“Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress. He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea[a] were hushed. They were glad when it grew calm, and he guided them to their desired haven.” Psalm 107:28-30
Steve is the general manager of a restaurant in our shred town. He’s sort of a tough-guy, I mean…he’s a Raiders fan, if you know what I mean.
We met Steve one day in his restaurant when we were spending time talking with three different tables of people we knew. He was surprised we knew so many people, walked up to us and said, “Who are you?”
He sat down at our table about several years ago and asked what our gig was in the community. I explained I was the pastor of a little church in the resort and his response was, “I used to go to church”.
After coming to his restaurant (partially just to visit with him) numerous times over the years, we got to know Steve pretty well. He would routinely come and sit with us during dinner.
Then, Steve was in an accident – a horrible crash that crushed the side of his face. The doctors didn’t think he would live. We were heartbroken, but God, in His goodness returned Steve to health and allowed him to return back to work.
Then, one day we had a group of Christian friends meet at Steve’s restaurant for a meeting. Steve came and sat down wondering what these ten people had in common.
During our conversation I asked Steve to tell the group about his accident. I had never seen him get choked up before. He described the number of people in his life who were praying for him. In Steve’s words, “The power of prayer is freakin’ awesome!”
After his story we all sat there in amazement of what God was doing in his life, and then, the gal sitting next to him began to pray for Steve. Weeks later, we found out that Steve had returned home to see his Dad and attended church with him.
We’ve been privileged to make and minister to many friends in our shred town. And although many of our friends’ stories are still unfolding, we’ve witnessed the power of prayer at work in these relationships, and like Steve said, it is “freakin’ awesome!” I look forward to God continually opening opportunities for us to see the power of prayer at work in our community.
Challenge
How can you and your friends intentionally spend more time lifting up your community in prayer?
Do you believe in the power of prayer enough to stop on the hill when you see someone injured and ask them if they want prayer?
The next time someone complains about their miserable day or some problems in their life, take a moment to pray before you respond.
By Joshua Stock | Copper, Colorado
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