Grandma’s Prayers

I believe in the power of prayer. I’ve learned to. I’ve learned from experience. And the “experience” is my entire life. I know the power of prayer prayed by a Godly woman. I know it because I’ve been on the receiving end of it. I’ve benefited from someone praying for me many, many times.

Grandma’s prayers are the reason a lot of us are still here.

My grandmother was a praying woman. She prayed for everything and everyone. When we were little, people would come to our home and ask for mama (our name for our maternal grandmother) to pray for them. And she would. Right then and there.

I won’t ever forget the time I was in the garden with her. It was so hot. It was a day of Alabama heat and Alabama humidity. I can still smell the dust from the dry ground. It hadn’t rained for weeks. And we were trying to keep vegetables alive with water from a hose. As soon as we got one row watered, and moved on to the next, the first one already looked like we hadn’t even watered it.

I was wiping sweat and trying not to complain. The sun was beating down and I just wanted to head to the barn and get on Topper. But Mama needed help so I tried not to complain too much.

All of a sudden she looked at me and said, “We’d better get in, honey. It’s about to rain”.

Y’all keep this in mind: The sun was sooooo bright. Not a single cloud. No breeze at all. Hot, hot, hot and sticky, sticky heat enveloped us. There was no way that a rain was coming. Not even a hint of rain could be felt or seen.

I said, “Mama, there ain’t a cloud in the sky. The sun is beating down on us. There is not even a hint of a breeze and rain is nowhere in sight.”

She said, “You come on now. I prayed for rain last night and I feel it.”

She was getting to the end of a row and heading up to the house as she talked.

We hadn’t quite made it to the front porch before I felt the first drops of a slow falling, long-lasting summer rain. It rained all night into early the next morning. I’m talking about the kind of rain that not only nourishes the garden, but it also cleanses your soul as you thank God for His rain.

That wasn’t the only time I saw her prayers answered.

She prayed for all us girls. For everything. She prayed for us to walk with God, for us to have healthy relationships, for us to have healthy children, for us to know the right things to do, for us to stand strong in hard times. And yes, she prayed for rain and for the animals and crops on the farm. She prayed for everyone and everything.

And I will forever be grateful that mama prayed for me.

Sending you blessings of prayer, love and gratitude.

Charity M. Richey-Bentley