The special couple I’ve adopted as my parents at Christ’s Family Church, Rich and Betty Day, are very wonderful people. They have a heart to pray for people and do so every morning during their devotions. Quite a few years ago I had them model what they do as our sermon for that particular Sunday. It was powerful as they just sat in two big stuffed chairs, oblivious to the rest of us and had devotions. We were all deeply touched as we began to realize how regularly they prayed for each of us.
Several Sundays ago, someone encouraged them by saying they could see many of their family member coming to know the Lord much more intimately. It inspired Rich and he came forward at the close of the message to share this insight.
“Last night I couldn’t get to sleep,” he said, “so I began to count all the people Betty and I pray for regularly.” You guessed it! Three hundred and fifty people. I asked him later if he went down a written prayer list and counted them. That was not the case. This 82 year old kind and joyful man noted them all from memory.
If you have ever asked them for prayer most likely you are still on the list in their hearts. Missionaries who have handed out prayer cards are still receiving divine intervention every morning from the prayers around their breakfast table.
They are retired, but even more so, re-fired by their faithfulness to pray. Do these prayers make a difference? You should ask the 350 people on their list. Even better would be experiencing it personally by seeing if you can get on that list!
Glad to see you blogging again, Papa Don!
And I LOVE those two so much! They are the kind of people that we should all hope to become.
Thanks for the encouragement Dan and I agree with your assessment of Rich & Betty!
Wow! That is awesome and inspiring.
I don’t think I can quite wrap my head around what it would look like to pray for 350 individuals on a regular basis.