A nasty storm was barreling right toward us. It was getting dark and the radar showed a massive, angry system heading straight for us. My daughter walked into my room to announce she was running out to grab some food, and my teenage son was tagging along for the ride.

My immediate maternal reaction was, “Are you kidding me? There's a massive storm about to hit!”

She just smiled and reminded me that she is a 22-year-old adult who knows how to handle a car.

So, I did what mothers do. I told them to be extra careful, and I looked at my son, telling him to be a second set of eyes for his sister. I told him to watch out for standing water, hidden puddles, cars slamming on their brakes, and all the other chaos that comes with driving through a storm.

Then out the door they went.

The second I heard that front door click shut behind them, my heart went straight into overdrive: “God, please protect them. Keep them safe. Let them get where they're going safely, and bring them back home safely.”

I did not know what that protection was going to look like. Was He going to give her extra-steady hands on the wheel? Station His angels around the car? Were they going to drive right through the thick of it, or miss it entirely?

I had no clue. I just knew I was asking my Father to take care of my kids. So I prayed, and then I rushed to take a quick shower before the weather hit us.

When I stepped back out into the room, my husband said, “You are not going to believe this. Look at the radar.”

I looked. And my jaw just dropped.

That giant, menacing storm that was marching straight toward us? It was totally breaking apart.

It did not just slide a little to the left. It did not turn around and head back out. The storm that was dominating the screen just moments ago was literally fizzling into nothingness.

I stood there thinking, “Lord, did You just do that?”

Look, I know weather patterns shift. I know storms can naturally lose steam, and science has plenty of explanations for what happens in the atmosphere. But I am also a woman who firmly believes in prayer. And I know what words had just left my mouth a few minutes prior.

I had asked God to keep my kids safe. And then I watched the storm heading right for them evaporate.

You can break down the meteorology for me all day long if you want—that is fine! But you will never talk me out of what that moment did to my heart. Because right then, it felt like God whispered, I heard you.

I Don't Want to Keep Quiet

When my kids finally walked back through the front door safe and sound, I was practically overwhelmed with awe.

I had just watched God pull off two direct answers to prayer—one for my nephew, one for my kids—and watched a whole storm vanish into thin air. There was no way I was keeping that to myself.

I shared the whole story with them right then and there. They just looked at me with a smile and said, “Okay, Mom.”

Honestly? I did not care! When you catch a glimpse of God's goodness, you just have to tell somebody.

The next morning at work, I told my coworker. I sent out joyful text messages to my family and closest friends. And now, a couple of weeks later, I am sitting here telling you.

Because let us be honest: we just do not testify enough.

We are so fast to run to God with our wish lists. We pray hard when we are hurting, scared, or totally stuck. And we should! That is what we are supposed to do.

But when He actually answers, we are terrible at turning back around to give Him the credit. We need to tell the story out loud. We need to say, “This right here? The Lord did this.”

He Cares About What Matters to Us

What blows my mind about those two moments is that neither prayer was some huge, earth-shattering thing. One was just a prayer for a baby to feel a little more comfortable. The other was a mother asking for her kids to get home in one piece.

They would not make the evening news. They were just the everyday, heartfelt requests of a woman who loves her family and wants God to watch over them.

And God clearly reminded me that He cares about the everyday stuff.

He cares about the little details because He cares about us. He does not look at our prayers like we are bothering Him. He never thinks our requests are too trivial. He does not roll His eyes or wave us away. In my mind's eye, I picture Him leaning in close, smiling because we came to Him with what the world calls small potatoes. He does not care if our problem is a giant mountain or a tiny pebble. What is that to Him? He is just thrilled we came to Him for help.

He actually invites us to do it:

"Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." — 1 Peter 5:7

Just let that sink in. He cares about you.

Not just humanity in general. He cares about you.

He cares about whatever is keeping you up at night. He cares about your family and friends, your messy situations, and the problem you have zero clue how to fix.

He cares. And He hears.

Don't Miss the Opportunity to Testify

Maybe you are reading this right now and thinking about a prayer you have been lifting up for weeks, months, or even years.

If that is you, please do not mistake God being quiet for God being absent.

His faithfulness is not graded on how fast He hits the fast-forward button on our problems. Sometimes His answer is a clear “yes.” Sometimes it is a patient “wait.” And sometimes it looks completely different than anything we drew up in our heads.

Look at Lazarus. Jesus knew he was sick long before he died, and He knew Lazarus was going to pass away. In His infinite wisdom, Jesus knew waiting would bring an even greater outcome. He was and still is tuned in the whole time. Trust His wisdom.

And when He finally answers—because He will—please do not keep it a secret.

Tell your husband. Tell your kids. Tell your friends, your small group, or whoever will listen. Write it down, share it with others, or post it online. Just give God the spotlight He deserves.

Your story might be the exact lifeline someone else needs to hear when they are wondering if God even turns an ear toward them anymore.

I do not want to get so busy chasing the next answer to prayer that I forget to celebrate what He has already done. I refuse to experience His goodness and then stay silent.

I want to testify. I want to remember. I want to give Him all the praise He deserves.

Because He is good. He is deeply loving. He is kind. He is fiercely faithful.

And He hears us.

Even when the prayer is a breathless whisper at your office desk. Even when you are white-knuckling the steering wheel down the highway. Even when you are frantically rushing through a quick shower before a storm hits. Even when the only words you can scrape together are, “Lord, please be with them.”

He hears.

And sometimes, if we are actually paying attention, He flashes a little smile just to show us how wonderfully close He really is.

So yes, I am still praising Him today for a smiling baby. I am still praising Him for answered prayers. I am still praising Him for looking out for my kids, for calming the storms, and for giving us peace while we wait.

And I am praising Him because He is the exact same, never-changing God He has always been.

He hears us. And when He steps in and does something only He can do, let us make sure we do not keep it to ourselves.

Let's testify.

And if you are drawing a blank on a recent blessing, or if it feels like your prayers are still stuck in the queue, you can always testify about what He did for you on that cross 2,000 years ago. There is always, always something incredible to share about what the Lord has done.