Shortly before Margaret Koster died in 1997, I wrote an article about her, telling of her diligence in prayer.  Despite her age, she set an example of faithfulness in prayer—continuing to spend hours each day speaking with the Lord she loved.  Now she's reaping the rewards of that faithfulness.

But there's another story about Margaret that needs to be told—a story of how seriously she took her prayer-life. When she was younger, Margaret would pray each day for missionaries she knew about. She also kept a journal of her prayers—complete with answers.

One time when one of "her" missionaries was home from his overseas ministry, Margaret approached him, showed him her journal, and said, "I have recorded every prayer request you made as a missionary. And I have put down every answer that I know of. But I also have some prayers for which I don't know the answers. You need to sit down with me and tell me how God answered those prayers so I can write them down."

Now that's taking prayer seriously! We learn from Margaret not only the importance of prayer but also the reality of God's answers. Remember, "If we ask anything according to His will, He hears us" (1 John 5:14).  — Dave Branon