Excitement, Conviction & Inspiration

Last week we saw a friend we hadn't seen since July. This friend used to sit on the same pew (technically, row of chairs) at church with our family each Sunday.

I love to observe people and though my mind probably should have been completely focused on the sermon, I found myself week after week studying those around me, learning what I could about them and offering up prayers I thought suitable.

In the case of this friend, I noticed the little book he took notes in. I knew the friend had heard this pastor preach for lots of years and I wondered how he continually found so much to write about from the sermons... not that the messages weren't compelling, rather I sort-of assumed he had heard it several times before.

Somewhere along the line, I noticed that the little book he wrote in was perched on his stomach. It looked uncomfortable, in fact he looked uncomfortable. It was then I began to pray for his health. I prayed the Lord would motivate him to work towards a healthier weight and that He would protect our friend from heart problems and such until he did. I thought of his family and how much his easy-going, yet passionate personality must be cherished and I prayed for God to help him.

Being the immature sort that I am when it comes to being a prayer warrior, we left the church and I pretty much left my prayers for this man's health there on that pew. So it's hard to describe all the emotions that I felt when we saw him last week - for this friend of ours looked incredible. He had made a commitment in May to eat healthy and exercise his way back to a healthy weight.

I was excited that the Lord had led me to pray for him. I was convicted that I had failed to continue my prayers when I no longer saw him weekly. And, I was inspired to make a commitment to better health for myself. After all, our bodies are a gift from the Lord - a housing for our souls, a source of strength to do His work in service and love.

Funny, I thought I was blessing our friend those weeks when I prayed long ago and yet, I am now the one with more blessings to tally through the opportunity to grow as a prayer warrior and shrink my waist size!