What do the department store Target, handcuffs, two sobbing women (one old, one young), and a “no shirt wearin’, boxer brief showin’” teenager have in common? Absolutely nothing, unless your name is Elaine and you happened to be cruising the Target parking lot around 5:00 PM this evening.
No. We weren’t robbed. We were simply witness to the arrest of a young man who had apparently done something worthy of handcuffs—a rubber-necking moment if there ever was one! Police cars and flashing lights were enough to garner our immediate attention. But as soon as we had passed the scene of the crime, my curious attention suddenly turned to tears. Lots of them. Before long, I had my daughter crying and my son and husband wondering as to the reason behind my emotional outburst. I can sum it up in one word.
Compassion.
When I saw that young man standing beside the patrol car, half-dressed and with a look of warranted fear in his eyes, my heart beat with the love of a mother. Through choking sobs, I spoke the penchant of my heart’s pause to the carload of dazed companions. Words like…
*That is somebody’s child.
*This boy didn’t start out this way.
*He was made for more than handcuffs and crime.
*Somebody’s getting a phone call tonight that they don’t want to get, and it is likely to bring heartache.
*Who is going to tell him that life doesn’t have to be this way—that there is a Jesus who loves him and died for him so that he might truly live?
*How will he ever know the hope of heaven?
*Who is going to stand beside him when he comes before the judge?
Words like that, and before we’d left the parking lot, everyone else was caught up in the drama of my tearful wondering. We took a few moments to pray, asking God to shatter the darkness of this young man’s heart with the truth of Jesus Christ. To bring a person of influence alongside him who will lead him to the foot of the cross.
It may not sound like much. I suppose in the grand scheme of issues that now await this boy, it offers little in the way of an immediate salve. But it’s all I have to give him. And prayers, when offered on behalf of others, are sometimes the difference between heaven and hell. Between life and death. Between handcuffs and freedom.
I will probably never know the outcome of tonight’s prayers. At least not now. But I do know that my Father heard me and that he is faithful to act on behalf of all of his children, especially those so prone to their shackles and their cells. What happened tonight in my van wasn’t contrived or superficial or #10 on the list of “30 Full Proof Methods for Raising Godly Children.” No, what happened tonight was solely rooted in the witness of God’s Spirit living within, provoking me to compassion and moving me to action.
That action was prayer. It doesn’t always breathe this way. Sometimes, more is required. Sometimes, I am the one charged with the responsibility of coming alongside. But tonight, my requirement was different. It was about lifting the life of a young man before the throne of heaven in love and asking the Father to move in his favor. It was also about the drawing of young hearts and minds to do the same.
Sacred seeding on both counts. One seed for another mother’s child. Two seeds for my own. All seeds acknowledged before God because God is in the holy habit of receiving our prayers.
Intercession is a privilege and is the sacred ladling from our heart’s well. Unfortunately, we spend a great deal of time and energy underestimating its power. When prayers go seemingly unanswered, we are prone to keeping our silence. We closely guard our words for fear of having our faith challenged when God doesn’t breathe in compliance with our requests. Thus, we level the assumption that prayers matter little when all along, the very opposite is true.
Prayers matter much because prayers voice the witness of our relationship with the living, breathing Creator of the entire universe. Our words mean something to him. And when our words breathe on behalf of his children, he is tendered by our outward focus. We may not know them by name, but he does, and he is well-pleased when we take the time to acknowledge the value of a single human life.
I want my kids to grow in their understanding of prayer. I don’t want their lives to be so cloistered within the walls of a church that they forget the reason and purpose behind the church.
To go. To preach. To baptize and to make disciples of all people. To cry on behalf of a lost soul and then to petition the heart of the Almighty because they understand that heaven and hell hangs in the balance. That kingdom work can be accomplished through the pure intention of their young hearts. That sacred shaping doesn’t just happen on Sundays, but on every day. At every occasion, even when that occasion includes the Target parking lot.
If faith is to be raised in this generation, then prayer must find its witness through our voices. Yours and mine. We are who they are watching.
And tonight, while my daughter may not have fully grasped the weight of my tears or hers, she nevertheless gave way to something deep within. She gave way to her gut, and her gut told her that something of kingdom value was going on, and she wanted to feel it…just like her momma.
Oh for the heart of a child, so easily taught and so easily moved to her own well-intentioned prayers. May it be so for each one of us this day, and so I pray…
Move us quicker to our prayers, Father. Swifter to our knees in times of trouble, and truer in our petitions on behalf of your creation. Forgive us when our focus remains secluded toward self. Foster your outward focus within us as we live and move and have our being in you. Let our casual prayers be less and our intentional prayers find room to breathe in their absence. Thank you for always listening, and by the power of your Spirit and through the saving work of your Son, Jesus Christ, I ask for grace to come to a jail cell tonight for a young man who needs to know that a King and a kingdom await his arrival. Seed his heart for your forever. Amen.
Copyright © August 2008 – Elaine Olsen. All rights reserved.
Oh for more compassion like that! Lord, soften my heart to love those whom You love!
Oh Elaine, you are so right! If that was my boy, I sure would like to know there was someone praying for him, even a stranger who cared. I often times here sirens at night, and pray for the people in trauma. Or other sites and sounds prompt me to that compassion you speak of.
Oh if we could just care a little bit more! The going and the praying, we’ve got to do both. Thanks for these timely words.
Elaine, I have recently had the same moment only in the Emergency Waiting Room at the hospital. My heart was broken by the continual entrance of Police Officers with young people hand-cuffed beside them. I silently wept and prayed for many around me. I know the Lord has been working on my heart in this regard because I used to be filled with fear instead of compassion.
I was there when the parents of a young girl arrived. Elaine, they could have been my husband and I. I know we can’t judge by appearances, but these parents didn’t play the part of what I had expected. My heart went out to them as the female officer began explaining the situation. The officer was so kind, as the parents held hands, looks of total unbelief. My prayers increased for them as I sat there – not knowing what their daughter had done, but realizing there are no guarantees and acknowledging, but for God’s grace, I could be sitting there myself one day.
I said at that time that everyone needs to spend some time in the Emergency waiting room at a hospital. Go and sit and pray. Pray for all those dear ones arriving in pain physically, or with pain for others. Young people to elderly people who maybe have never, never had one person pray for them in their entire lives.
I find the Lord has been really changing my heart of stone, to one of brokenness and compassion. Whenever I hear the siren of an emergency vehicle – I pray. A child’s cry in the grocery store prompts a prayer for the child and the weary mother. Driving by a person who’s home has become the street invites a prayer. My heart keeps breaking, but it is with those for whom His heart is breaking too.
Praying for this young man in your post. God knows who he is. Wouldn’t it be so amazing that if all your blog readers stopped and prayed for this young man, who knows the answer and the life that could be turned around.
Bless you my friend for your heart of intercession. Thank you for the times I’ve been on the receiving end of your prayers.
Love ya,
Joy
Thank you so much for this post Elaine. I have been struggling with this issue for a while. I am so often prompted to pray for seemingly random people – the person driving the car next to me, the man I see jogging, the teenager walking with his dog. I lift up short prayers but wonder why it is that god gives me these urges – short snippets of prayer for people I don’t know and will likely never see again. blessings, marlene
Elaine, your heart beats with His heartbeat, seeing people through His eyes, straight to the heart, overlooking the ‘exterior’.
A couple of years ago, I went to the funeral of a young man gunned down. His social worker was there saying, “he was one of the good ones, trying to make a break from the gangs..”
I remember looking into the eyes of the young men who came in, eyes bent on vengeance. As they looked at their friend, now cold and lifeless, I could not help but see a deeper fear and longing in their eyes. These were kids not blessed with a godly heritage. Instead they are faced with a society that says to them, “you will never amount to anything.”
We so easily compartmentalize people, forgetting we are all on even ground when seen through the Master’s eyes. And yes, that simple prayer for the hurt you suddenly see is never wasted. The prayer you said for me this week is not wasted. Thank you.
Love, Sita
Oh, Elaine, thanks so much for this post. Those kinds of intercessions happen to me, too, in the most common of places. We will never know (this side of Heaven!) how far the ripples of our prayers actually reach, but I know the Lord receives them as beautiful and fragrant offerings.
Weekend blessings …
wifeforthejourney:
Had to come check on the finished product from last nights lap-top labors. Thanks for another reminder of Christ’s unconditional love and the urgency we should all feel in sharing the Gospel. Whatever his failings, that young man is a lost soul among many, and the church needs to reach them before the police have to get involved.
Love,
Billy
Oh, Elaine! What a tender and in-tune heart you have. You are so absolutely right about all that you have said here. Prayer–real, meaningful petitions and intercessions to the Father–are truly the crux of it. Thank you so much for these words I so need.
“She gave way to her gut, and her gut told her that something of kingdom value was going on, and she wanted to feel it…just like her [Heavenly Father].” That’s me, Elaine. I want to feel it… just like He does… just like you were… God’s heart was broken, too…
I just want you to know that I’ve been visiting nearly every day. I may not always comment because on days, like today, I’m a little to overwhelmed with your words to find my right words. So for now, Thank You dear friend!
Blessings and hugs from the creek!
It’s amazing to know we serve a God who hears our prayers- even those on behalf of complete strangers! There have been times where I have passed someone and just felt the need to pray for them! We serve a very compassionate God. You must get your compassionate heart from your “Father’s” side! 🙂
What a tender heart you have, Elaine! And what an example for me. Thank you, for looking at this situation from another angle! You almost had me crying for that boy. Thank you for opening my eyes tonight!
Our boys and I had a situation yesterday that prompted our need for prayer. We were at my work’s yard sale when the EastCare chopper from Greenville flew over going to our hospital. The boys said “Neat” a helicopter and it is flying low. I explained to them the seriousness of the matter and that someone was critical and needed transport to another facility. Their excitement quickly turned to concern and we prayed for a healing for this person. Intercessory prayer can be for lots of different situations and in many different places.
Praise God! He is at work!
Thank you for your tender heart, and I celebrate the fruit it is yielding in your children!
Peace,
John
If it involves a child, I’m captivated. The thought of even one little one suffering for one second just breaks my heart. Thus even in small ways we – the body – can have such a powerful impact. From prayer to care the opportunities are endless.
Love your ability to “see”, Elaine!
Kathleen
Oh Elaine, you have the heart of our Savior. I too have had moments like yours where the compassion in my heart overflows so much that is hurts. Your prayers are heard and will not go unanswered. Without Jesus we too are shackled, naked, vulnerable… thanking him today for our freedom in him to overcome sin and death because of His great compassion and love!
As I wrote todayon my blog-
When we leave the Church we are entering the Mission Field…
YOur words touched me today…
Connie
GBU
Oh, thank you for reminding us about compassion! I often pray for it because I come from a family lacking compassion- to have a heart like the Father, and yet, is it possible- to love that big, to hurt that much?
Oh, my goodness. This was so powerfully touching. Thank you.