Love dispatches angels

I know the country has pretty much forgotten September 11th, 2001.

But I remember.

source

I remember a President with a bullhorn amid fireman at Ground Zero. I remember a country praying, and there is a story that still sticks with me…

Its from an e-mail written by Lindsey Yeskoo, the wife of a Christian Foreign Service Officer serving in Shanghai, and tells of meeting the President when he was in China after 9-11. He had finished a speech and then was exiting along a lined up portion of the crowd. She writes:

Then I leaned over and mentioned that we pray for him every day. He stopped dead in his tracks (a definite security NO-NO… the SS men got REALLY antsy). He searched my eyes as if to see how much I really meant what I was saying. Then he gave me the most amazing and unexpected personal response, for a good 20-30 seconds.

He told me what the effect has been on him, waking up every day of the crisis and knowing within himself that he is being faithfully prayed for. He almost pleaded with me not to give up, but to persist with it, for this is only the beginning.

Then he looked me even more squarely in my eyes, and gave me a very personal and specific series of instructions about the very things he most needs prayer for, on behalf of himself and of the nation.

He urged me that the threat against America is very great, and that one of our focuses in prayer to God needs to be “the shielding of America”… and wisdom for him as he leads the country through this time.

I don’t know why, but as I looked straight back at him directly into his face, he let me see for those brief moments a tiny part of the agony he himself is going through, and the weariness. He finished the conversation by putting his hand on my right shoulder, in an affectionate, brotherly sort of way.

I remember meeting the President once – I always will.

It was after a speech, just like this.
It was only a few seconds,
but he put his hand on my shoulder
just like in this story
The man was strong,
and not at all like he’s caricatured.
And he believes.

I remember him saying about a year after 9-11
that he knew when the prayers began for him after that day
and sadly…
he knew when the prayers. stopped.

Love prays.

Love dispatches angels.

source

This week, I slept for a scant few hours. Stretches like this happen sometimes with this insomnia I’ve got. It is what it is. After the first couple of days I should not have been able to do much of anything. After the 3rd and 4th day I shouldn’t have been able to stand.

But I was standing,
and writing,
and though not functioning very well,
still functioning.

I was being prayed for – and I, just like the President, could feel just about exactly when those prayers started – and when they were most numerous – and when they lessened. I even know that some are still there.

Thank you for your prayers this past week.

Love prays.

Maybe the best and definitely the most unexpected benefit so far from blogging has been the joy I get from praying for you. I seem to do it all the time – and it is joy.

But also,

I know I’ve been prayed for,

and before this year I named “connect”,

I hadn’t really experienced that.

I have now.

It’s awesome.

Thank you.

In God’s love.