All We Want For Christmas...

FAITH.

This is a topic that I think I may be trying to completely understand and learn about for the rest of my life.

I hear stories all the time of people that go to the Lord with complete unwavering faith, and ask for specific things.  And the Lord fulfills their request.  (The scriptures are full of such stories.)

The scriptures say, "Whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee."  St John 11:22

He also warns us that whatever we ask for should be right if we are to receive it:  "God... doth grant unto you whatsoever ye ask that is right, in faith, believing that ye shall receive."  Mosiah 4:21

I try to think through things pretty carefully before I pray for them.
I figure out what I believe to be the best outcome and then very specifically tell the Lord what I need/want/desire.
Then I turn it over to Him.
And I trust.

But frequently I realize that perhaps my faith isn't strong enough.
And certainly my understanding isn't vast enough.
Sometimes I feel I need to reevaluate my desires to make sure they are truly righteous.

And when my prayers aren't answered in the way or the timeline that I desire,
I try to understand more fully what the Lord has in mind for me.

But I still wish I knew how people can ask God for specific things and get exactly what they want.
I still try to understand exactly what the scriptures mean.
And I still try to figure out how my desires and requests can be directly in line with the Lord's so that I can go to Him in complete confidence and KNOW that He will answer my prayers perfectly.

This is a cycle that I've been in for as long as I can remember.
And I hope one day to have a greater understanding.

But in the meantime, and at the very least, I still have strong HOPE in FAITH.
Because let's face it, life would be pretty awful without HOPE!

Lately we have been praying for many things.
Our prayers aren't producing the specific results that we have asked for.
And certainly not in the way we were hoping.
Perhaps there is still a really big miracle around the corner:
But it's hard to maintain faith in something that seems so impossible.
(Please understand that I know everything will work out and we WILL have our kids home at some point,  I just can't help but wonder at times why the timeline is so different than we've been praying for.)

But I keep trying.

This morning I ran across a video.
And I was amazed at the faith of one little girl.
I was inspired by her story.
I related to her Christmas request.
Because I only want(ed) one thing for Christmas as well:

To have my orphans home.

And I wonder again:
Do miracles really happen?
Can I expect the Lord to answer our prayers even when things seem impossible?

And regardless of what anyone else tells me or believes,
In spite of what the outcome will ultimately be,
I must continue to answer:

YES!