Daily Devotion
Lord, Send Someone Across my Path
By Diane Pearson
A good friend and experienced Christian (she was in her 90s) introduced me to one of the simplest, yet most powerful prayers you can say: “Lord, send someone across my path today that I can help.”
It’s an exciting prayer and one which the Lord delights in answering. The first time I ever said that prayer, soon after I became a Christian, God answered in a dramatic way. I was praying in the car on my way to work in Lafayette, Ind., where I was a teacher. I didn’t even have time to take my coat off before my office door opened and a student walked in. She was struggling with panic attacks and needed help. She had no way of knowing that I, too, had been through the same struggle. God sent her to me because He knew I could help her. I thanked God for the answer to prayer and that He chose to use me in that way.
In this case, the answer was immediate and very obvious. Four things happened here:
- I prayed.
- I watched for an answer.
- I discerned it was from God.
- I thanked God for the answer.
Other times, the answer is not so clear, but the same steps apply. After you pray, go throughout your day in a state of watchfulness and anticipation that God will answer. When you sense an answer, ask the Holy Spirit to help you discern if God is acting. And, finally, always thank the Lord for using you.
A story in Genesis 24 demonstrates this pattern. Abraham was very old and asked his chief servant to get a wife for his son Isaac “not from the Canaanites, among whom I am living, but go to my country and my own relatives.” (vs. 4)
The servant traveled to a town where he stopped to water his camels. The servant prayed: “O Lord, God of my master Abraham, give me success today and show kindness to my master Abraham.” (vs.12) Before he had finished praying, Rebekah came out with her water jar on her shoulder. The servant “watched her closely to learn whether or not the Lord had made his journey successful.” (vs. 21) In conversation with her, he discovered that she was, indeed, a relative of Abraham’s through his brother Nahor. Then the servant bowed down and thanked God: “Praise be to the Lord, the God of my master Abraham. . . . The Lord has led me on the journey to the house of my master’s relatives.” (vs. 27)
Do you see the pattern here? Pray. Watch. Discern. Thank God.
Start your day with that simple prayer: “Lord, send someone across my path today that I can help.”
He may seat you next to someone in a doctor’s office who needs encouragement. He may place someone in a check-out line in front of you at the grocery store. The possibilities are endless, and exciting!
There may be times when you need to change the prayer to: “Lord, send someone across my path today to encourage me.”
God is not averse to you praying for yourself. Encouragement may come from a phone call, an unexpected knock on your door, or a kind word from a stranger. The steps are the same: Pray. Watch. Discern. Thank God.
(Published in The Times, Frankfort, IN, February 16, 2008. Copyright retained by Diane Pearson.)
Related Links:
Can God change your life?
God has made it possible for you to know Him and experience an amazing change in your own life.
Discover how you can find peace with God.
You can also send us your prayer requests
DIANE PEARSON earned a master’s degree in education and taught at Ivy Tech State College in Lafayette, IN, for fourteen years. God called her to full-time Christian writing, speaking, and teaching in 1997. Diane is a published author with nine Devotion books and more than 500 articles in various newspapers, magazines, and books. She writes a weekly newspaper column for the religion page of The Times, Frankfort, IN, called “Real Life Devotions,” true stories of God working in people’s lives. Contact Diane at dipearson@comcast.net or check her website at www.dianepearson.org.
Log in or create an account to post a comment.
CBN IS HERE FOR YOU!
Are you seeking answers in life? Are you hurting?
Are you facing a difficult situation?
A caring friend will be there to pray with you in your time of need.
|