This afternoon as I sat enjoying a cup of coffee with my neighbor, God whispered in my ear … “Sue, I have more to teach you”. Sandra* was telling me about times when she has heard the whisper of God. I wanted to encourage her. I wanted to share a verse with her. I wanted to correct her understanding of OT history. I wanted to talk!
A few weeks ago I was in a conversation with a group of women on the subject of confidentiality. The specific confidential topic was prayer requests. It was suggested that when a friend shares a prayer request, my total responsibility is to pray.
***That means not share it with another so they can be involved in praying.
***That means not even come back to her and ask about how it is going.
***That means to not discuss it with others who also heard the request.
The request is her story and I need to let her lead if she wants to bring it up again.
Yikes, that was a new thought for me. Isn’t it showing concern to ask about the situation? Isn’t it showing love to let her know I’m remembering to pray?
Letting them lead was just drilled down to a new level for me.
As the conversation continued, it was mentioned that there are times when a follow-up question is appropriate and kind. But there are also times when the only appropriate thing is prayer.
As I pondered that I realized that this is about trust. Do I trust that God is big enough and His hearing is sharp enough to not only hear my prayer but also to act?
And do I trust that the Holy Spirit is alive and well in my friend and that they too can hear the voice of God? My responsibility is to pray and trust.
Letting them lead in any follow-up conversation about the prayer request is one way to love and honor my friend.
Letting them lead is about being silent. Let their story be their story. Let their prayer request be their prayer request. Silence just might be the best encouragement I offer.
I have a feeling my prayer life will never be the same!
“And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us”. I John 5:14
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