Problems, Prayer & Praise

January 10,1990 my whole life turned upside down. I was 25, working for an airline, and had just started a family. We’d also started attending a great church where we were learning all about faith and we had made the commitment that we were going to live for God. 

Our daughter, Candace turned 6 months old that day and I took her with me to the store. On my way home, another car ran a stop sign and hit me in my driver’s door. The car spun around and the only thing I could get out of my mouth was… JESUS! When the car came to a stop I knew that I was hurt. I couldn’t move my left arm or leg. The police, firemen, paramedics and ambulance all arrived on the scene.
The car was so badly damaged that they had to use the jaws-of-life to get me out. Candace was not hurt, praise God! I ended up with cuts all over my face from the windscreen exploding, my pelvis was broken in three different places and my internal organs were bruised. I spent 8 days in the hospital, 3 months on crutches and months of physical therapy learning how to walk without a limp. All while taking care of our baby.

As if this wasn’t bad enough, we had another car accident shortly afterwards and some other tough things happened all at the same time  Do you ever notice how it’s usually never just one thing, but multiple things that happen at once?

Through these darkest days of my life, I learned a few things about being a woman of faith.


I learned that women of faith have real problems. Women of faith don’t have everything together. What makes you a woman of faith is how you face your problems. 

In 1 Sam 1:1-7, Hannah couldn’t have children, and to make matters worse her husband’s other wife taunted and tormented her to a place of despair. Hannah’s womb may have been closed, but her heart was still open to God. Life can be messy, full of disappointments and hurts along the way, but we serve a faithful God. 


I learned that women of faith believe in the power of prayer and believe for results. Hannah cried out to God in her darkest time.  (1Sam 1:10-11) Even though her prayer was silent, The Lord heard her and after she prayed, verse 18 says, “she went her way and ate and her face was no longer sad.” Her circumstances hadn’t changed but she did. She believed that God heard her.

And lastly, I learned that women of faith praise God.  In 1 Sam 2:1-10 we see that Hannah praised God with joy in her heart because He had blessed her with a baby boy.

We must always maintain an attitude of thankfulness and praise, even before the answer comes. “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing and in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” 1 Thess 5:16-17

It’s during the tough seasons of life when things seem dark and uncertain that God is doing His deepest work in our lives and at the same time He’s orchestrating our breakthrough.  Faith trusts, believes, and stands firm until the answer comes!