WHEN GOD REWRITES YOUR STORY
YOU’VE BEEN CELEBRATING THE WRONG MIRACLE.
That’s what God told me after years of sharing what I thought was a powerful testimony about answered prayer.
You know the kind – the heartwarming story where a daughter approaches the altar concerned for her unsaved father in Florida. We pray on Sunday; by Monday, “coincidentally,” a pastor knocks on his door claiming God sent him. Despite initial rejection, this persistent pastor returns multiple times until the father finally accepts Christ.
Beautiful story. Powerful testimony. Wrong focus.
Because here’s the divine plot twist that wrecked me: God wasn’t just showcasing answered prayer; He was highlighting radical obedience.
THE QUESTION THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING
“Would you rather be the one who had their prayer answered, or would you rather be the man so in tune with Me and so locked in that when I speak, he would go to a stranger’s door at My request – not once, not twice, but three times?”
That question hit me like a thunderbolt. For years, I’d been celebrating the miracle of perfect timing while missing the miracle of perfect obedience.
THINK ABOUT IT.
Someone was so attuned to God’s voice that they:
- Heard a specific instruction to visit a specific house
- Faced rejection and went back anyway
- Stood on public property and proclaimed truth when private property was denied
- Returned a third time despite all evidence suggesting futility
- Sang songs of praise outside a home where they weren’t welcome
That’s not normal behavior. That’s not comfortable Christianity. That’s not “let’s pray and hope something happens” faith.
That’s the kind of obedience that parts seas and crumbles walls.
TWO REVELATIONS YOU CAN’T AFFORD TO MISS
REVELATION #1: GOD STILL ANSWERS SPECIFIC PRAYERS WITH SURGICAL PRECISION
Let’s not diminish this part of the story. The timing here is supernatural. A daughter prays on Sunday, and on Monday, divine machinery is already in motion. This wasn’t vague, general blessing – this was tactical, pinpoint divine intervention.
“Before they call, I will answer; while they are still speaking, I will hear.” (Isaiah 65:24)
We serve a God who doesn’t just hear our prayers but who meticulously coordinates circumstances, people, and timing to answer them. He’s not just listening; He’s actively orchestrating.
Most of us want this part. We want to be the beneficiaries of divine intervention. We want to tell stories about how God showed up for us, how He moved mountains at our request.
But there’s a deeper invitation on the table.
REVELATION #2: HEARING GOD’S VOICE IS MEANT TO BE NORMAL, NOT EXCEPTIONAL
Here’s where comfortable Christianity has failed us.
We’ve turned hearing God’s voice into a mystical, rare experience reserved for spiritual superheroes, when Scripture presents it as the normal Christian experience:
“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” (John 10:27)
That unnamed pastor in Florida didn’t just hear God once in a dramatic burning bush moment. He heard with such clarity that he was willing to risk ridicule, rejection, and the appearance of insanity to follow through.
This is the Christianity we’re actually called to.
Not just to be recipients of miracles, but to be vessels through which miracles flow. Not just to witness God’s power, but to be the conduit of that power. Not just to celebrate answers to prayer, but to be the answer to someone else’s prayer.
THE UNCOMFORTABLE TRUTH ABOUT SENSITIVITY TO GOD’S VOICE
Let’s be brutally honest. Most of us aren’t struggling to hear God; we’re struggling to handle what we’ve already heard.
That pastor in Florida didn’t need special training to hear God’s voice. He needed extraordinary courage to obey it.
Because here’s what we don’t talk about enough:
- Obedience often looks like foolishness to others. Imagine explaining to your spouse or friends: “I’m going back to that house where I was just rejected because God told me to.” That’s not just uncomfortable – that’s reputation-risking obedience.
- God’s voice will lead you to inconvenient places. That pastor didn’t get a divine instruction to visit someone who was eagerly waiting to receive him. He was sent to hostile territory.
- The first “no” is rarely the end of God’s instruction. Most of us hear a “no” and assume we misheard God. This man heard rejection and came back singing.
- True obedience requires specificity. General obedience says, “I’ll share Jesus with someone today.” Specific obedience says, “I’ll go to 1234 Oak Street and tell the man there about Jesus.”
WHAT IF THE GREATEST ADVENTURE ISN’T GETTING YOUR PRAYERS ANSWERED?
The daughter’s prayer being answered is a beautiful testimony. But the pastor’s obedience? That’s the stuff revival is made of.
What if, all this time, while we’ve been begging God to move in our cities, He’s been waiting for people who will move when He speaks?
“Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?’ Then I said, ‘Here am I! Send me.'” (Isaiah 6:8)
This isn’t just about availability; it’s about audibility. Can you hear Him? And when you do, will you go?
DEVELOPING DIVINE SENSITIVITY
If you’re thinking, “I want to be that person,” here’s where rubber meets road:
- Stop asking for more when you haven’t acted on what you’ve already received. The pastor in Florida didn’t need more clarity – he needed courage to act on the clarity he already had.
- Practice immediate obedience in small things. Divine sensitivity is built through consistent response. When you feel that nudge to call someone, do it immediately. When you sense you should give, don’t hesitate.
- Expect resistance as confirmation, not contradiction. Notice how the man’s rejection didn’t cause the pastor to question whether he heard God. Sometimes, resistance is confirmation you’re exactly where God wants you.
- Cultivate holy stubbornness. Not all persistence is holy, but there’s a divine stubbornness that refuses to be deterred by human resistance when God has clearly spoken.
- Create space for listening. Hearing God rarely happens in the rushed spaces between activities. It happens in the margins, the quiet moments, the unhurried presence.
“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” (Revelation 2:7)
THE GREATER MIRACLE
I wept when God shifted my perspective on this story. Because for years I had celebrated the miracle of answered prayer while missing the greater miracle of someone so intimately connected to God’s heart that they would face rejection three times to deliver a message.
What would happen in our world if we had more people like that unnamed pastor? What would happen in your family if you became that person? What would happen in your workplace, your school, your neighborhood?
Here’s the stunning truth: someone else’s breakthrough is often waiting on your obedience.
That father’s salvation wasn’t just the result of his daughter’s prayer – it was the product of a pastor’s radical obedience.
Your pastor can’t be that pastor for everyone. Your small group leader can’t be everywhere. Your church can’t reach every person.
But you can be that person for someone. You can be so attuned to God’s voice that when He whispers a name, an address, a specific instruction, you don’t hesitate.
You move. You go. You speak. You return when rejected. You sing when doors slam.
Because that’s not fanaticism – that’s faith.
That’s not religious extremism – that’s relationship. That’s not spiritual immaturity – that’s divine intimacy.
THE QUESTION THAT CHANGES EVERYTHING
So I’ll ask you what God asked me:
Would you rather be the one who had your prayer answered, or would you rather be the one so in tune with God and so locked in that when He speaks, you would go to a stranger’s door at His request – not once, not twice, but three times?
Your answer reveals more than just your spiritual priorities. It reveals whether you see yourself primarily as a recipient of God’s work or a partner in it.
The beautiful irony? When you choose the latter, you often become the answer to someone else’s prayer anyway.
Today is your day to decide: Will you be content with answered prayers, or will you become the answer to someone else’s prayer?
The choice is yours. But make no mistake – there’s a world of difference between the two.
“The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.” (1 Thessalonians 5:24)
He’s waiting for your “Yes.” He’s listening for your “Send me.”
What will He hear from you today?
