'Somebody is praying for me'

Don't underestimate the power of prayer or what it means to stop, take time and pray with someone.

Case in point, during a recent mobile kitchen outreach we met a man we had never seen before. We gave him a plate of food and offered prayer. As most people do, he welcomed the prayer. I asked him if there was anything specific and he just said, "everything." So, Martha and I began praying about "everything."

As we prayed, he started weeping, then he squeezed the to-go plate that held his hot meal. At that moment, the food didn't matter to him. God and the fact someone was praying for him were his top priorities.

His weeping increased as he said over and over again, "Somebody is praying for me. Somebody is praying for me." He was moved by the fact we were praying for him. He was at a point in his life where he didn't think anyone cared, so he was in awe there was a group of people who cared enough to come to where he was and pray.

Without any prompting from Martha or me, the man started crying out to God, "Forgive me God. Forgive me. I've sinned against you. Forgive me." The Holy Spirit was moving so strongly upon this precious soul that he had to cry out to God.

When we finished praying, I opened the Bible on my phone and showed him 1 John 1:9, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

He understood God had forgiven him, which made him start weeping again. While wiping the tears from his eyes, he thanked us. We all hugged and he started walking off. He made it about 5 yards and he started crying again. He thanked us again and slowly walked away.

That was a very powerful moment. We all thanked God for moving on that man's heart in such a mighty way. When we step out of what the world calls ordinary and live out the Great Commission, it's amazing what we see God do.

Let's stop trying to live an ordinary life as the world defines it and start living an ordinary life as God defines it. That life is living in obedience to Him under His Lordship. It's living out the Great Commission, understanding that it's not an event or specific outreach, but it's a lifestyle.

Living a life totally committed to God shouldn't be looked at by believers as out of the ordinary. It's what God expects. It's what He deserves, and what we should desire.