I was having dinner in a lovely outdoor restaurant with friends when three young men, about in their mid-twenties, sat down at a table near ours. There were a number of tables also around us but my attention was drawn to one of these young men in particular as I felt I was to pray for him.
So I did, silently with no mention to those seated with me at our table. I prayed for his salvation – if he wasn’t already saved, for him to know the Lord in a meaningful way, and for the Lord’s Hand to be upon his life, and more. As I prayed I sensed that the Lord Jesus was already in this young man’s life, and He was perhaps calling him to much more. My prayer for him was brief but seemingly meaningful.
We soon finished our dinner and got up to leave while he and his friends were still eating. But as we walked by his table this young man looked up and smiled at me almost as if he felt as connected to me as I had to him! Almost as if we knew one another, as if he was thanking me for the prayer! I smiled back, and we left, but at least for now, this young man is still in my thoughts.
I pray for strangers on occasion when I feel so inclined, even when I have no idea what the prayer may mean in their lives. But this was different. Never before have I ever had a total stranger look at me and smile so directly, as if we knew one another, as if somehow there was a precious Jesus connection between us.
The one thing I did feel on the way home was to share this with you CMC folks, to encourage you, if you don’t know already, that we can affect the life of a total stranger thru just one silent prayer on their behalf. It feels like such a sweet Jesus thing to do!
💕Lonnie Lane
