My Prayer Warriors

My husband had traveled to the Philippines to build homes.
He volunteers once a year and travels around the world to meet the needs of others.
His dream is to build homes on every continent.
He only has Europe and Africa left to make that dream come true. (Antarctica is not on the list)

He is typically gone for two and a half weeks when he makes these trips.
It is usually the middle of winter when he does this trip.
I keep myself very busy while he’s gone.
It is a time to catch up with friends for lunch or dinner.

He returned the beginning of the month and went right back to work.
The day after his first day back, he needed to go to Washington D.C. for a meeting.
That is always a treat because he gets to see our son who is a lawyer there.
He called me on his last day in D.C.

I’m not feeling well.
I think I have a fever.
Somehow, he thought I could diagnose over the phone.
I gave him the tried and true instructions: rest, stay hydrated; but beyond that I had no idea.

Whenever you travel to a foreign country, you cannot fool with a fever.
I insisted he see the doctor when he got home.
He did and discovered that he only had the flu virus that was going around.
According to my daughter, who is a teacher, the virus is all over the schools.

He was home from work for two days.
I kept teasing him, Don’t get me sick!
I knew that I had to speak at a women’s retreat the following weekend.
He went back to work and I started to feel the same way he did.

I taught Bible study; the more I talked the more I coughed.
The next day was my husband’s birthday and we still went out to breakfast as he likes.
I came home and slept for three hours.
The next day, I slept a lot, coughed a lot, and did not have much of a voice.

How was I ever going to speak at a women’s retreat that weekend?
I was asked to speak months ago.
They asked me to teach two sessions.
There was no way in my own strength that this would even be possible.

Thankfully, I had an army.
I had a group of warriors ready to fight.
These warriors hold no weapons in their hands.
These warriors do their best fighting on their knees.

I called in the recruits.
I called out to my dear friends and sisters in the Lord.
I asked for prayer.
I needed prayer; there was no way I could do this on my own.

I was humbled by their response.
I was astonished as the battle plans that were drawn.
I was amazed at the scope of the battle.
I was fortified by the prayers of others.

I asked the women at Bible study to pray and I also sent out a text to my other warriors.
Immediately, they rushed to my aid.
I woke up that morning to emails and texts telling me that they were praying.
My precious friends, my mighty prayer warriors, went to battle on my behalf.

No general could have organized it better.
No battle was as systematically planned as this one.
I was humbled by the love and support my little request mustered.
I have known, but then really knew, that I was loved in Christ in such a special way.

If anyone has experienced all-out prayer on your behalf, you know what I mean.
These are the prayers that move mountains.
These are the prayers that lift up and encourage.
These are the prayers that strengthen.

The enemy would love nothing more than to discourage us.
The enemy would love nothing more than to stop us when we have kingdom work to do.
The enemy comes to steal, kill, and destroy.
The prayer warriors will not stand for the enemy’s schemes.

The enemy has no power over the prayers of God’s people.
The enemy must flee when God’s people pray.
The enemy is defeated when our knees bow.
The enemy cannot stand against our weapon: The Word of God.

To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power my rest on me. That is why for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12:7-10)

When I am weak, then I am strong.
When I know that I cannot do something on my own, Christ works powerfully through me.
When I realize that I am not equipped unless He equips me, I am wise.
When I know that I am weak, only then can I be truly strong.

In Him.
Only in Him.
Only because of Him.
Only through Him.

Apart from Me, you can do nothing. (John 15:5)

Post Script:
The day of the retreat came.
I felt the prayers of my sweet sisters surrounding me.
Only because of their prayers on my behalf was I able to teach the women.
I did not cough once during either session.

God answered their prayers.
I was humbled by the outpouring of love.
I have always heard the way to love someone is to listen to them.
I will add: the way to love someone is to pray for them.

The enemy had to flee.
God’s Word went forth.
The Kingdom work, in this little corner of the world, pressed on.
I am so incredibly grateful.

Thank you, my sweet sisters in the Lord.