Asking for help can be difficult and humbling. Many of us struggle to admit our need for assistance until we don’t have any other option.

Denise Macon is no exception. A single mother, she’s raised two great children and always provided for them. Until she couldn’t. Days away from being evicted, Macon began calling agencies and ministries to see if someone could help her family. She’d do anything to keep her family together and off the streets.

“I used to pray, ‘God I just want one good friend,’” Macon said. “‘Not anyone to use me.’ I was an enabler. I would give to make them happy. But I honestly never could call anyone my friend. That’s all I wanted.”

Buckner Family Pathways in Amarillo was the answer to Macon’s needs. Not only did the program give her family a safe place to live, it also provided the nurturing community she was seeking. It’s where she met her best friend. It’s where she discovered people who were willing to help each other.

Having a relationship with God means we have the amazing ability to communicate directly with him and he with us. He hears our concerns and the desires of our heart. He responds as only a loving father can. 

"This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us — whatever we ask — we know that we have what we asked of him." -1 John 5:14-15

Deeper reflection:

• What does it mean to ask "according to his will" in the passage above?
• What desires or concerns are you taking to God today?
• How has God answered your prayers in the past?

Next steps:

• Take a few moments to pray today. Share the deepest longings of your heart with God.
• Start a prayer journal where you record what you pray. As God answers thsoe prayer, write down how he did it. Soon, you'll have a long list of ways you saw God work in your life.