Unexpected answers to prayer

I'm currently reading a book called "Surprising Ways God Answers Prayer" written by Karen Barber, which I bought from Capstone bookstore for RM 21.90 just a few hours ago. It is an unusual, yet inspirational books on prayer; unusual in the sense that this book does not focuses on the components of prayer (worship, meditation, fasting etc.) or on how to pray, but as the writer says, it's about,

"how to go about perceiving and receiving, about how to live our lives with wide-eyed wonder."

This book enlisted and elaborated the real-life examples of how God answered prayers in the least expected ways. I have to admit, I kept on shedding tears as I read through these stories and relate these to my own personal experiences. I'm now at Chapter 3 of the book - Surprised by Presence, and stopped at this story about an 82-year old disabled lady whom at one incident, almost got raped by an intruder, in her own tin-roofed, dilapidated (I imagine so) house, located around church carparks. Being physically impaired, she is physically no match for this intruder twice her weight, and he could have had her. But God has been there all along, watching and safeguarding her, and she was spared from this danger. Not only that, that fellow carried her to her wheelchair just to get her locked her door after he's out of the house! What do you make of that? This incident shows that God answers her daily prayer, which goes like this..

"Lord, go before me like a leading lamb, and behind me like a protecting angel."

While I pondered upon this story, I was suddenly reminded about what I've experienced in Seoul, backpacking on my own. To be completely honest, I'm still feeling just the way when I first bought the airticket to Seoul. I can't believe what I did and have done. Most of the time when people found out that I backpacked alone to Korea, I get the same response - crazy, daring, disbelief etc (all fall in the same category of lunacy). Who would have thought a young female, travelled alone in a country where she can't even read, speak and understand the language?

But let me tell you something - this has already been in God's planning for so long! How, you may say? Previously, I was so engrossed into the routine of life, that I began to doubt if God is even cared or bothered on how I've been. I'm involved in church activities and ministries, but there's this emptiness which cannot be filled by all the physical efforts, which to my carnal mind, would please God. So I prayed one night while I was looking through flight promotions to South Korea - "Lord, if you want me to do this, please get me a return ticket KK-Seoul with a price less than RM2k".

Guess what happened? The next day, I had a look on the MAS website, KK-Seoul = RM1.8k! The day before, it was RM6k at the cheapest! I didn't think twice, I bought the ticket on that day.

It took me months to tell my mom that I'll be going to Korea alone. But I prayed for the right timing for me to break the news to my mom. The time did come: it was during a small prayer meeting. My prayer request was that God foresees my needs and preparation for the trip. She does look surprised, but didn't freak out like I thought she would usually do.

The days before leaving hit me the hardest; I had problems in the Church Youth Conference, I was overloaded with deadlines at work, and my physical and mental health deteriorated. On the day of my departure, I barely touched my dinner. I was hungry, but was in no mood to eat. But after weeks of lost of appetite, God restored my strength and my appetite in Seoul. But the greatest miracles I've experienced was that I began to completely dependent of God when I make decision, crucial ones in fact. He used my heart to communicate, and I started to be spiritually aware of His direction in all decisions I make. Once, I was suddenly stopped just as I was about to enter the subway train and heard, "look at the sign". And when I did, I quickly realized I wasn't going to where I'm supposed to be heading.

Another incident was when I lost my way to Yonggi Cho's church to catch a bus to the Prayer Mountain, I was dropped at the some unknown territory, but I knew I was too far away from the church. I was walking through this alley, and prayed, "Lord, send me a taxi". Just as I said so, a taxi just passed me and I quickly waved and got in. The problem was far from solved - I was giving directions, but he was getting it differently (due to the language barrier and my horrible knowledge of Seoul area). But I prayed incessantly, and by the time I reached the bus stop and entered the bus, the bus door closed behind me and start moving. It's as if the bus is waiting for me to arrive! Oh, and that day, the bus was hold up a little bit longer than expected, just in time for me to make it to the bus!

Let me conclude this post with another eye-opening experience in Seoul. There was this one night (I remembered it was around midnight), where I was on my way to my hostel. Going from the main road to my hostel, I had to pass a dim-litted and secluded alley. That night, I noticed one Asian man (most probably a Korean) standing just at the corner of the road. He looked at me in a strange and dodgy way, and a few minutes after, this would-be stalker was walking behind me. I gripped my umbrella just in case something bad happens, but at the same time, I was praying to God for safety. Just after I uttered the prayer, guess what happened? Out of nowhere, a police patrol car drove slowly along the road I was walking, and that fellow just stopped where he was. Seeing that, I quickly walked as fast as I can towards the hostel, thanking God as I made my journey.

My experience in Korea has been the most uplifting one in 2007, because I was 100%, fully depended on God's timely and right answers in all decision and circumstances. Back from Korea, God is showing me through these experiences, that not only He is in control in that short 8-day trip, He's also in control of my present life and my future, despite how vague and monotonous daily life can be. All I have to do is just to trust Him.