A WEEKEND ALONE, PRAYING FOR AN ANSWER

         I went camping alone so I could pray all weekend for an answer.  I needed God to tell me how to eat, so I didn’t have to go on crazy fasts and diets constantly.  Since my husband was retired military, we had enjoyed camping at Camp Pendleton’s ocean campground near Oceanside, California.  We had a mini-motorhome and I picked Memorial Day weekend 1985. 

        A U. S. military campground is an incredibly safe place.  Military personnel have impeccable behavior—the Military doesn’t allow anything else.  Everyone answers to a higher rank.  I was surrounded by big strapping Marines and their families.  I think it’s the safest place in the world!

        Once I found my camp spot on the bluff and got settled, I watched the sun go down to the west.  It looked like it was disappearing into the ocean, and there were awesome, wonderful colors in the sky!     I thanked God for the wonderful privilege to camp here.

        I’d been doing the “Read Through the Bible In a Year” program.  As I came across promises from God, I underlined them in my Bible, and often memorized them.  In Philippians 4:19 it says, “My God shall supply all your needs.”  

         I usually work and plan to meet my own needs, but when I am not able to meet a need, I ask God for His help.  He has never failed to help me with a need when I have asked.  

        I had a dilemma.  I love to eat!  I love fattening food, and lots of it!  Bring it on, and I will enjoy it!  And I had been enjoying too much of it.  I usually had to do  a ten day water fast each year, to lose the weight I’d gained.  I always felt good at my goal weight—and felt increasingly bad as I gained weight.  This weekend I would pray and ask God what I should do so I could get to a healthy weight and stay there.  I knew He would answer because He promised to meet my needs, and He doesn’t lie.  

        I paged through my Bible and read God’s promises that I had underlined.  In Mark 11:24, God said, “Anything you ask and pray for, believe you have received it, and it will be granted to you.”  I already believed God had said, “Yes,” so, during this weekend, without a doubt, God would answer me!

        I had no idea how God would show me the answer.  He has spoken, at various times, to people in dreams or visions. Sometimes He speaks through other people.  In 1 Thessalonians 5:18, God said, “In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus, concerning you.”  I thanked Him for everything—the wonderful view, the awesome weather, the friendly people walking by, and my little mini-motorhome. 

        All day Saturday I thanked God that He would show me the answer—how to eat healthy! I saw a pod of dolphins joyfully jumping and playing as they swam South, and I felt joyful too!    I said, “Hi” to everyone who walked by, as I lounged in the sun, and I kept praying.  I saw the sun sink, again, into the ocean at the end of the day.  It was awesome and peaceful—just God and me, surrounded by safe people, overlooking His beautiful ocean!

        Sunday dawned and I hadn’t heard God’s answer yet, but I didn’t doubt.  I had to leave Monday, Memorial Day, and drive back, but I still had all day Sunday—and God doesn’t lie.  He promised to meet all my needs!  I knew He would show me how to eat to be healthy! He knew I had set this weekend aside to talk to Him and listen for His answer.  In my Bible I saw another promise.  In John 14:14:  Jesus told His followers, “If you ask ANYTHING in My Name, I will do it.”  I KNEW He would tell me how to eat to be healthy!    

        Every campsite there has a cement fire ring, to have a roaring campfire.  Mine was behind my little motorhome, overlooking the ocean.  Some neighboring campers approached me and asked if they could use my fire ring for a big campfire and get-together that night.  Because my mini-motorhome was short, there was room to have a roaring campfire behind it.  All of them had long 5^thwheel trailers, and their trailers were so long they couldn’t use their fire pits.  There was a lot of space behind my rig for a big campfire and a lot of people.  They said if they could use my firepit, they wanted me to join them at the campfire.  I happily said, “Yes, everyone is welcome!  I was especially happy, since suddenly, I knewthis was how I would meet the person who would tell me how I should eat to stay healthy and slim.

        As I joined them and pulled my chair up to the fire there was a lot of talking and laughing.  I could hear, only, to chat with the person on each side of me.  It was a noisy, happy group.  I told the person on each side of me why I was camping alone.  I said I was praying for God to show me how to eat to stay healthy and slim.  The man on my right told me to talk to the couple across the campfire from us, because they had been eating a new way and had lost a lot of weight.  I immediately walked over to them and introduced myself. I asked what they were doing to lose weight.  They told me, and I was really intrigued.  They said it is almost the Atkins Diet, but it was slightly different. The diet had a name, and they ate low carb.  Every two weeks, they took a break from it for 3 days and then went back on it.  I was so thankful to God!  He set up this campfire get-together so I could meet these people and hear His answer!

        The next day was Monday, Memorial Day, and on my way home I stopped at a big bookstore.  I asked for the diet that was similar to the Atkins Diet.  I had forgotten the name of it, but I expected the bookstore people to know about the book.  They hadn’t heard of it, but helped me find the Atkins Diet book. 

        I was familiar with counting calories, but now I was supposed to count carbohydrates instead.  I didn’t even understand what a carbohydrate was.  I tried eating that way and got constipated.  I didn’t know it was because I wasn’t drinking the amount of water I needed.  This was a time when everyone was eating low-fat or non-fat.  The medical community had black-listed Dr. Atkins, and I heard bad reports.  Almost everyone said terrible things about this diet where you can eat fat!  

        God DIDanswer my prayer.  He had this group ask if they could use my fire ring for a big campfire.  God brought the two people to me who gave me God’s answer. What He showed me was controversial. 

        Now thirty years later, the Akins Diet is accepted.  Now everyone knows low carb diets are very healthy and that you can eat fat to lose fat.  They now know that low-fat and non-fat diets are not good for you.  Our bodies actually need fat!      

        I regretted not getting the phone number of the people from the campfire, because I had questions.  I knew God answered my prayer.  GOD DIDN’T FAIL, BUT I DID!  I couldn’t make the Atkins diet work for me.  Since that time, I’ve learned that if I drink enough water every day, I will never be constipated.  Finally, I gave up on the Atkins diet, and tried other diets.  Both of my adult children, heard how God answered my prayer, and they tried the Atkins diet.   It worked for them, but they also were surrounded by bad reports, and gave it up. 

        God answered me.  I wish I had persevered with what He had shown me!  THIRTY YEARS LATER, LOW CARB IS THE WAY TO EAT HEALTHY!  My medical doctor just assured me that low carb is not only healthy, but if a person consistently eats that way, it is the cure for diabetes. When God says he will meet all your needs, He does!  He brought two people to me and HE SHOWED ME THE ANSWER—THIRTY YEARS AHEAD OF EVERYONE ELSE!   The answer is to eat healthy, low carb, and enjoy cream in your coffee!