What Others Believe

You are such a faithful prayer warrior and I truly appreciate it.

A friend texted me in reply to my note to her. It caught me off guard. I pray often, and sometimes I send a note to let people know they’re not alone in their journey. I have been encouraged as people have shared their prayers with me through the years, and reaching out to others to let them know I’ve been praying for them humbles me. It reminds me of my relationship with God the the extent of his bigness. Prayer calibrates and positions me.

I’ve always felt insufficient as a person of prayer. I knew God listened to whatever I offered, but I certainly did not see myself as a prayer warrior. I had some of those in my life, and they were way beyond me.

Many years ago, I spoke at a women’s event. It was a last minute commitment. The scheduled speaker couldn’t make it, so with a couple weeks to go, I stepped in. It was daunting, but I also had peace about it. I second-guessed myself several times that weekend, but I never second-guessed God. He was abundantly strong for and through me.

As a thank you gift, the hosts gave me a beautiful statue of a woman praying. It seemed an authentic portrayal to me. The woman was sitting in a chair, leaning onto her knees, nearly collapsed in prayer. The artist captured a posture of prayer.

The note attached to the gift stunned me. There was an explanation of the gift; it was chosen because the praying woman reminded them of me.

Me?

They must be mistaken, I thought, because I wasn’t that “complete” in my prayer life.

But they saw something in me that I couldn’t yet see in myself. They saw what I was becoming.

Pay attention to what others see, how God is encouraging you through others. Refuse to be inflated by what others see and say; instead be humbled. Be ready. Grow, change, and become who God knows you can be.