Day 34

Hazel Collings | Re:Hope Southside

We often sing the words, “All my life you have been faithful and all my life you have been so, so good”. I want to testify to God’s faithfulness in every season of my life. 

It’s been a hard year for me following the death of my father last June at the age of 89 and subsequently travelling up north once a month with my husband to clear out my childhood home. There was 53 years worth of my parents’ accumulated ‘stuff’ to clear out. 

One particular Sunday, on the screen during the service one of the prayer points was ‘dealing with grief’. I went for prayer and Sam prayed for me. I’ve been conscious over the past year of God’s faithfulness and provision and his peace.

I have recently been reflecting and am very thankful for those who have shaped my faith journey over the years. 

Deirdre O'Reilly | Re:Hope West End

A pleasant summer evening. I had been helping with the dishes at Render Fest and was now walking home; on the lookout for someone to pray with! 

I had almost reached home and was rather disappointed that I had not met anyone who seemed interested in a conversation, when an old lady appeared, coming towards me. She was carrying an open shopping bag with a bedraggled soft toy dog peering out, to whom she introduced me. She also had a plastic bag which seemed to be heavy. We smiled at each other (aha! A potential victim?). She put down the heavy plastic bag and began to chat. I listened intently for some reason to suggest a prayer. (My agenda).

The conversation was very slow and rather confusing. She had come out for some fresh air and had left her husband and visiting sons in a flat further up the busy main road. Still nothing to pray about. 

The sky began to cloud over with grey and I was a little concerned about rain — she had no jacket on. So I began to focus on just getting her home. Some confusion! “Yes she had said she was going out” but also she “had just slipped out without telling someone”. I gradually became more direct. ''Where are you actually going? Where are you staying? '' She said she had a flat, further down the road, to which she was heading. I know of people who keep their marriage going but live separately so this was not too strange.

I pointed out the grey clouds and suggested that we should make for her home further down the road. We began to travel further down the road. Did she live on her own or with someone else? “On her own,” she said. ''How shall we get in? Do you have keys?”, “Oh someone will let us in.”  

I was rather puzzled but still did not put this all together. We gradually travelled down, admiring flowers on the way… but I was becoming more puzzled. So I suggested that if she did not have keys, then perhaps we should return to her sons and husband in the flat up the road. She acquiesced and we slowly began to reverse our journey.

A police car speedily passed. The lady said that a woman was driving, so we chatted about equal rights for women! Suddenly a police car stopped behind us. Two officers approached and spoke to the lady by name. She responded and one officer quietly said to me that the lady had been declared missing. Another police vehicle appeared and two more police officers arrived. So we all agreed that the lady could 'have a lift home'. The lady was delighted with the friendliness of the police and seemed quite happy to accompany them.

I was left feeling rather corrected for lack of discernment. I had been so focused on finding a reason to pray with the lady that I had not really listened to her situation. I now suspect that I wanted to pray with her (my 'prayer victim’) but God wanted me to keep her on the main road where it would be so much easier for the police to find her than if she had wandered into the side streets.

Thank you God for another lesson to learn; try to listen to God!

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Spend some time listening and writing down anything that comes to mind as you ask Him how He wants you to pray for yourself, for others, and our church. Let this guide your prayer time.