Being the Answer to Someone Else's Prayers

I heard the greatest story yesterday. A friend of mine shared his prayer request in his Bible class. He was in dire need of some temporary housing. The man who was taking the requests and about to lead the prayer said to my friend in front of everyone, "Expect an answer." Little did my friend know how quickly that answer would come.

Near the end of the class my buddy stepped out of the room to use the restroom and as he returned to the classroom, there was Terry Browder, standing at the door. Terry and his wife, Laura, are members of that same class and heard the prayer request. They started a cool ministry a few years ago when they turned a house near the Highland building into what they call "The Hospitality House." It's for those needing a place to stay for a few weeks -- missionaries that are visiting, folks who are in town because a loved one is in the hospital, a family in crisis. Terry handed my friend a brochure of the hospitality house and said, "It's empty. You can stay there for awhile. It's fully furnished."

My friend was absolutely blown away at the goodness of God. As the class leader had said, "Expect an answer from God." It turned out that Terry and Laura decided to be the answer to my friend's prayer.

On the way to work I was thinking about prayer and how to look at it from a different perspective. Most often I see intercessory prayer as me asking God to do something and then waiting for Him to answer it -- His way, of course. However, what if you and I prayed a different sort of prayer, something like, "Lord, would You please use me to be an answer to someone else's prayer." I'm not sure if that's what Terry and Laura had done before going to class and yet they did establish that hospitality house in order to bless those in need of temporary housing. And the Lord has surely used them to be the answer to the prayers of many -- including my friend yesterday.

We might try praying that prayer today. And even listen in on others' prayers and then ask the Lord, "Father, please use me in some way to be an answer to that person's needs." It may involve just giving someone a call. Sending an e-mail. Or buying a person in poverty a tank of gas or some Christmas presents for their kids.

Our Savior is a such a generous giver. I want to be like Him and always be ready to give to others -- so that people will know that the living God truly does answer prayers -- and often does so through the kind acts of His people.

Jim