A Pig Chase and a Prayer

Don’t you just love a good pig chase? Bahahaha!

Hold.

The.

Phone. (I haven't a clue what that expression even means. Hold the phone…eh…moving on.)

Did I just write that? A good pig chase?! Oy, how my life is different than I ever pictured it. Not worse…just very different. Haha!

Growing up, the number of times I was ever at a farm or even near farm animals could’ve been counted by holding up my ten fingers. (Super interesting, random and funny fact of the day…my husband’s parents were the ones that gave me most of my interaction with farm animals when I was a child. Every year they would bring their horses to the AWANA fair so that all the kids could sit on their backs and be led around the parking lot.)

The fact that I live on a farm now has presented me with many challenges. (Like trying to bottle feed four calves with only ONE bottle. Patience my little cow friends. Your turn will come!)

Some of those challenges resulted in fear.  (Like when the bee keeper told us the queen had 'left' and the bees would not return. Do you see bees? Cause I saw and heard LOTS of bees in the side of my barn the two years after he said they had ‘left’.)

Some pain. (All six of us have been attacked by a rooster at least once!)

Some challenges...okay most of them bring some degree of frustration. Some spark a prayer session. But my favorites are when they result in laughter.

And pig chases…are all inclusive.

A couple of nights ago, my husband returned home from work and requested my assistance in the barn. Our pig was due to go to the butcher shop…and that meant only one thing. We were going on a pig chase! Have you ever seen a pig chase on a movie? I happen to have just watched “The Man in the Iron Mask” this past weekend. It includes a pig chase…complete with an adorable little piglet and a jewel prize for whomever was to catch it. Ours…was nothing like that. Much more manure was involved. Much louder squealing. Much huffing and puffing from chasing and pulling. And cold…it was so cold! Oh…and absolutely no prize jewel, just an angry pig.

I tried to be a competent helper. I really did! My job sounded so simple…just “pull this bucket over the pig’s head,” said my husband. He would “take care of the rest”. After several failed attempts he, surprisingly, calmly asked me to call his father. *Insert a sigh of relief here* I could tell that he was trying to not show his frustration through his heavy breaths from wrestling with a 400-lb pig.

I quickly left the barn to make the phone call that I thought should’ve been made in the first place. I left Aiden (age 7 1/2) alone with Eric and Daisy (the pig). Aiden’s job was to guard the only opening that the pig could’ve squeezed through to get to the open world. I was scared for him because although there was a ‘blockade’ in between the two of them, his only weapon of defense was a plastic bat. I offered him a pitch fork…but he opted for the bat. He did not appear to have fear at all. Do not, on the other hand, ask him to battle a rooster. He has great fear. Much screaming is involved…and maybe a throwing of both of his barn boots in an attempt to scare away the above pictured rooster. ;)

Anywhoooo, Eric’s dad arrived quickly and I watched as they chased the pig around our barn. After several more failed attempts to get Daisy into the trailer I decided to go for a new game plan. The very hilarious “coax her down the isle way with pieces of plywood then grab her tail and attempt to cover her head with a bucket so you can hoist her into the trailer” technique was so not working. I went with the ever powerful…Prayer. Why not?! God cares about everything right? I believe that…and so I quietly prayed for favor and ease.

The guys coaxed the pig down the length of the barn one more time and Daisy walked right into the trailer. SHE. WALKED. RIGHT. INTO. THE. TRAILER!!! That never happens! I laughed out loud. Eric’s dad looked right at me…pointed…and said with tears in his eyes and a quiver in his voice, “You prayed didn’t you?” *Huge grin here!* God didn’t have to ‘show up and show off’…but oh how glad we were that he did! It just gives us a little boost of confidence. If He cared enough to answer that silly request…how much more does he care about the health of my children. Or the restoration of my husband. He hears. He really listens! I have proof…and she will soon be in the freezer of my pastors. =)

Why is it that we don’t take the small things to God? Why do we suffer when we have access to the Almighty? We wait until things seem huge…and then we pray. We get frustrated with daily struggles without a thought as to what God could offer. It won’t always be an immediate answer, but maybe it is our attitude that he will change. Maybe it is our patience that will grow stronger. Maybe it is our outlook that will gain fresh perspective. ;)

I’m sure most of you have heard it said, “We serve a crock pot God in a microwave world”. I can say that I always, not-so-secretly, want to have microwave results. But I am sure that I would grow to be unappreciative of those immediate answers as well. *Eeesch…the truth hurts!* Those are the ones that help to strengthen our faith little bits at a time.

How about those crock pot answers though? You know, the ones that you pray for months or years maybe even decades. What enormous strides of faith are gained when we see God prove that he is forever faithful to our constant prayers? When we finally see that God had us through every prayer. He was working while we were sleeping. He was molding while we were busy living our day to day. He was preparing us for what was to come…while we were still concerned with what was.

Our God does not slumber. He does not forget us. He is always working on our behalf. Trusting in His timing is one of the most freeing steps we can take in our Christian walk. It frees us from doubt. From fear. From worry. From anger.

What reason have you for not trusting? Think hard. If you are able to come up with a reason…find scripture that will cover over that lie. Find a prayer partner who can help pray you through this hurdle. Because once you are on the other side…you will have JOY. Unexplainable joy! It won’t make sense…and you won’t care.

Whatever it is that we are to learn. Whether it is to pray without ceasing, or to talk to God about all things big or small, or to trust God’s time. Let’s just try to do this one thing first. Let’s put God back on His throne. Let’s not put Him in the same group as the people that surround us. There are people in our lives that just don’t care. They don’t want to be bothered to pray for our headaches and sniffles. Or for our stubbed toes. Or for our success to chase a pig into a trailer. But God is unlike ‘us’. He is flat out A-mazing! He is always waiting, anticipating the next time He will hear our voice.

I leave you with the beauty of our Maker. He orchestrated this sunset for me us to enjoy last night. (He knows I’m a lover of these colors!) I took several pictures over a span of about 15 minutes. And each one was different than the one before. Meaning that the sky was rapidly changing from sun set to night fall. I marvel at His handiwork. I was so excited to capture it so that I will not forget what He taught me last night.


Prayers are forever beautiful just like pictures. They are unique and beautiful. (All the more reason to write them as well as speak them!) God does not forget a single one…just as I do not forget each picture in which I have captured God’s Creation. Keep speaking to your King. Keep laying your requests before Him. Keep speaking of His faithfulness in His answers. Keep looking for people to pray for. Get excited to pray. Ask a table full of children who wants to pray for the meal and watch as they, without hesitation, fight over who gets to go first. WHY NOT learn from them?!

I had a powerful time of prayer in my hubby’s truck tonight. I had to run a quick errand and I decided to do some warring. God was in that truck with me. NO QUESTION! I could feel His presence. I could sense that my Spirit was talking directly to Him and hearing directly from Him. It was so so so fun! I laughed. I cried. I screamed a bit…just making sure the enemy knows that I do not watch my spiritual family or actual family suffer without getting involved. I put him in his place. Beneath!

Do you remember a few posts ago when I wrote about God breaking my heart for what broke His? (Click here if you want to gain understanding into your emotional reactions to what may seem to be a simple prayer request from a friend/stranger.) At the end of that post I asked for requests. I wanted to be used as a prayer warrior for you. Whoever you may be.

To my surprise I actually got a few responses. Yipee!! Each time a new person called or texted, I knew it was them that I had been praying for God to send to me. They would give me their circumstance…and I could not help but smile. When you see the hand of God orchestrating something powerful, you just have to get excited! I get to talk to God. I get to pray passionately for the healing and restoration of these women that God has sent to me. Haha…I am excited! I can’t wait to see how God uses these things in their testimony. I believe because I have no reason not to. The God that I talk to…He is the same one that rose from the dead. He is the same one that parted the sea. He can handle this! I have no doubt!

Keep them coming. Keep sending me your requests. I don’t have to know you to pray for you. I don’t have to know details to speak life into your circumstance. This thing you battle…it is no surprise to God. He knew it was coming. Let’s ask Him what He wants to do with it! Let’s trust Him…and let’s become over comers.

You want to pray for me? I would absolutely LOVE that!!! Pray for healing and restoration in this house. Completeness. Pray for softness. Pray for supernatural understanding and grace.



How about you? How can I pray for you? It is my delight. It is my honor. It is my privilege. It is my joy to pray. Make a girl’s day would ya? =)