God Answers Prayer
It started with concern for my husband. He’d come home and share with me unbelievable stories about what was happening in the school where he worked. He told me about children who acted out in every conceivable negative way. He told me about teachers so overwhelmed, that sick days were frequent and turnover was high. He told me about administrators trying to hold it all together, but only making things worse. I saw the toll it was taking on him both physically and spiritually.
I reached out to everyone I could think of who might have influence. No one responded. So I sent out a massive call for an emergency prayer meeting to a pastors network and a group of committed individuals dedicated to praying for my city. I had no idea groups like that even existed. I also didn’t know that in that prayer meeting the seed was planted for God to move mightily on behalf of that school.
Fast forward 3 years. Tom was searching the police blotter as I mentioned in an earlier post and found, not 6, but 8 of his former students as having been arrested or currently incarcerated. What I didn’t share in my earlier post is that 3 years ago I served as a jury member on a murder trial. It broke my heart to know that the victim, the accused, and the main witness were all former students at the school where my husband worked. Two of them began their gang activity while students there.
So, again not wanting to just sit, shake my head, and wring my hands, I put a call out to the group that prayed before. A concerned individual who is very involved in prayer for my city took up the cause and advertized a prayer event that I organized, but we didn’t really see much response. I’ll admit it was a little disappointing, but I was committed to pray even if no one showed up.
When my husband and I arrived at the school, there was a flurry of activity. The school doors were open and a young man was welcoming people as they entered. I had no idea an event would be going on, and felt a bit uncomfortable, but I figured we could still pray. When our prayer community friend arrived, he said he knew the guy at the door so he introduced us. Here is where it gets exciting. The young man at the door represented a ministry from one of the larger churches in my city. It turns out that this church has adopted the school and for the past year has been serving them by mentoring students, keeping the grounds, and praying for the school!!!! I couldn’t believe it.
More than 85 committed believers gathered there that Saturday morning for a day of service and prayer. This is far beyond what I expected, but exactly what I had hoped for when I initially began to pray for this school and reached out to the larger community.
It took me several minutes to process what was going on. This event happening without my knowledge or my involvement made me feel a bit redundant. Compared to this impressively organized and well attended gathering, I felt like an amateur. I felt foolish and completely inadequate showing up to wage war in prayer with 2 other people, my concern, and a few prayer points printed out. And, if I am being totally honest, there was a tiny part of me that wanted to be acknowledged that it was me who got this ball rolling 3 years ago. It was me who made everyone aware of the needs of the school. But God lovingly checked my pride, and showed me that this gathering was an answer to my initial prayer. In fact, it was exceedingly, abundantly above all I could have asked or thought.
I no longer felt redundant or pushed aside. I felt heard. I felt overwhelmed at such an incredible answer to prayer. He comforted me with John 3:30, “He must increase , but I must decrease”. I have a new appreciation for this verse. God had taken up my cause so beautifully and completely that I was no longer needed. I am free to serve Him in other ways, and God has opened the door for that as well.