Lord, Please Provide: An Answered Prayer for a Whole Chicken

Kim Hardy
Jun 28
5 min read

“Lord, since I eat a lot of chicken, I would really like to have a whole chicken to cook. It would go a lot further and it seems more economical. We are living on a much smaller budget.”

I sat at my kitchen table and tossed up this prayer trying to find ways to save money on our new budget. It was a half-hearted prayer. One of those that you say hoping God will provide but also expecting to take care of it on your own. I wanted to expand my trust and faith in God, not treat Him like a genie in a bottle. I know when we seek first the kingdom of God, our prayers will be answered according to His will.

Cooking and Contemplating Where to Buy

As I stood cooking over the stove flipping sizzling chicken tenders, I debated where to buy a whole chicken. I considered a local feed store where I had credit. I also thought about a large chain grocery store.

I love supporting local businesses, and I liked the idea of knowing the chicken would be farm to table-no hormones added. If I went to a big grocery store, there would most likely be preservatives, even if there were no hormones added.

My Health Journey

I started eating clean before COVID, but I took it much more seriously after my blood pressure got out of control and my health began to spiral downward. Over the past year, I felt convicted to eliminate as much processed food as possible and to eat from the farm to the table as I could.

I decided a holistic approach would be best for my overall health. After all, God created everything. He created animals for us to eat. He created plants for us to eat, and those plants help our bodies in a variety of ways.

Learning to eat clean on a small budget is not easy. It becomes even harder when you are learning which foods you can and cannot eat. As of right now, my diet is limited because I follow an anti-inflammatory diet. I call it a diet, but for me it really is a lifestyle change.

When I stick to my new way of eating, I feel so much better.

As I continued learning how to care for my body, the weight of our budget pressed in even more.

When Budget Pressure Creates Discouragement

I was discouraged because the cost of groceries has increased. I felt overwhelmed by how much there is to learn about the holistic approach for your health. I am grateful that God put people in my life who are on the same journey and they are willing to share their knowledge.

I needed a God wink or an immediate answer to my prayer.

God Provided in a Way I Was Not Expecting

God chose the latter, and I am so thankful. You read that correctly. God provided me with a whole chicken and in a way I wasn’t expecting.

The very next day my mother-in-law texted me. She told me she had a whole chicken to give to me. My mouth nearly hit the floor, and tears flooded my eyes as I read her message. I instantly thanked God.

Even in my unbelief, God answered my prayer. My faith and trust in Him grew ten times that day. I was reminded of the father who asked Jesus to heal his son. Jesus asked him, “Do you believe? The father replied, “I believe but help me in my unbelief. (Mark 9:24 ESV)

God answered my prayer quickly this time, but I know that is not always how prayer works.

Not All Prayers Are Answered Immediately

Not all prayers are answered immediately. Sometimes that delay can leave us wondering if God hears us. It can leave us feeling stuck, unheard, broken, or even like we are not good enough for God to answer what we desperately long for. This is normal. It doesn’t mean God isn’t listening to us.

One of the best things about prayer is we do not have to go to a priest to pray for us. We can pray anytime and anywhere. We can pray while washing dishes, sowing stitches, or mowing ditches.

God isn’t a distant God. He wants open communication with us. He wants what is best for us. We think we know what is best, but we don’t. He created us and knows our hearts. We don’t have to be afraid of telling Him how we feel. He already knows when we are upset with Him for not answering our prayers the way we expected.

I believe the more open and honest we are with Him the happier He is with us. That open communication with Him shows that we feel safe and trust Him. As Gene Gritz writes, “Because the Lord Jesus Christ is our great high priest, we are to enter God's presence at any moment in order to share our deepest thoughts and needs.” (Gene Getz, Life Essentials Interactive Study Bible [Holman, 2019], 662)

God is a loving Father who wants us to draw close to Him. He desires to take care of His daughters. He wants to give us more than we even know to ask for, but we can’t expect Him to do that if we aren’t willing to spend time talking to Him.

Learning to Pray, Even When It Feels Hard

Maybe prayer doesn’t come easy to you. It wasn’t easy for me when I first started to pray. I had a hard time staying focused or I treated prayer like a contract: “God, if you do this, then I will do that.”

As I have grown in my prayer life, this has changed.

If you struggle to pray, let me encourage you to start small. Pray short prayers. The Bible does not say we have to pray for so many minutes and can only be done while sitting in one place. Scripture does tell us to pray without ceasing. (1 Thessalonians 5:17 ESV)

What Does It Mean to Pray Without Ceasing?

What does it look like to pray without ceasing? It simply means talking to God throughout our day. The more we pray, the more comfortable we become talking to God. Before long, we realize we are spending more time talking to God, and He is answering our prayers. Even the small ones about whole chickens.

Prayer is one of the most powerful weapons we have as Christians. We can trust Jesus with every detail of our lives. The question is are we willing to let go of the control and trust God to answer our prayers in His timing and His way.

Final Encouragement

God hears us. Even when we are tired, even when our prayers are simple, and even when we are unsure whether we truly believe. He is a Father who provides, guides, and answers in ways we could never plan on our own. Sometimes His answer comes quickly, like it did for me with that whole chicken. Other times, it comes differently, but still on time, and always with purpose.