Have you ever woken up in the middle of the night because of a dream about a random person you haven't spoken with since junior high? Or have your thoughts ever wandered to a person you haven't seen in years as you drive along on your way to work? Or maybe something on TV reminds you of a person you know, or a sign on a billboard, or the time of day (11:11 always reminds me of my college roommate because we'd always make a wish when the clock struck 11:11.) I believe there are more to these random thoughts than just a fleeting memory of a person from the past. I believe they are a call to prayer and sometimes action. My story today has two parts: a) the reason I started praying for the "random" people that popped into my head, and b) the most recent confirmation to continue the practice.
Story A: My Mom has always been a prayer warrior. Her answer to every problem was first, lets pray about it, second lets talk about it, and third lets pray about it again. I knew that she prayed continually for my family, friends, and whatever random people happened to come to mind. There was one night in particular where she woke up feeling the need to pray for my soccer coach. The feeling was persistent and wouldn't allow her to return to sleep, so she prayed, a lot. She didn't know what she was praying for, but that didn't stop her, she continued to pray. The next time she saw my coach, she mentioned that she had been praying for her and if there was anything she needed to let her know. Not too long after that encounter, she received a letter from my coach saying the night my mom had been praying, she was planning to commit suicide, but for some reason didn't follow through with it. God knew her pain, what she was struggling with, and cared enough to alert my Mom that one of his children needed her prayers. Ever since that day, I don't believe in random dreams, thoughts, or reminders of people. I view these encounters as a commission to pray.
Story B: I'm usually pretty obedient about praying for the people God places on my heart, but am less obedient about letting the person know I am praying for them. There have been a few people I'll send a quick Facebook message to let them know I am praying, but I don't do it consistently. I figure the kid from junior high will probably think I am a creepy stalker because I haven't seen or talked to him since graduating 8th grade so why am I contacting him now? But in the past month, God showed me what I could be missing out on by postponing a note of encouragement.
In April of this year, I was completing a physical therapy internship near Detroit, MI. On the weekends, I would go to a coffee shop to spend some time reading my Bible and writing in my prayer journal. On this particular day, a good friend from college that I had lost touch with had been laid on my heart. The week before he'd randomly shown up in a dream, I heard a song we used to listen to all the time, and his status updates were frequently on my newsfeed. So in that coffee shop, I felt God leading me to pray for him. So I did. Throughout the Spring and Summer, now back in Minnesota, similar things would happen. There is a rug store that I'd drive past every day on my way to work that shares him name, and God would tell me to pray. I'd be playing soccer with a bunch of people and God would tell me to pray. I even ran into a mutual acquaintance in an unexpected place and God told me to pray. Before long the still small voice of God telling me to pray, changed to, tell him you are praying.
Throughout the summer and fall the reminders to pray continued, always followed by and tell him you are praying. They usually came while I was driving so I'd make a mental note to send a message when I got home. Unfortunately, mental notes are often erased from my head, so the message was never sent. It wasn't until one Saturday in Decemember after a coffee and quiet time session that I obeyed the still small voice and sent a note to my friend, letting him know I was praying. I received a return message the next day and after a fun game of telephone tag, we were able to connect and catch up on life. It turns out, around April, he felt God was calling him to take time away from grad school for something different. That something has since evolved into an indefinite trip through Central and South America, encouraging people to think, experience, connect, inspire, and become what it means to be human. He and two friends are searching for people, organizations, and ministries around the world that are using their unique gifts and talents to work toward the good of humanity and encouraging people they meet to think and share about what it means to be human. They've launch a website that will serve as a medium for global conversation on what it means to human and a challenge to work for good wherever you are, using whatever passion God has laid on your heart. It's called "Become a Human" project. I encourage you to take a look for yourself:
www.becomeahuman.org
I would also encourage you not to ignore the "random" people God places on your heart. If dinner happens to be your friend's favorite food, bringing them to mind, say a prayer for them. If you see a car that's the same as someone you know, say a prayer. If you happen to stumble onto old pictures while cleaning out your closet of people you've since lost touch with, say a prayer. And if the still small voice of God tells you to let them know you are praying for them, do it immediately. You never know what someone is going through. You may be just the encouragement they need or they may have just the blessing you've been waiting for.
Happy New Year and have a fabulous day!!
