When I pray, I feel like I’m slow dancing with Jesus. With a smitten heart, I stand on tip-toe to whisper my heart into His ear. In turn, He whispers His heart into mine. Together, we discuss the needs of the people I love. Sometimes, I write them down; I call them prayer gifts. Prayer gifts allow me to place the prayers I pray into the hands of those I love. A double blessing, prayer gifts petition the heart of God and uplift the heart of people.
My first prayer gift was born out of the need for a cheap gift. A church friend’s birthday rolled around, and I was flat broke. I fumbled around and found some pretty stationery, wrote her a prayer of blessing, and handed it to her at church, apologizing that I had no real gift. Her response floored me! “Never in my life have I received such a beautiful thing! I will keep this forever.”
Soon, the Lord nudged me to expand my prayer gifts to non-Christians. I’m not gonna lie, sisters. I was scared. I didn’t want my friends without Jesus to reject me. I didn’t want them talking about their wacky religious friend behind my back. But the Spirit compelled me. I had to do it.
My co-worker, Christine, had a birthday close to Christmas time, so I wrapped up a couple Karen Kingsbury books and tucked a prayer gift inside.
All through Christmas break, I worried about how she’d receive the prayer gift. I mean…I didn’t pussy foot around, friends. Timid prayers are for sissies. I prayed gutsy stuff! For God to capture her heart and astound her with His powerful presence. For her marriage and family life to be enriched by the influence of Jesus. For her to understand that true life begins with Jesus.
Guess what? Not only did she receive the prayer gift with joy, she informed me that she would be expecting one every year for the rest of her ever-loving life! This year, I believe she’ll be receiving her seventh annual birthday/Christmas prayer gift. I’m still praying and waiting for her to give her heart to Jesus. Her heart gets a little softer every year.
Prayer gifts are perfect for any celebration: birthdays, weddings, babies, and housewarmings.
They are a soothing balm for heartache: grief, unemployment, divorce, and miscarriage.
They speak power into the hearts of people who are making a difference: women’s ministry leaders, teachers, bosses, and caregivers.
They spur on God’s girls (and fellas) to pursue godly character: grace, strength, peace, and freedom.
A prayer gift is the marriage of two of my passions: prayer and writing. Join me on my blog each week for Prayer Gift Tuesdays! As long as there are people in need of prayer, I’ll be penning prayer gifts!
