Praying for Her

I sat in the pew with my eyes closed and head bowed while the pastor was praying one Sunday morning. As I meditated on God, He revealed a face in my mind of an old friend I hadn’t seen in years. He laid it upon my heart to pray for her. I prayed for her then, but for the next several weeks, God continually impressed on me to offer my old friend up in prayer.

I prayed for her daily, though I didn’t understand what I was specifically praying for. I had lost contact with her, so I had no way of reaching her. Finally, while driving in the car, God again urged me to pray for my friend. I did, but this time I asked God to please reveal to me why I had been praying diligently for my friend these past several weeks. I needed affirmation for the spiritual step of prayer I was taking in my walk with Christ.

I arrived at the store to which I was driving and parked in the parking lot. I glanced out the window before getting out of the car and guess who was sitting in the car in front of me? It was my old friend I had been praying for. I immediately got out of my car and went to her. She was upset and obviously had been crying. She talked with me for several minutes and told me that she had been going through some rough times and that she was confronted with many difficult decisions.

I told her that several weeks ago God laid it on my heart to pray for her. God used me to show her that He cared about her struggles and that He loved her, and she was comforted. I know my friend saw God that day, and I’m glad that I was obedient to God and prayed for my friend without understanding why.

Memory Verse:
“Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.”
– James 5:16 (NIV)

Prayer Prompt:
“Lord, please encourage me to pray diligently for those you have laid upon my heart. Help me to take only a few moments out of my busy day to pray because I know that my prayer will be both powerful and effective. I want to start by praying for…”

Contributing Writer:
Tammy Andrus