Once, three of my teammates and I were walking home late at night in South Africa when a car pulled over beside us, six men hopped out and surrounded us. I thought we were about to get mugged, but after a moment one of them stepped forward and asked nicely, “hey, can you pray for us?”
It turned out his marriage was falling apart. So we prayed for that. Afterwards him and his guys went on their way and we never saw them again.
One of my favorite things about living as a missionary abroad is that people everywhere ask you for prayer. It happens during travel days, walking around town, at church and in your home. People are hungry for God.
Another time, I prayed for a guy on a plane. It took about a minute.
He stared out the window when I finished. After a minute or so he turned back to me and said, “I can really feel His presence.”
I don’t recall praying for anything in particular. It stuns me that perhaps the greatest blessing God gives is his presence. So often I pray for healing, direction, wisdom, understanding, grace, and even peace. Rarely do I ask for God’s presence.
And isn’t that what it’s all about? Is there a better thing than to feel him next to you? To know that He’s walking beside you?
