Dear Readers,

A little more than a year ago, when my youngest son was looking for an apartment to rent in Vermont, I closed my computer and prayed a desperate prayer: “Lord, I’ve done all I know how to do. I need you to show us the place you have for him.”

Our son was traveling to Vermont to work for the summer season at a state park. He wanted to live alone, and since he was only going to be there for 6 months, he needed something furnished. We looked at Airbnb’s, but they were outlandishly expensive for that length of time. We had searched the internet from one end to the other, and come up empty.

And then I prayed that prayer. A few minutes later, when I reopened my computer and typed the same things I’d been typing for hours—“furnished apartments near Burlington, Vermont”—a website I hadn’t seen before popped up. My heart leaped, and with tears in my eyes I lifted a quick prayer of praise to God. 

Within hours, one of the renters my son had emailed from the listings on that site called him and the wheels were set in motion for a nice little furnished apartment in a quiet neighborhood. And God’s added bonus? The landlord was a part-time worker, a ferry-boat captain in the state parks. 

My prayers don’t often get answered so dramatically and quickly. Sometimes it takes years. And sometimes God says no to my requests. You’ll read that many times throughout the articles in this month’s issue of The Redbud Post. Our writers explore the mysterious topic of prayer in their own unique and special ways. Their words showed me some things I hadn’t thought of before, and reinforced truths I’ve known for a long time.

As you read each piece, listen for the voice of God. How might he be calling you to pray more boldly, wait more patiently, seek him more fully? Know that we in the Redbud Writers Guild are praying for you and your walk with God.

May you continue to seek him without ceasing.

Stephanie Reeves
Editor in Chief