The woman who prayed for me | Office Prayer Walks

Every morning, when I reach my office, I take some time out to pray for my wife and children (no, I’m not married yet, but there’s this great feeling that comes with praying about the future), my family, and my work.

When sitting and praying gets tiring / boring, I take a walk on the busy road outside my office.

I remember the first time I did my prayer walk. I stepped outside with my thoughts well structured so that I could finish my prayers in less than 5 minutes.

But just as I began to pray for my family, I noticed an old woman with a horrible hunch on her back. She walked slowly, seemingly with a lot of pain.

I looked at her and my heart was broken. There was something within me that compelled me to go pray for her, but I knew I didn’t have the time to. I still had to pray for my wife, my children, and my family; and get back to work.

So I continued my walk. Fortunately for me, that feeling within me did not let me take more than a few steps. I had to turn back.

I ran to her, gave her some money and asked, in Kannada, if I could pray with her. She agreed with a smile.

And so I did – I prayed for her in English because my Kannada is terrible. I prayed that she would be healed and blessed in Jesus’ Name, and as I ended my prayer, she joined in with an ‘Amen’ that was louder than mine.

She explained her belief that she has been constantly blessed by Jesus, and that He has kept her from harm.

As I stared at her in surprise, she asked me if she could pray for me.

I joyfully agreed.

She placed her hands on my head and in a soft voice, she prayed.

For what?

For my wife, for my children, and for my family.

I stood there, amazed, as she continued to pray fervently. She smiled as she finished; I thanked her and we both went on our way.

I learnt something important in that moment – if you choose to follow Jesus, you better be ready to be interrupted, sometimes even by Him. You’ve gotta be prepared to not have your own agenda, to give up on your own plans, no matter how small or big they are.

You’ve got to be ready to obey, no matter what the command is, big or small.

And never be afraid of what you’re going to miss out on. Because God’s will is so much better. And if what you’re afraid of losing is in God’s plan for you, you’ll end up getting it anyway, and you may just be amazed by how He gives it to you.