the prayer box

It all started with a really nice idea.

The women in our discipleship group (there are 8 of us) were trying to think of ways to reach out to our community – specifically, to our neighborhoods.  Judy Webb (our fearless leader) shared about a friend who’d done this “prayer box thing” and our group agreed -- praying for our neighbors was something we’d like to do.  We decided to make two sets that would rotate through our various neighborhoods every 3 weeks or so.  We would share the requests with our group through email and together, we would lift these un-named people to our Father in prayer.

I offered to be a guinea pig mainly because the block I live on has Wickliffe School at one end and Fancyburg Park at the other, which meant lots of foot traffic.  So with the group’s blessing, I purchased supplies and after an hour or so of joyful crafting, I bounded down the driveway to set up my display.  I was halfway there when a voice in my head said, “You are about to become the neighborhood weirdo.”  I paused for a second, and then with my “get behind me, Satan” smirk on, continued down to the sidewalk to complete my task.

There were 4 requests the first day.  We had 25-30 in the first 4 weeks.  Most were quite serious.  Joblessness.  Marriages falling apart.  Drug addiction.  Cancer.  Child custody issues.  Car accidents.  Stressed out single moms.  And requests for prayers that family members would come to know Jesus. 

I was blown away.  I couldn’t believe that people would actually take the time to stand in my driveway and write down these oh-so-personal requests, trusting us to intercede for them.  Realizing the amount of pain and sadness that hides behind the doors of the houses around me was heartbreaking.  I have no idea who wrote these requests – I never once saw anyone down at the prayer box – but they were clearly very serious and they were counting on us.  We might not know their names, but God does, and He knows exactly what is needed in each situation.  To participate in lessening their burdens through intercessory prayer is incredible.  It is extremely humbling and I quickly realized that what I thought was going to be a “nice idea” was actually a huge responsibility. And an enormous privilege. 

Our group will continue to pray for our neighborhoods and for the people that have reached out to us.  And while we will probably never know the outcomes of our prayers, we are certain that some way, some how, the Holy Spirit is moving in the lives of these strangers and in our community. Thanks be to God!