I’ve told this story before in a little less detail…
It happened about this time of year. It was one of those seasons where I felt like a cue ball – big, white and ugly. What times I wasn’t having head-on collisions with somebody else’s destiny, I was being slam-poked with a Big Stick.
Life hurt. And for a while I was too stupid, too busy, or too young to see it. I was overwhelmed with a college load. I had multiple responsibilities in my church staff position (my first). And I’d had some seismic shifts in relationships that had left me reeling and lonely.
That’s when I happened to drop by to see Willie Mae Dawkins.
I don’t remember why. I do remember that I ate at her home occasionally. But more than likely it was because her son, Mike, was in my youth group. I liked Mike a lot. And most likely, I had dropped by to see what he was up to.
Mama was sitting on the front porch.
Willie Mae Dawkins was anything but a wealthy woman. She was a single mother before they were called by that euphemism. She worked very hard and lived very frugally to provide a life for herself and her teenage son.
But Willie Mae had a secret weapon. An equalizer of cosmic proportions. Willie Mae Dawkins knew how to pray.
So when Mike wasn’t home, I stood there on the porch, chatting for a few minutes with his mother. After a few minutes, I sort of blurted out, “I’ve been going through a hard time lately.”
The expression never changed on Willie Mae’s face. Calm and steady, with eyes of certainty and the same slight smile, she simply said, “I know.”
The expression did change on my face. Something along the lines of wider eyes and an open mouth.
“How’d you know that?” I asked.
Willie Mae answered with words still etched in my soul 32 years later: “Let me tell you something, Andy Wood. I pray for you. And when I talk to God about you, He talks back.”
Behind the Veil
There are a myriad of factors that have shaped the persons you and I have become. The home we were born into. Our families of origin. The choices – good and bad – that we have made. Relationships we have encountered. Circumstances we have faced. But there is one you seldom hear about, because it’s hidden behind a veil-of-the-unseen.
Your life and mine has been shaped by the people who have prayed for you through the years. Your life today is greatly influenced by the people who have prayed for you, and are praying for you this day.
A Great Heritage
The Bible is filled with examples of people shaping lives on their knees. Take Lot as Exhibit A. His life was spared largely through his uncle Abraham’s praying.
Just yesterday I was reading about the desperate prayer of a woman named Hannah, who wanted a son more than life. She offered the Lord a commitment that if He would give he a son, she would set him apart for service to Him. He did. She did. And his name was Samuel.
Jesus allowed Simon Peter to see a glimpse past the veil when he made this startling revelation:
“Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren” (Luke 22:31-32).
Amazing. He was shaping Peter’s destiny – even knowing he would fail – through prayer.
Nearly every letter of Paul seems to have a subsection titled “My Prayer for You,” or “Still Praying for You.” Ever wonder why he prayed different things for different churches or individuals? Because God was using him to shape people’s lives.
The Score no Human Can Keep
You’re reading this today and wondering: Does anybody even remember, much less care, about me? They do. And they’re praying.
You’ve carried a burdened or broken heart for a long time for someone you care about, and you wonder: Does it even make a difference if I continue to pray? It does. Keep praying.
Only eternity will record how much our lives have been shaped by the praying of others. But eternity WILL record it.
Only eternity will record who much our praying shaped others’ lives. But eternity WILL record it.
So in case nobody’s told you lately, let me be the one to say it… Somebody’s praying.
And in case you need the reminder, let me also add… Somebody still needs yours.
(Enjoy the video/song to the right… the words still melt my heart to this day. If you’re reading this by RSS feed or Reader, click on the article to see the video. You’ll be encouraged.)