Lori threw off the covers and sat up in bed, sweat dripping down her chest. She turned on the bedside fan until her body temperature decreased. She glanced at the clock. 2:00 AM. Uggh. Unbelievable. She turned to the side to find Ken sleeping like a rock, soft snores echoing through the room. This was so not fair. These days it took so much longer to fall asleep, and then when she did, she’d be awakened by yet another hot flash. She changed into a dry pajama shirt and lay back down in bed. Great. Now she needed to go to the bathroom. By the time she finished in the bathroom, she was wide awake. Instead of going back to bed, something compelled her to go to her daughter’s room. Madison was studying abroad this semester, and Lori missed her terribly. She sat on Madison’s bed and prayed.

“God, You know I have a busy day at work tomorrow. I don’t function well without sleep. These past several months have been such a challenge. Please help me get through this season of life. I’m not sure how insomnia and hot flashes are supposed to help me draw closer to You. I used to sleep so well.”

Suddenly, the urge to pray for Madison hit so strongly, Lori immediately changed the course of her prayer. “God, please be with Madison right now. Please protect her and guide her and place Your loving hand of protection on her. Please surround her with Your angels and draw her close to You.”

Lori sat on Madison’s bed for several minutes longer, soaking in the lingering scent of the perfume that remained from Madison’s last visit home. How grateful she was to have such a wonderful daughter. After a few more minutes of praying for Madison, sleepiness overtook Lori and she slipped back under the covers next to Ken.

The next morning, Lori was surprisingly refreshed. As she made coffee, Ken came into the kitchen and kissed her cheek on his way to the refrigerator.

“Good morning, sweetheart,” Lori said.

“You’re chipper this morning.”

“I couldn’t sleep last night, but I prayed. After that, my sleep was restful.”

“Guess you should pray more often,” Ken said, as he put a pan on the stove and melted some butter.

“I guess. It was strange. I had the strongest urge to pray for Madison. Not sure what that was all about. I have a ton to do at work this morning, but I might try to catch her on my lunch break.”

Ken cracked two eggs and stirred them into the sizzling pan. “It’s always good to pray for the kids. I’m sure she’d be happy to hear from you at lunch.”

“You’ve convinced me. I’ll call her.”

Ken laughed. “Somehow I don’t think you needed much convincing.”

“True. I’m happy to talk to Madison any time.”

The morning flew by, and at lunch time, Lori dialed Madison’s number.

“Hi honey. I was thinking about you this morning and I wanted to check up on you. How are you doing?”

Hearing Madison’s voice was like balm to Lori’s soul. “I’m good, Mom. But you won’t believe what happened to me this morning.”

Lori straightened in her chair. “Oh?”

“I was riding my bike to class, just like every morning, but as I rounded the bend, a car came out of nowhere and clipped my tire. I was thrown off the bike and landed about six or seven feet away from it. The strange thing was, as soon as I lifted off from the bike, I had the oddest sense of peace. It was as if I was tossed in slow motion. When I came down, I landed in bushes without getting a scratch. My bike is a little beat up and dented, but I didn’t get hurt at all.”

“Oh my goodness,” Lori said. “That must have been terrifying.”

“You’d think so, but it totally wasn’t. Like I said, it was peaceful. I felt like God was with me right when it happened.”

“Wait, when did you say it happened?”

“Right after 8:00 this morning. Why?”

8:00. Lori sank back against her chair. “You’re six hours ahead of us.”

“Right. It would have been the middle of the night for you.”

“True. But I was awake. That was the exact moment God told me to pray for you.”

1 John 5:14 This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.

God, sometimes You work in ways we don’t understand, but You always have a plan. You can even use things like insomnia to draw us closer to You. Thank you for hearing our prayers. In Jesus’ name, Amen.