She Prayed for Me

I recently returned from the annual college women’s retreat I co-lead with a former classmate.  Spiritual in nature, our theme was “Connecting the Dots in Relationships.” Our goal was not only to reconnect with the women we went to college with but to also reconnect with God.  One of the women attending the retreat for the first time was my big sister in the sorority I pledged.  Her memories of me in college probably weren’t all that positive.  I was a loud, energetic athlete who didn’t miss any parties and admittedly had my priorities upside down. As I recall, there was a reason to drink almost every night and my studies, and probably my sports endeavors, suffered the first couple of years of college.

I spent some time chatting with my sorority sister and told her I had a turning point in my life that set me on a different path, leading to Christ.  I began to tell her about my transformation story that happened in my early thirties.  After I shared, she told me that in college she had become disappointed with all the partying going on at school so she pulled back from the crowd and began to pray for people.  She said that I was one of the ones she prayed for in college and continued to pray for throughout the years. I was dumbfounded!  Someone was praying for me over the years?  It brought tears to my eyes as I have to believe my friend’s prayers most likely contributed to the reason my life made a u-turn into the right direction.

I began to realize that it took about 15 years before the prayers for me were answered, and many more years before my friend saw the fruit of her prayers in action at our annual retreat! A lesson for all of us to be persistent in prayer, even if we don’t see results right away.  Mark 21:22 says, If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” My friend believed only God could turn my life around and the lives of the others she prayed for.  God blessed her for her diligence that took root in her as a young woman in college.  How about you? Are you interceding for those in your life who have gone astray?  Prayer is one of the most powerful ways to bring them back.