When Hurricane Sandy hit the East Coast in October of 2012, many of us in Eastern Pennsylvania lost power almost immediately. My husband, Joe, and I had never experienced power outages that lasted more than a few hours, so we were totally unprepared for the long duration of this outage. By the third day, our son and his wife, along with our little grandson, had come to stay with us because their house had gotten so cold, and we had a coal stove to heat our home. After enduring four long days with no hot water, I did everything I could to try to find an available hotel room. But I discovered that this “superstorm” had put so many people in the same predicament that no room could be found, even if we were willing to travel an hour or more. It didn’t help that many of the hotels in our part of the country were without power.

I confess that I was becoming more and more frustrated and bewildered as I earnestly prayed and sought God for a resolution. As my family and I discussed our dwindling options, my husband suddenly picked up his cell phone and dialed our electric company. He asked them when they thought our power would be restored. After checking their work schedules, they replied, “Next Wednesday”. That was almost a week away, and all of us sat silent for a while just thinking about it. Later that day, I spent some time alone with God and read my Bible. I told the Lord that I knew without a doubt that He could restore our power at any time, no matter what the electric company said. I asked Him if there was anything we could do to hasten the restoration of our power, and He led me to a promise of His in First John 3:22 (NLT), which says, “We will receive from Him whatever we ask because we obey Him and do the things that please Him.” I had often claimed this promise with amazing results, on the basis of my sincere desire to live for God and to follow His will. But this time, the Lord was telling me that if I would do what He tells me to do for this particular situation, He would intervene on our behalf in a mighty way.

That evening, I gathered my family together and told them that I felt strongly that God wanted us to pray in agreement for the restoration of our power, according to Jesus’ instructions in Matthew 18:19-20 (NASB): “I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven. For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst.” The very next morning, we had power, and I knew that this was confirmation that I had heard from God, and had followed His instructions.

This experience reminded me of an account in the second chapter of the Gospel of John, where Jesus and His mother were attending a wedding, and the hosts ran out of wine. Right before the Savior performs a miracle, Mary tells the servants, “Do whatever He tells you.” (John 2:5 NIV) Sometimes, the Lord is ready and willing to intervene in a mighty way on our behalf, but He is waiting on us to do something specific. Often, it will be a small act of obedience that God requires – perhaps even what seems like an insignificant act. But if we will seek His will, and follow His instructions, we will witness Him doing something that will delight our hearts, and strengthen our faith. The Lord wants to reveal Himself to you in a fresh, new way today. What is it that He is asking you to do?

Prayer: Lord, when I am dealing with difficulty, hardship, or suffering of any kind, show me how to seek Your face and Your wisdom for my situation. Make me sensitive to Your voice, and give me a willingness to obey You. Thank You that as I follow Your instructions – no matter how insignificant they may seem – I will witness Your mighty intervention on my behalf!