How God Answered Prayers and Showed His Hand at Work (#31DaysofMemories)

I know the 31 Day writing challenge was for the month of October and it's now December. But with the amount of traveling I have done and the amount of sickness that has plagued me over the last two months, I fell way behind. And I thought now that things are a bit quieter I would keep going and finish out my #31DaysofMemories. So without further ado...

Back when I was just graduating high school and getting ready to head to college, all of (or at least most of) the ministers from the churches in my city got together and made a two year plan to make more of an impact on our city. My dad was a part of it and our church joined in when and where we could over the next two years. This effort was named Serve the City.

One of the things that our church took part in was a 2 year prayer initiative. The Serve the City committee had made up these gorgeous wall sized posters of our city sky-line and river. And each church had one. We hung ours up on the wall that you see just as you're walking down the stairs out of the sanctuary. It was beautiful!

One Sunday, we had a service that was centered around the fact that each person in our church knew at least one other person who wasn't a believer. We were asked to think of that name and commit to praying for that person and their relationship with Jesus over the next two years. And then, if we wanted to, we could take a silver Sharpie and write that name somewhere on the poster of the city.

I remember thinking for a long time about what name I should write. I was working 2 jobs and knew lost of my co-workers weren't believers. But I couldn't think of a name and I know that I didn't write one that day. It was a few weeks later before I knew which name to write. It was a dear friend and co-worker. It was someone who is still one of my closest friends.

I began praying for her and didn't stop even after the 2 year campaign with Serve the City ended. I prayed for her up through college and even to this day I continue to pray for her (5 years after Serve the City began!). I prayed that somehow God would touch her heart, bring her healing and win her to himself.  All along I knew that it wouldn't be me and my prayers that would change her life and bring her to Christ. I knew that my prayers would be heard and that God would answer them in His own way and time. But it wouldn't be me to make the change and get the glory. I knew that it would be the power of God working in her that would bring change and renewal to her and glory to God.

When I was home visiting from college my senior year, we met up for lunch at Olive Garden (we still try to meet up at least once each time I am home). And we settled in for a couple of hours of good food and catching up on life. As we talked, she started to share her story with me. She had started going to a church in a town not far from where we lived and it was changing her in big ways. She told me about how she was finding healing from past hurts, how her relationships with her family were growing stronger and better, how her brother was also beginning to change and start his own faith journey, and how she was beginning to think about being baptized.

Can I just say I was soooo excited?!?! I was bouncing in my seat and grinning from ear to ear. Here was this friend that I loved dearly and had prayed for for years and God was showing me that He was working in her. He showed me that my prayers were/are heard. And He was showing me that He loves her more than I ever could and was determined to win her heart. Seriously. I couldn't express to her how happy I was in a way that made sense or was very quiet in our corner of the restaurant (I was very excited!).

And all of a sudden as we were talking, I felt something touch my heart and I knew I needed to share my story with her. So I told her about Serve the City and how I had written her name on the poster at my church with a commitment to pray for her. As I told her this we both began to cry and blubber like babies. But it was a cry of rejoicing. I had a new sister in Christ, God had proven His mighty hand in her life and we were both in awe of how He worked in both of us over the years.

Now, a few years later, she amazes and teaches me. Her encouraging spirit, gentle love and strong faith are a force to be reckoned with. I am in awe as I continue to watch her on her journey with Jesus. I am so grateful that all those years ago, I got to meet her, work with her, be her friend and have her name put on my heart to pray. And today, I am beyond grateful that I still get to be her friend and even better... her sister in Christ.