In the early 1980’s Karen and I were working hard to become totally debt free. We did not have car loans, credit card debt, or any other debt except our mortgage. So, we lived in a small 1400-square foot house in a very modest neighborhood. We eliminated almost all expenses, except for food, gas, and clothing, but we did continue to give our tithes and other offerings. We prayed daily for God to help us become debt-free. Our prayers were that we would become debt-free in seven years, which was the longest debt period we saw in scripture. One morning as I was praying, the Lord said very clearly, “I want you to pray to be debt-free in three years, not seven years.” So, from that day on we prayed to be debt free in that three-year time frame. Three years later, we received a call from a man who asked what our remaining balance was on our mortgage. We told him, and he sent us a check and we paid it off. It was exactly three years from the day the Lord spoke to us about praying to be debt-free in three years. When we pray, we need to take time to listen to the Lord’s responses to our prayers. Sometimes, He will give us further guidance about how to pray specifically.
