The Prayer Nudge

Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere. —Ephesians 6:18 NLT

It happened to me during the fall of 2001. Our country was reeling from the horrific destruction of the World Trade Towers, the attack on the Pentagon, and the plane that crashed in Pennsylvania on its way to create more havoc. In November of that year, with a nation shaken and still wading through the rubble, myriads of stories hit the news, but one caught my eye. It was the story of two missionaries held captive in Afghanistan. They were due to be released, but after 9/11, they were kept under close watch. Heather Mercer and Dayna Curry had been serving the Afghan people with a ministry called “Shelter Now International” and had been arrested and imprisoned for “proselytizing.” With tempers running high over the loss of thousands of Americans on 9/11, release seemed unlikely anytime soon.

Life continued in my hometown of Dover, New Hampshire, and although I hurt for all those who suffered loss, for the most part, my life just kept going—caring for my family, teaching piano lessons, and walking my dog. It was during a routine dog walk that I felt the nudge. I don’t remember what I was thinking about, but it certainly was not those two captured missionaries. All of a sudden, with an urgency I cannot explain to this day, I felt compelled to pray for them. Not just pray, but beg God to protect them, help them, rescue them. I found myself crying, shaking, pleading. Nothing remotely like that had ever happened to me before, but pray I did with the help of the Holy Spirit.

Later that week, I discovered that the very time I was praying was the time when our military was rescuing Heather and Dayna. That stopped me in my tracks. “Lord,” I whispered, “that was really You calling me to desperate prayer for them. Wow. Oh, wow. Thank You, Lord, for using me. Wow.” I’ve never had a stronger call to pray since that day, but I will never ever forget the shock and awe I felt when I realized I had truly heard from the living God. I had been recruited as a prayer warrior for that particular time and place! To this day, I pay attention to nudges to pray, even when they are small, even when they are less urgent and intense, trusting God that when I pray, He moves in ways beyond my understanding.

Have you ever felt a strong nudge to pray and later discovered it came at just the right moment in someone’s life? God uses us—ordinary dog-walking people—to fight at times in prayer in the heavenly realms. What a great privilege!

I remember another time and another nudge that had a humorous outcome. An infant boy in our church had a heart issue and was very weak. We were waiting for his surgery, praying, praying, praying for him. One night, God woke our pastor’s wife and urged her to pray for this little one. She prayed for a wee bit, but she was so tired she couldn’t pray long. Her body was craving rest. “Lord,” she prayed, “would you please wake Sharon so she can take over?” And then she rolled over and went back to sleep. Well … if God nudged me that night, I slept through it! When she asked me later if I’d been awakened, I had to tell her that I had not. However, the little boy was fine, and I truly believe her short, sleepy prayer was sufficient. God didn’t require ongoing fervor that night—He just wanted her to whisper a prayer for that tiny boy and drift back to sleep.

Let’s be faithful in prayer. When God brings a person to mind, let’s stop and pray. If we can only spend a moment or two, I think that’s fine. After all, it’s not our fervency or our lengthy prayers that are needed. It’s God’s power! He is able to deliver even if we are sleepy praying people. We must never think that it’s our responsibility to pray in certain ways and with a specific level of intensity for someone to be helped, healed, rescued. No. God is the Helper, Healer, Rescuer. He will move as He chooses. But when we are invited into the work of prayer through a nudge, let’s join in with humbled hearts, joyful to be used by Him through prayer.

Father, thank You for choosing to work through weak vessels like us. Thank You that it does not depend on us but only on You to heal and help. Use us, Lord, as You wish. Thank You for calling us close to You through prayer. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

You are loved,
Sharon

Sweet Selah Ministries

Vision
To inspire a movement away from the belief that “busy is better”
and toward the truth of God’s Word that stillness and knowing
Him matter most—and will be reflected in more effective work and service

 Mission
To offer biblical resources and retreats that help women pause (Selah)
and love God more deeply as they know Him more intimately (Sweet)

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