Photo by Jasmin Schuler on Unsplash

My children were born in the Caribbean, where all year long temperatures are generally warm. There are rainy days, the hurricane season, and sunny days. One December, while they were tweens or preteens, we planned to take our vacation in the cold weather. We visited Atlanta and Washington, DC. After a few days in Atlanta, at the hotel room, my daughter said to me in disappointment, “I have asked the Lord to let me see snow, and he doesn’t pay attention to me.” I told her that she needed only to ask in prayer and let the Lord surprise her. I also told her that she would not necessarily see snow in Atlanta, but that we were going to DC where there could be a higher probability of snowfall.
We flew to DC, where we met with our dear friends. The temperature was colder than Atlanta, and everywhere we walked, we saw snow piled to the sides from a previous storm. Most of this snow was starting to ice. My children were happy and enjoyed every moment, but it never snowed the time we were there. Honestly, I even forgot about it.
When it was time to go back home, our flight was delayed because of a winter storm in other states. We had to make a stop in Atlanta before going home. We finally left DC and arrived at the Atlanta airport with a 30-minute time frame from one gate to another. We made it to the gate but weren’t allowed to board even when the plane door was still opened. They had given our seats to other passengers, and there were many others in the same situation. Both of my children were frustrated and sad. They wanted to go home. My husband was upset and was doing everything he could to get us on the plane. I pull my children to the side and invite them to take a seat. I told them not to worry, that if we couldn’t make this flight, we would take the next one. I even prayed for the safety of the people on that plane. When my husband came to us, he was disappointed and told us he couldn’t do anything. The airline gave us vouchers to eat and a hotel room for the night since the next flight was scheduled for the following day.
We took our carry-on luggage and headed outside to take the shuttle to the hotel. Once outside, we noticed many people were getting inside the shuttles, and others were waiting for the next ones. It was cold and rainy. Suddenly, my husband looked at me with a smile and said, “look at your coat.” When I looked, I saw snowflakes. My children got very excited, and my daughter started jumping.
She prayed, and God surprised her! The snow they saw at DC was not all that the Lord wanted to give them.
In the same way, we should ask anything in prayer and wait expectantly for his answer. Isn’t God able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine? (Ephesians 3:20) That’s how He surprises us. What we have seen, heard, received is not all that God has in store for us.
We decided to rent a car and buy clothes for my husband because he had checked his baggage. It continued to snow to the point that my children could make snowballs, and they did and threw them to their daddy. I recorded everything on video and took pictures, but most importantly, those memories are recorded in their minds. No prayer is silly; if it’s important to us, it is also important to God.