Way back in the 1900s, there was an amazing, magnificent, almost magical book of wishes. Each year, the Sears, Roebuck, and Company issued a treasured catalog containing all the toys on earth, and it went to Every. Single. Household. Kids young and old anxiously awaited its arrival in the fall.

Dolls of every size and shape, toy cars of all types and colors, NFL apparel, bicycles, racetracks, even drum sets, plus every other imaginable entertainment were there on the pages of the Wish Book. In a home with more than one child, the catalog was passed around until the edges frayed. Items were circled and initialed lest a brother or sister be confused as the one who wanted it. Before the internet, it was the way we planned for Christmas!

Naturally, as kids, we wished (and circled) things that were pipe dreams, ridiculous for our humble states. We wished for the moon. (It was probably towards the back.) We longed for humungous and expensive gifts we did not have room for, nor could our families afford. But we dreamed and hoped. And waited. Until Dec. 25.

On Christmas, every single time, someone older and wiser chose what we would receive. Someone who knew us and knew what was best for us. We delighted in what we were given, excited for the new adventures ahead with our toys and gifts.

The same Wish Book principle applies to my prayer life. I can pour out my heart’s desire to my Heavenly Father; He doesn’t mind at all. In fact, He encourages it. In Jeremiah 33:3 we read, “Call to Me and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things you do not know.” Sometimes I ask for big stuff or for the unimaginable to happen. But then, I pray for His will. His perfect will. And I wait. The waiting is the key. If I pray and then jump ahead, then it’s my will and not His. He is wiser than I am and knows what is ahead. I can trust that He knows what is best for me—what I can handle and what I cannot. (I am often thankful that He has not given me what I asked for.)

Knowing I have a kind and loving Father in heaven gives me courage to boldly march into 2024 carrying two Bible verses that never ever get old:

•Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” He knows the plans. They are good plans.

•Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths.” I don’t have to figure everything out on my own or in my simple mind. If I put Him first—and not myself, He will direct me.

This morning I am praying for breakthroughs, deliverances and healings. I’m praying that God will work in miraculous ways for people I care about—people in our church and community. I will make my requests known and trust that the LORD will work in a heavenly, purposeful way.

He hears my prayers. He hears me.

Written by Dawn Reed.