I had traveled this same road countless times. This stretch of pavement lead to the elementary school my children attended, and I shudder to think of the times I traced this same path. I had driven this course in the rain, snow, and sunshine. I had been laughing, and I had been crying, as I passed the same landmarks. I had gazed at the beautiful mountain view from this section of road and marveled at the creativity of God. I had also taken the scenery for granted lost in thoughts so deep I wondered how I arrived at the school. However, this particular morning, I experienced a moment so precious it reeked of holiness - a holy moment set among the ordinary.
A long-time friend had been working as part of the construction crew hired to improve this thoroughfare.Its surface was worn, no doubt, from my incessant travel.For months, Stein had caught my attention with his benevolent wave and bighearted smile. No words were exchanged, and the encounters were momentary, but we connected. We were friends, but this day stood apart from the rest. From his lofty seat in the monstrous backhoe, he saw me approaching. Although co-workers surrounded his equipment and the noise was deafening, our eyes met. In that brief instant he put his hands together as if praying then pointed to himself. "Pray for me," he said with these simple gestures. The moment was over as fast as I could give him a thumbs-up.
Similarly, the four friends had walked the same dusty lane many times. This day, however, they could sense a holy moment was brewing. The road was teeming with people. The crowd had spilled out of a house and overflowed the yard into the street. The river of people consisted of the blind, the lame, the deaf - all seeking a moment with the man whom they had heard could heal sicknesses and diseases.
Just blocks away, a man lay motionless on a mat he couldn't feel, helplessly hearing the commotion happening nearby. Paralyzed and alone, he gazed sadly out the door as more and more people moved past him drawn by the promise of healing. As he took one more look before giving in to defeat, his eyes locked with not just one friend but four. Lured by the excitement, this crew knew exactly what they needed to do. They picked up their friend, mat and all, and purposefully pushed into the crowd. Though their efforts to enter the building the conventional way proved fruitless, they never lost hope. Before he knew it, the paralyzed man had been hoisted onto the roof and was gently being lowered into the crowd. The eager faith of the four had stopped at nothing to place their friend into the hands of Jesus.
That day, I continued down the road and Stein went back to work. Knowing of his recent struggles, I begin to lift him up to the Father as I drove home. I gave the Lord the gist of what I thought Stein needed me to pray for, then trusted Him with the details. He was now in the hands of Jesus. Stein, although surrounded by many, sought out the one he knew who would be bold enough to charge the throne room of God for him. When circumstances leave my faith paralyzed, I know there is nothing more valuable than the faith of a friend.
This week, allow several minutes at the end of the Bible study portion of your small group meeting for the group to break into pairs. Challenge each pair to connect with each other at least two times in the coming week to share new or continued prayer requests. This could be done face-to-face, by email, text, or phone. Encourage your group members to be faithful to the challenge. Take time the following week to discuss the benefits and difficulties of active intercession. Consider continuing the challenge for a month or longer.
