A volunteer of Grace Klein Community shared a neat story of what God challenged her to do. Check this out and ask yourself what you would have done! We will call her Sally for this story because she would want Jesus to get all the glory.
On Good Friday, Sally was serving God and her friend by providing childcare for three extra kids besides her two. She had five kids for the afternoon, so they went to a local park to play.
As they were playing, she noticed teenagers walking up and then more teenagers. She started thinking maybe they were about to have a party and maybe she and the kiddos needed to leave. She decided to go ask one of them.
The teenager said, “No, we aren’t having a party. We are having a memorial service for our friend who died yesterday in a swimming accident.”
Sally felt immediately that God wanted her to pray with all these kids. Remember, there were at least 70 teenagers out there. She went to call her friend and ask her what she thought. Her friend agreed that she had to do it if she felt God was telling her to pray. She knew it would be like Aunt Bee meeting the Rolling Stones.
WHAT WOULD YOU DO?
Sally decided to be courageous. She went and asked to speak to the teenager in charge. Someone led her to this young woman and she asked,”Can I pray for y’all?”
These young adults said, “YES.” They proceeded to make a huge circle and Sally prayed and prayed. She shared the Gospel in her prayer. She shared hope. She cried. She begged God to comfort these kids. She asked protection for these kids that they would not run to sex, alcohol and drugs to find comfort. She admitted and even said in her prayer that their friend dying ‘sucked.’ She found herself standing there with both of her hands in the air begging God to show Himself to these 70+ teenagers.
And then she said amen and opened her eyes. They were all staring at her with her hands in the air and tears rolling down her face. No one said a word. And Sally said, “Oh, I forgot yall were there.” And then she decided to go home.
One young man caught her on her way out and said, “thanks, we needed that.” That’s the only thing all those 70+ teenagers said to her. Pray they do not forget and that they are forever changed from the boldness of Sally.
Oh yea, and she did apologize to her daughter for saying the ugly word in her prayer, but her daughter had no idea what she was talking about. (:
Ephesians 6:19-20
“Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.”
Father, please help us be as bold as Sally and obey even when it is uncomfortable. Use us to love people like you love them. Help us be willing to share our time, our resources, our lives, our pain to encourage others and point them to Jesus. Teach us to trust Your voice and follow. Help us not to care about the response others may give or not give us. We love you! And, wow, thank you for Sally. Amen