God answers prayers

And they turned themselves from there, and they went toward Sodom. Yet in truth, Abraham still stood in the sight of the Lord. And as they drew near, he said: “Will you destroy the just with the impious? If there were fifty of the just in the city, will they perish with the rest? And will you not spare that place for the sake of fifty of the just, if they were in it? Far be it from you to do this thing, and to kill the just with the impious, and for the just to be treated like the impious. No, this is not like you. You judge all the earth; you would never make such a judgment.” And the Lord said to him, “If I find in Sodom fifty of the just in the midst of the city, I will release the entire place because of them.” And Abraham responded by saying: “Since now I have begun, I will speak to my Lord, though I am dust and ashes. What if there were five less than fifty of the just? Would you, despite the forty-five, eliminate the entire city?” And he said, “I will not eliminate it, if I find forty-five there.” And again he said to him, “But if forty were found there, what would you do?” He said, “I will not strike, for the sake of the forty.” “I ask you,” he said, “not to be angry, Lord, if I speak. What if thirty were found there?” He responded, “I will not act, if I find thirty there.” “Since now I have begun,” he said, “I will speak to my Lord. What if twenty were found there?” He said, “I will not put to death, for the sake of the twenty.” “I beg you,” he said, “not to be angry, Lord, if I speak yet once more. What if ten were found there?” And he said, “I will not destroy it for the sake of the ten.” And the Lord departed, after he had ceased speaking to Abraham, who then returned to his place. Genesis 18:22-33

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Have you ever found yourself asking God for what seem like pie in the sky outcomes or bargaining with Him, as Abraham did in the above passage from Genesis? I have and here's my story:

Through the past 7 months, I have felt like Abraham who bargained with God over Sodom and Gomorrah, but in reverse. I started with, "Lord, if You want me to teach piano for a living, I need You to send me 10 students right away." He sent 11 within two weeks. Then, I said, "Thank you, Lord...but I think I need 10 more." Soon, I had 10 more! These came, in part, from a teacher who moved to Denver and referred some of her students to me. Then, having been holding at 33 students for quite a while, I said, "Lord, to really make a go of it, I really think I need at least 50 students by the start of the school year." I had hardly prayed this when I got a call from a woman named Melissa here in the city where I live who was moving to Haiti with her husband to be a missionary and she needed to refer her 40 students to teachers here. One of her students' mothers called, inquiring about my teaching, saying she wished I'd do what Melissa had done and teach at the Catholic school here. She taught piano lessons every school day morning from 7:30 to 9:30. When I asked Melissa how many she had taught this past year there, she told me 17. 17 plus 33 equals God's gracious generosity!

There is one thing that strikes me about this story. Piano teachers generally teach in their homes for years and years and years...until they reach a ripe old age and then they keel over and die, having taught one final lesson. (I may be stretching the truth a tad here but it's pretty close to the truth!) I've never heard of piano teachers relocating to far away places. How is it, then, that I inherited two teachers' students because they were moving out of town? I can only answer one way: this is an awesome manifestation of God's generosity and the unfathomable ways He answers prayers.

I've learned in a big way that God does indeed answer prayers...even the ones that seem to be out of reach to me. All I can say is we certainly are loved by a gracious and generous God!Oh, yes...one last thing. I now have almost 60 students!