Have you ever prayed so hard...

for something, that you actually carried it into your dreams?
As the morning time moves on today, I feel I need to type this out so I don't loose the memory of this.
Our oldest son, Cory got an Ipod for his birthday and he misplaced it sometime early September. We looked everywhere. No luck. We told him to pray about it, and to back track his last time he remembered having it. (prayer for Cory to learn responsibility) Exasperated over his lack of concern here lately, I told him he wouldn't be given anything else of value until he located and kept track of his Ipod. To elaborate on his lack of concern here..I have asked him if he has looked for it, he says he has, but his idea of looking for something and mine are totally different. We have actually witnessed him looking for something and it was within sight. Sigh.
Sweetie and I even gave him the responsibility lecture. So, last night before bed,we prayed about it. I had looked all over and he had looked all over. The boys and I have prayed about everything. If there is one thing I want them to remember about me is that they had a praying mother. We have prayed our way out of traffic, we have prayed our way out of a snowy embankment, we have prayed over bullies, tests, and some little critters to live.
Realizing I had a teachable moment, I went to the Bible story about Jesus looking for the lost lamb.The one out of the fold that has wandered off. (Proof that even Jesus doesn't like for things to be out of place). Cory said he really liked that, as he never thought of it that way. Then he prayed aloud for God to help us find his Ipod, and for me to let him play with a friend this weekend.
Let me backtrack.. yesterday was mentally exhausting. I'm currently helping a company take the next step up in their business. We are re-working all brochures, pamphlets, website, you get it, right? Okay. So with all these details rolling around in my head, I drove home from work exhausted. (praying for God to help Sweetie get Brian to practice on time, did he remember to take the ball? And for God to help me not screw up and remember details)
Cory was home working on his homework, Sweetie had picked up Brian from tutoring and went straight to soccer practice. I had 20ish minutes to get something together for dinner. Quick prayer to God to help me come up with an idea. Got in the door, to Cory wanting to go hang out with a friend, well it is almost dark outside and knowing I would have dinner ready soon, I denied that request. (Again, inside head prayer to God to help Cory adjust his attitude)Then he wants to know if I got him signed up for a retreat the middle school youth group is taking. No, I didn't get him signed up. Then explained how he had plenty to do this weekend at home. A disappointed pre-teen rattled dishes as he got them set out for supper. (another prayer sent up to heaven)
Soon, Sweetie and a hot and sweaty Brian come in. Supper is ready.. homework took a little over 2 hours..its 930 p.m. and I am even more physically exhausted than before. (sweetie couldn't help with homework as he is currently in school also and had a online chat he was participating in).
Then I find out as I get the boys together for bed that there was a mass shooting at Ft. Hood. Sigh. Time to get my prayer on. I was able to get a few words out to God, with the best intentions before the boys started straying from the task at hand. SIGH. Getting boys to go to bed when they aren't tired, but the clock says they should be is difficult. Now, I'm pleading in my head prayer with the Lord to help me be nice as I'm putting them to bed. Seems the more tired I am the more each son wants to chat it up with me before going to bed. Although usually this time is the most precious time I get with them all day.
Then onto Brian. Brian is 10. He is still thinking about soccer practice and how tired he is, but he wants to stay up a little longer. "Let's talk about Lithuania" he suggests. Little booger knows I am never too tired to talk missions.
(This comes from us getting to spend some time with a pastor from there earlier this week.)
He wants to know what it takes to be a missionary and if you have to pass all your spelling tests to accomplish this goal. (okay so he got me there). We chat a little about that. Then I just listened to him talk, all the while praying to God in my head that these seeds planted in his mind become fruitful in some way or another in his life. We talk about the great commission and how missions is not just overseas, it is local too. Then he lights up, he wants to talk about filling his shoe box for Operation Christmas Child, and when can we go shopping. This went on for a little while, then I turned off the light. Night, night little man. He then prays for Pastor Saul and his church, and for the kids that are going to get a OCC box this year.
Leaving Sweetie to his school work downstairs I now have some quiet time to pray. And pray I did. I pulled out my prayer journal (where I write things down and people to pray for). I didn't make it too far before my legs started to tingle indicating that I'd been on them too long. I got up and moved around the semi lit bedroom and just prayed for people. Then my mind got set on prayer for Cory to find his Ipod. I closed my prayer and went to bed.
Around 5 a.m. this morning I woke up with an urgency to go look through the car one more time for that Ipod. I wrestled with the idea of waking Cory up to go look, but got the instruction quickly from the Lord this was for me to do, and not to bother Cory. (God knows when you have evil thoughts of waking your slumbering child to help them learn a lesson)
So, I tromped downstairs, and our cat Lucky and I went into the garage and looked through the car. Finally one of the last places I looked (where I just knew I had looked a million times) I found the Ipod. It was like a heavenly choir started singing Hallelujah in my head. It is now a little after 5:30 a.m., and since I get Cory up at 6 I hurried inside to wake him up.
A sleepy boy greeted me by pulling the cover over his head. "not ready to get up Mom, it's still dark". I then tell Cory that God answered prayer. This prompts him to pull the covers down. "Which one?" he asks. Getting his hand, I place the Ipod inside and close his fingers around it.
Now he hops up and just about takes the air out of me as he rejoices in his lost Ipod being back where it should be. Then he grabs my hand and we thanked God together. What a great start to my day!