"What I have planned that I will do." Isaiah 46:11
I had just been through great amounts of loss in my life. I lost an old friend,
my sister, my father, and my health. As I was housebound now due to my illness I
sat alone wondering, what's next?
Not long after this my friend Sue told me that her husband was offered a new job
in another state and they would be moving....soon.
Sue and I had been friends through thick and thin since the fifth grade and I
would be missing our regular visits together greatly. I had other friends but
many of them I seldom talked with, as they lived very hectic lives.... I really
desired a close friend. So a little over a year ago I set my face like flint to
pray and ask God to, "Send me a friend." I thought this was an impossible
request since I couldn't get out to meet anyone, but regardless of these
circumstances.... I continued to pray. I recorded these prayers in my prayer
journal.
One evening my step-daughter and her soon to be fiancé stopped by. As we sat and
talked Michael happened to mentioned the name of my old departed friend, Patrea.
He said, "She was good friends with my mother, Bonnie." Instantly I remembered
meeting his mother at a prayer meeting I had attended at Patrea's house several
years ago. When my daughter in law got knowledge of this she started working
behind the scenes to reunite us. (She had no idea of my prayer request).
In the meantime Bonnie was praying for a new friend. She had also suffered some
losses of friendships. She was lonely too and in desperate need. Her prayer also
was, "Send me a friend."
When Bonnie had heard that we had been mutual friends with Patrea it instantly
peaked her interest, she did not recall our chance encounter about twelve years
before, but she felt a knowing inside of her that this could be a relationship
that might work. As she went to prayer God starting to speak to her that, her
and I would be good friends.
Whenever I would go to God in prayer He was telling me that, Bonnie and I would
be good friends. I decided to take the first step. I got Bonnie's phone number
and give her a call. We had a great conversation and set up a visit. It has been
a match made in heaven.
The day finally arrived when Bonnie came to my door. She now visits me regularly
and we pray, Bible study, and watch girl movies together. It is as if we were
kindred spirits all along.
Since that day we are not only good friends, but are now relatives through
marriage. What a plan God had all along some twelve years ago. To reunite two
people at a time when they would both need it most.
Shortly thereafter I received a second response to this much sought after
request, when I was given the name of a friend of a friend to add to my writing
ministry list. As I would send her writings she sent back responses on how they
moved her. Before you know it, we became pen pals. What an exciting time it was
making new friends.
As my writing gift started to grow I felt the need for the friendship of another
writer, someone that understood writing, that you could bounce issues or ideas
off of. My other friends were very supportive but, I needed someone to share in
this who had a personal understanding. After all, when I was a nurse I had
several nursing friends (and still do). So I continued on in my prayer ....this
time for a specific kind of friend.
Just a few weeks ago the answer came to this request as I came across the book
of another devotional writer. I was reading some stories off of a favorite
web-site of and was fascinated by the information about this author. I was
intrigued by the name of her book, "Celebrate Life" and the fact that she too
was a devotional writer. Something inside of me felt the need to order her
book...I placed the order within the next few days. As I was putting the order
information in the envelope there came a thought .... "Why not send her a few
writings of your own?" So I did.
About two weeks later her book arrived with a note thanking me for my writings
and an invitation to e-mail her. I excitingly accepted the invitation and after
two or more e-mails... I knew our friendship had begun. I felt this confirmed
when just after reading her e-mail response to me I looked at my calendar and
saw a Big Daisy (which was part of her online name). God had a plan ready to
answer my prayer for new friendships, even though my circumstance made it seem
utterly IMPOSSIBLE!
I continue to marvel how He answered my prayer not once, but three times, as I
recorded it in my journal.... "Lord, send me a friend."
Writings From The Heart................................
Annettee Budzban AHRTWRITES2U@aol.com
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