Grandma's Prayer Warriors

My family and I returned from our trip from the North a few days ago. Like always we had a very good trip and it was difficult for us to return and leave our family in the colder states. While this trip was to spend time with family over the holidays, this year I preached at a few different events.

One of these events was a woman’s conference at The Gathering Place in Marion. I had been asked to teach a writer’s workshop before preaching and in between services a woman who I never met to my knowledge came up to me. She began the conversation by asking me if I was related to my grandmother. I’m from a fairly small town so I smiled and nodded my head. True I didn’t know who this woman was but my grandmother had a way with knowing most of the town. My grandmother moved in with Jesus several years ago. Her impact on my life is unmistakable and it has always been a regret of mine that she never lived to see me published or ordained. The picture above was the two of us at my high school graduation.

After I preached the message this same woman’s daughter came up to talk to me with her mother. As their story unfolded, these ladies had been part of a prayer group with my grandmother during a time my grandmother would have desperately needed some prayer. What resulted was a friendship, and as that friendship progressed she’d go and tell them all about me. The one woman told me how grandma was always saying, “We gotta pray for that Anna!” These ladies had been praying for me for the last 25 years. Together we sat sharing memories and laughter of all the times grandma would come into that prayer meeting talking about my latest adventure.

“She would have been so proud of you.” I know my grandmother would have been, but my tears weren’t lacking to hear the woman say that to me. I was overwhelmed at the God coincidence. These ladies who had been praying for me all those years just so happened to sign up for a conference not realizing who was preaching were fruit of their prayers. Those kinds of things never cease to amaze me.

I think that too often in the kingdom we misunderstand prayer. It never ceases to amaze me how prayer is like this living organism. In Isaiah 55 when God talks about the words He sends out they won’t return to Him void it’s so true. These ladies I’m sure never thought all those years ago they’d hear me preach one day, they were just obedient to my grandmother’s requests. But their prayers along with the will of God and many others have prayed for me over the years, and I can see their fruit in my life.

When you feel led to pray for someone, do it! You never know what is going on in their lives, and you never know when you may see the fruit from your prayers. Remember God has awesome plans for your life. Get excited.