You Are the Answer to Someone Else's Prayer

Jerusalem

 Often, while praying, my mind wanders to a person. I feel God placing this person on my heart, as a burden. This can mean I am the one God is going to use as God's answer to that person's prayer. 

For example, several years ago, I felt led to pray for X. While praying, I did not know that X had just left his work space, found a place where he could be alone in his office building, and was praying. 

X's spouse had a sexual affair with another man. She filed for divorce. X wanted to secure help for their marriage. She refused. 

That morning X received a phone call from his father. "Your mother has cancer. She's not expected to live much longer." X felt his knees buckle, his breathing difficult, the weight too much to bear. X had to get alone with the only One who could make a way where there seemed to be no way. X prayed, "God, help me... Help us!"

I was alone, in my backyard by the river, sitting in my prayer chair, as X was appealing to God. I already knew about X's evil-assaulted marriage. As I was prayed the thought came to me, "Call X now." I did. I believed this thought was coming from God, to me.

I have learned, over years of praying, listening, and risking, that God often comes as an interruption, in my "wandering mind." What could I lose from calling X to check in? This was a no-fail spiritual situation.

I called X. He answered, "I can't believe you called me. I couldn't stay in my work space, and had to get alone with God. I was asking God for help. And then you called!"

We agreed this was no coincidence. It was the orchestrating work of the Holy Spirit. I was God's answer for X, at the time.

When you pray, listen for the voice of God. When an interruptive thought comes, check it out. You begin to discover that such things can be from God. This increases your faith and expectation. You are being used by God to help others in their prayer-cries for mercy.

This is God saying, "I hear X's cry. I am going to answer X's prayer by placing the thought of X in John's mind."



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My two books are:

Praying: Reflections on 40 Years of Solitary Conversations with God

Leading the Presence-Driven Church