I remember the first time that someone said to me “I’m praying for you.” I was 8 or 9 years old. We were living in Naples, Italy at the time (my father was in the Air Force, and he was stationed there). Our neighbors across the street had kids about the same age as my brothers and me. We had been there about a year when they moved in. Like all neighborhoods, the neighborhood kids always sized up the new kids to see if they were cool enough to hang out with us (although in retrospect I think it is safe to say we were the dorky kids, but at least cool in our own eyes). After a couple of days, John and Randy were deemed to be good. I was not a church kid growing up, but it became pretty apparent that they and their family were church people. Their mother was always very nice to us. Their dad had a very cool vintage Morgan 4x4 British sports car. Like all good friends, we soon started spending the night at each other’s homes. One weekend, we ended up spending the night on a Saturday night. We did so with the understanding that we would be going to church with them the next morning. So, we did. Having not been raised in church-going home, it was one of the first times (if not the first) that I heard the Gospel. It was a Protestant service at the base chapel. I felt a little uncomfortable, and to be honest a bit bored. It is hard to sit still for an hour to listen someone speak (ironic I became a pastor). After getting home, the mother said she was praying for us. I kind of dismissed it but at the same time it resonated with me. I have no doubt that her prayers, and the subsequent prayers of those Christians that intersected my life (not the least of which my wife Jennifer), planted the seeds that prepared my heart for salvation at the age of 20. Jesus did many things during his physical ministry here on earth, and there was always one common denominator in all of it: prayer. In John 17, it emphasizes how and what Jesus prayed. He prayed for himself, his disciples, and for all Believers (emphasize all). Verse 20 reads “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message.” Prayer is the spiritual lifeline for the Believer. There is no intercessor needed, for as Believers we have Christ in us. When we pray, we enter into the very presence of God. Think about that. The God of the universe giving us his ear—listening and lovingly answering. Just as Christ prayed for those now and those to come, so too shall we. Prayer is the balm that heals the hurt and the lost. You never know how God will answer your prayer. 50 years ago, the prayers of a neighborhood mom helped set the course for my life, changing my eternity. That’s the power of prayer.
