I woke up this morning to a prayer request from a very precious sister-friend.  She is one of the greatest hearts I know, ever praying, always encouraging, and forever loving those who are blessed to be counted among her friends, which means, that if she knows you, you are so counted.

My friend and I have walked through many things in this life together….most have been sweet times of young-girl friendships, times shared with our families, no bake cookie-making, back yard running, football viewing, watermelon eating, field marching…

Some have been overcoming shock from loss, surrendering to the letting go, fighting through the cancers, battling through my divorce, late night and early morning times of prayer such as this morning….

We have lived through so many seasons of prayer that our knees would have the scars of permanence except for the holy mercy of a hearing God

And, He who hears us, heals us…even to our knees, always to our broken hearts…

And, where earthly healing may not venture, Holy promise does

There is really nothing about my heart this friend does not know…..maybe not in all the finite details, but surely in the larger picture of friendship’s commitment to see past the ugly and into the lovely

And, yet she loves me more from the knowing

She is exactly what I think God calls us to be to one another…

I’ve thought much these past days since our new year’s beginning…

Don’t we all need to be lovely in the eyes of someone?

Don’t we all need sacred places to secure our truths and know we will be loved despite it all?

Truth between friends, sisters, is the rope which pulls us out of the deepest well, drawing us like fresh water from the pit of blackness into His light…fresh and pure and ready for the drinking

When we can be a truth teller of our inner ugliness, when we can share our deepest human fears, when we can reach out and plea for the strongest prayers from our fellow sister sojourners, we have a great gift…both in the giving and in the receiving

Greater love have no man than this, to lay down his life…to lay down her life

And, to me, that means always…in all ways….

That is what this beloved sister friend does for me

And, I pray, I do in return for her

So, when I get a prayer request which comes from the deepest part of her soul, I stop what I am doing and respond

Immediately

And I keep responding and answering and praying

Because that is what we who love one another

We who journey with one another

We who are committed to one another do

In truth

In love

In Him

We bend back down on our knees

We lay flat on the ground

We lay on our backs and look up unto the heavens

We do…

Not out of Holy desperation

But in perfect peace which comes from understanding that He hears us

Each one independently

And, all of us jointly

So, I will wear my precious friend’s prayer request on me like a sacred gown underneath my clothes and will be reminded all day today

And tomorrow

And all the days to follow of His promise

That he hears me

He hears us

He hears her

That he hears each of us called according to her humble request,

Maybe not sisters-in-law, but most definitely sisters-in-prayer

Those this friend has called to prayer this morning…

And, I know that they, too, will stop what they are doing and pray

So when we go along before the throne of Him

We go not alone

But together

And, that will make all the difference.

Praying……

Blessings

Lesa