Prayers Answered for Friend

Even the most casual of prayers can work if the result is meant to be. 

Today, a dear friend and neighbor, her visiting daughter, and I, were together. They treated me to Denny's. We quickly discovered my friend's purse was not in the car as expected. My friend is 81, and freshly out of a near-month-long hospital stay, trails an oxygen hose, and uses a walker.

At first, we were not too concerned. We just figured either her daughter had forgotten to take it from the house to the car on the way, or my friend had forgotten to ask her to do so.

Very soon after they got home, I got a call from her. The police had her purse, way across town. A woman had turned it in, saying she found it on a local K-Mart parking lot when she noticed a suspicious person eyeing it.

My friend and her daughter were going to leave after a brief rest for her, and go get the purse. 

At that point, my friend asked me for a quick prayer that none of the contents would be missing. We didn't even discuss how hard it would be for her otherwise. At our ages, getting another driver's license, closing accounts and/or getting replacement cards, the cash, cell phone, glasses...you get the idea. 

While on the phone, we backtracked, mentally, and we all agreed that most likely, it fell from the car when we got out at Denny's. This could have been when her daughter removed the walker from the back seat area. Or it could have been when I opened the walker for her, on the passenger side - perhaps she had the purse on her other shoulder (the one without the oxygen) and neither of us noticed when it slipped off.

Either way, my friend rarely asks for a prayer for herself, so I knew she was really concerned about what she would find. Of course, I immediately prayed on her behalf, as we all did.

Later in the day, I received a call. They were back. The purse was intact; not a scratch on it. And the only things missing were a few pens she had in there. How incredible was that?

So never think that a matter is too trivial for a quick prayer. And never be afraid to ask someone for a prayer on your behalf - a friend, relative, loved one, neighbor. We all need them from time to time. 

And we all know there is power in the prayers of two or more gathered in His name.

Sweet Jesus, thank you for hearing our simple, heartfelt prayers this afternoon. There's no way we can thank you enough for this blessing. But we will try to thank you by remembering others in our hearts and prayers, wherever and whenever we can do so.