Raven’s Prayer

Glamorous is a word I would use to describe her. Long, flowy Raven-like hair and a stylish, Bohemian crocheted pashmina added depth to her stature. The railroad car was brimming, which was typical for a Thursday evening’s congestion and my husband and I reluctantly sat separately. As I scrolled through my phone and perused online, I glanced ahead and noticed that my husband’s work was periodically interrupted by the Raven who sat beside him. Brief but friendly at first, his warm, casual smile transformed into a look of concern. Nearing the end of our commute, their conversation became even more engaging and they could easily be mistaken as old friends. Soon after, the electronic announcer blurted our stop as the red digital letters flashed above. My husband hurriedly ushered me forward and introduced me as his wife.

From close examination, she appeared frail. Her luminous skin as per my prior vantage point was now sunken and spotted from up close. Her clay cosmetics appeared streaky, the remnants of dried up tears. And the hair that I silently complimented from afar deserved better treatment. Yet, her lovely, vulnerable soul shone.

As we made our way to our vehicle, my husband expounded on his fortuitous encounter: Clearly struggling with a personal diagnosis, Raven asked whether my husband would inform his wife and close family members of the misfortune of a cancer result. He affirmed. She pressed, “what if you had young children, what if the doctors didn’t confirm yet?” When he asservated, he realized that the “person” she referred to was herself. Anticipating my husband’s optimism, she went on to divulge that there was a 90% certainty that she would be impacted by the disease. Feeling ineffective in his attempt to soothe her, my husband suggested to her that he and I transposition to allow me to provide emotional succor and mollification. Though visibly distraught, she sheepishly declined. Instead, she flipped through photograph after photograph of her 9 and 7 year olds on her smart phone. Upon our departure from our seats, my husband promised that his wife would pray for her. I offered an amiable smile until my husband could fill me in regarding this next assignment in our ministry of encouragement. I never caught this beautiful stranger’s name and I suspect neither did he.

Knowing intimately the spiritual notions of his wife, my husband assumed to delegate the prayer counseling to me. It is my belief that if God had authorized my personal sympathy and reassurance to the beautiful Raven that fateful evening, I naturally would have found my way directly to her. Through God, my husband was enough. I implored him that being one, as a married couple, puts us on double-duty. As a family, it is a blessing and God’s will for us to both use the power and anointment of the Holy Spirit to offer love, peace, joy and spiritual truth to those divinely sent to us. During our daily devotion that evening, I asked God to strengthen our family ministry and prayed for Raven and her family.

Certainly, this is part of the ministry of marriage; however, it is also our duty as a community of believers. Intercession does not simply belong in the church setting. We should regularly offer supplication for our friends, family members and even strangers who cross our paths. The Lord even calls for our support to our enemies, those we don’t agree with, nonbelievers, and the unkind; they need us the most. Let us do our part to encourage the sick, the melancholy, and those needing inspiration.

Romans 8:26: “And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words.”