Prayer Warrior

Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance... Eph 6:18

Today I met a prayer warrior. The outside shell of her body has seen many years, the wrinkles in her face
are a wittness to the life of laughter she has experienced, her hands are worn, but soft to the touch. She is dressed in a modest dress, and greets me with a smile. She doesn't look like a warrior, but she is. She has prayed for generations, and seen many things come from the power of prayer.
The first encounter I had with this woman was over the phone, as she shared about losing her husband in the last week. They had been married 53 years this March.Today, I got to meet her face to face. Inviting me in, I can't help but notice the cards and flowers/plants sitting around her home. Her husband was buried on Monday.  She explains that he went home to meet Jesus in his sleep. How he was waiting for her on the other side.
I take a seat next to her on the couch as she shares with me her wedding photos and her treasured memories of past dates and special times with the love of her life. Although the photos are yellowed with age, with vivid colors she paints a picture in my minds eye of the bright, happy memories she treasures. She asks me about my family and as I share with her, she reaches for a book laying on top of her well worn Bible.
Keeping the book in her lap she shares her faith, and then opens her book. It was a prayer journal. Inside are pages full of names. She shows me some names that have lines underneath them. She explains that each line represents a time she had a bad thought against that person. With each line she would pray for forgiveness and pray for blessings upon them. We chatted about prayers of all sorts and the waiting that comes along with prayer,  and the faith that is wrapped up within each prayer. Her eyes sparkled as she spoke of prayers that led to eternal decisions..folks that she would see in heaven.
My greatest suprise came when  she humbled me by asking if it was okay if she put my name, and Sweeties, and the boys into her prayer journal. With tear filled eyes I gave her permission to do so. As a fellow prayer person, I understand the value in having someone pray for you, and the honor placed on ones shoulders to be able to approach the the throne of the Creator, and pray for someone else.
Sometimes the power of prayer is underestimated, often is is misundersood, and becomes more of a habit to bow quickly, mumble a few words and go about our business. Often prayer is something we say we will do, but forget to follow through, or a quick prayer sent up and then it is forgotten about. We have been given a direct link to our Heavenly Father., an opportunity to change someones life, a gift - the gift of prayer.
Before I left her,we prayed together. Two believers, united in our faith,  lifting up those who are laid on our hearts with the knowledge that God was listening.