I hate open heights! I can’t stand balconies, glass elevators freak me out, and when I am driving across a bridge, you’ll find me hugging the dividing rail along the inside lane.
Some friends tried to help me conquer these fears by inviting our family to join them one Sunday afternoon at Inner Peaks Climbing Center. I cringed at the thought of it, but JJ and our boys really wanted to go. So I caved in and agreed to a family “outing” inside this huge rock-climbing center.
When we entered the doors, my heart stopped beating as I look up at the highest peak – 25 feet! The instructors assured me that a web of ropes, harnesses and carabiners would hold me tight. Before I could say “no thank you,” I was strapped in and signing an injury waiver. I played it safe and stayed on the lower peaks.
Towards the end of the day, our friends John and Laura challenged their eight-year-old son Steven to climb to the highest peak – promising $5 in tokens and a cone of ice cream at arcade next door if he would touch the bar at the top.
Steven was afraid of heights, too, but he loved a dare. The promise of reward, mixed with the challenge and faith of his father evoked courage in Steven.
I watched with admiration as that little guy started the climb with confidence. He made it to 15 feet, then 20. But as he inched past the next face of the wall, he saw just how far he had to go before reaching the bar at the top. In fear, he looked down with tears and said he couldn’t do it. Then he cried out for his daddy’s help.
By this time, John was holding their very tired 3 yr old, and Laura was feeding their very hungry baby girl. I don’t know where my brave husband was, but as I looked around I realized I was the only one standing there who could do something.
Suddenly courage and strength surged through my body. I called out to Steven, “Don’t give up buddy. Wait for me to come to you. You can do it. I’ll help you!”
I said a quick prayer that God would help me and that Steven wouldn’t give up and start repelling his way down before I got to him. In no time, I reached the 20 foot marker. I crossed over the peak and up beside Steven to encourage him, reminding him of how far he’d come. Using my words and my confidence I focused his thoughts towards a higher goal, an inner peak, a reward that would be much greater than ice cream and game tokens – the reward of getting to a placehe had stopped believing he could reach.
My fear was gone. I had stopped thinking about me long enough to focus on helping someone else reach their goal and overcome their fear. Strangely enough, in that moment I overcame mine, and reached a peak of my own.
I became the response of a child’s cry for his father’s help. And that day became a picture of what happens when friends pray for and encourage one another. Like Jesus, we come alongside each other in some of life’s hardest challenges and highest peaks and we say, “Don’t give up, you can do it. Wait for me. I’ll help you.”
In that moment we take our eyes off our fears, our doubts, our struggles and set them on someone else’s needs. There we find faith to believe the power of God’s Word for them, and somehow our confidence in God’s promises and power are true for us in a way they may never have been before. That is the power of a praying friend!
Today, I invite you to join me in a conversation with God and some girlfriends so that we can experience what happens when women pray – for each other. This is your chance to share a request (a need, a hope, a desire) that you want someone to pray for you for this week. In return, you will pray for one person for the next week, too.
And because I love to share with friends books that draw me closer to Jesus, those who participate in our “conversation with God” will be part of a drawing next week for a new book called “Dear Jesus.” It is filled with devotions and scriptures that capture the heart of God’s response to every woman’s longings and intimate struggles.
Here’s how we’ll do this:
Click the word “Comments” below my name on this post (just under the 2nd green box).
Type in your prayer request in the white box.
Include your first name and where you are from.
(If you don’t have a blogger account, you can sign in as anonymous. But please include your first name at the end.) After type your request, click enter. Your comment will post.
Read the prayer request/comment above yours and pray for that friend.
Copy and paste it in an email to yourself as a reminder to pray for your new friend throughout the week.
On Monday, I’ll post about the power of praying God’s Word and share some of my favorite scripture prayers. Wouldn’t it be neat to find a Bible verse to pray for our prayer partner and post it in Monday’s comments? I’ll share how to do that.
There were two people in blessed in my story. But I never would have experienced what God had for me to give or receive that day if Steven hadn’t asked for help. I pray you will experience the power of a praying friend by promising to be one and allowing someone else to be one for you today. Be sure to click “comments” just below this box so that others see your prayer request and you find the request you are to pray for, too.
© 2008 by Renee Swope. All rights reserved.
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I got chills reading this story; maybe because I know the characters or maybe because it struck a cord! Thanks girl for sharing your gifts as a writer and one with an eye for God in every scenerio we face. Kenny and I need prayers for our future plans. So many decisions to be made here in the next month. MAJOR decisions that we are placing before God. Will you please join us in prayer for crystal clear vision and answers. Thanks my friend! Denise
Hello,
I am a brand new Christian as of a powerful calling from Jesus at Easter. He has changed my outlook dramatically and I have not been the same since (thank you, Jesus!). The Lord has been at my side and gives me constant advice and strength and wisdom, but, like a toddler, I fall often and hard. I guess it’s normal, but I find it really scary to get off track and lose sight of Jesus. All this to say, could you pray that our Lord reinforce me with his humility and selflessness, and a Christian friend/mentor to help me through the scary times where I am really down on myself for failure? I feel I should also ask you to pray that the Lord reveal how he would like me to use my writing skills for him. Thanks so much! (This was harder than I thought.)
Natasha McNulty from Canada
PLEASE PRAY FOR MY GRANDSON J.J.(JAMES FLORES JR) HE HAS SEVERE BRAIN DAMAGE AFTER TRYING TO COMMIT SUISIDE.ALSO PRAY FOR HIS FAMILY . I THANK YOU SO MUCH. IRENE
Hi all! Thanks Renee for doing this. My prayer is for my two foster boys and their mama. A termination hearing is set for the end of the month. We need prayers for their mama to know Jesus and stay away from bad friends, wisdom for the judge, peace for all involved (lots of family who don't know HOW to pray or WHAT results to even hope for), the boys' well-being throughout this, and that my hubby & I would trust the Lord with whatever is decided.
Thanks, Jenny in CO
My prayer request is for healing of some stomach and health issues I am dealing with. I also would like someone to pray that I can live my life healthier. I need to eat right and exercise to help with my health issues. Thank you.
Deb
I will hold your prayer in my heart and talk about it with Jesus all day. Im thankful He has given me the opportunity to pray for you and your family. In the name of Jesus I lift up the healing of your family. Thank You Jesus that You know our needs even before we do. Thank you Father; God, that You never give us more than we can handle and You are with is.
My brother is ill with UC (ulcerative colitis). Please pray for his healing, remission, recovery, improvement. UC is a incredible burden for him to bare. I would take it for him if I could. I feel so sad and alone. Though my need is minimal as compared to the others here, I just want to feel the hand of God in mine in His comfort in my heavy, lonely heart.
Sandy in Texas
My prayer request is for my son and his girlfriend,who are living together, to surrender thier lives to Jesus Christ.
Also for my daughter to meet christian girls this next fall at her new school. She is leaving her christian school and will be entering 10th grade at a public school.
Thanks,
Tammy
The software company that I was working for closed a few months ago. I have been enjoying the summer with my girls, but need to return to work (at least part time) or start my own company. Please pray that God will show me where he wants me. Also my girls are in Canada with M-fuge and will be returning Sunday. Please pray for their safe journey.
Thanks, Carolyn
I enjoy your devotional so much. In the past couple weeks they have been meeting me just where I was. Now this one, what a blessing you are! I need prayer for my husband, he has to have more tests about many different things, especially a pre-cancerous ulser. He goes to church but is not where he should be in his faith with God & he insisted that I tell no one about his illnesses. So I was so greatful for todays writing so that I could tell someone & get all the prayers out there I can. Thank you & God bless you abundantly!! Trudy
My name is stephanie and I could really use prayer for my health. I am only 24 and have always been extremely healthy but lately the devil is attacking my health in a huge way. I have been getting anxiety and panic attacks that are really hard to function with and also I think I may have some kind of prediabetic condition like hyper or hypoglycemia. I would also love prayer for weight loss. Thank you so much and god bless!
My prayer request;
My husband had/or is having an affair with a co-worker and denies it.He claims to be a christian.It has been going on for quite sometime and he is in love with her.I do forgive my husband for what he did to me and my children.
Please pray for healing and restoration in this marriage.He says he loves me but does not show it.He is a very deceitful man.I do not know when he is telling the truth or not.Pray that God will change his life in a way it will be evident in his life.Pray for me for strength.
Thanks.
Anonymous
Tracy,
I’m sorry I didn’t read your comment before I posted mine. I will be praying for you this week.
God bless you!
Your prayer partner in Mississippi,
Marilyn
Please pray for my family. We are going through a very difficult financial time.Our oldest is supposed to start college in the fall and we can’t afford to send her. This is breaking our hearts. We still have 2 others at home as well. Thank you so much for your prayers!
Luci from VA
What a great idea this is Renee! Thank you for giving us this double opportunity…..to be prayed for AND to pray for someone else.
My prayer request is two-fold. I am so frightened of going to the dentist that my blood pressure always shoots up really high and my dentist will then not work on me. I have to re-schedule hoping the same thing will not happen again. I have to go in a little over 3 weeks to have a filling done. Please pray that God will deliver me from this fear….which I know can seem like such a little thing to those who are not afraid of anything!
And secondly….and most importantly….I have a prayer request that is so private and so raw that I cannot even name it on here. It concerns someone I love very, very dearly. They are at a crossroads in their life and if they continue down the road they’re currently on, it may be the end of life as they now know it. It breaks my heart.
Whoever you are that will be praying for me….thank you SO much from the bottom of my heart!
Marilyn from Mississippi
My prayer request is one for restored health, a new beginning, so that I can be the wife, mother, sister, daughter and friend God wants me to be.
Thank you, and God Bless You,
Tracy
My prayer request is for my marriage. My husband and I are having a lot of issues to work through and he does not want to get counselling. He has agreed that we can start doing devotions together once a week and have a date night for a couple hours once a week. I am working on not pushing him away by being critical and nagging and forgiving him for how often he hurts me. He can be quite emotionally abusive, has told me that he is not longer attracted to me and does not enjoy being around me and he is addicted to computer games and porn. I am reading books to see how I can grow in my relationship with Christ and work on the areas of my life that need fixing, since I really have no power to fix my husband. I am a fix it person, so it is so very hard not to try to fix it and to just let God deal with it. Please pray that we survive this and that God softens, convicts and heals my husband’s heart and well as mine. Thanks, Trisha
I would like to ask prayer for a full time job for myself. I have been looking for a full time job as an elementary teacher for over 2years. Please pray that God will open a door for employment and I will continue to be faithful to Him while I wait.
Thanks,
Sarah
We would like to ask for your prayers for our family. We were set to adopt a little girl that was born on June 9th. We were contacted by the couple and asked to adopt her. When she arrived the father changed his mind. We have everything ready for a little girl. My son, who is almost 9, has been praying for a baby brother or baby sister. We felt this was the answer to his prayers. We have been so upset over this. We would appreciate your prayers. May the Lord bless each of you!
Michele
I am praying for your complete healing, Nicole! I know that God is more than sufficient! I would like to ask for you to pray for my husband’s business. He has been in business for himself for over 14 years. This has been the worst year with the economy the way it is. We both feel that God is doing something we just don’t know what yet. We would truly appreciate your prayers. I have never seen him this way.
Thank you and may the Lord richly bless each of you!
Renee–
I popped over from the P31 devo…it really spoke to me today. I, too, had an aversion to asking for prayer and help, although I was always happy and even privileged to do for others. That changed when I was diagnosed with MS earlier this year. God taught me the importance of letting the Body of Christ minister to me in many ways, and I will be forever grateful for that lesson. I had to miss She Speaks this year because of my illness and I had so looked forward to returning since last year’s conf. Hopefully God will make a way for me to return next year.
As for my prayer request, patience in waiting for God to open the doors for the speaking and writing to which I know he has called me.
Thanks, and God bless,
Tracy in Blacksburg, VA