Experience God In Prayer

By Annie Hickey

David posed this question to me recently: "Do you have an experience where you encountered God in prayer?" Wow!! I had to think about the best way to relate that to the people who might read this. I spent a few days contemplating the challenge. As that was going on, I received a phone call from an attorney I had worked with in the past. He had represented me in a very unusual litigation matter that had been on-going for a couple of years. Although he was not representing me at the time I received the phone call. I need to back this story up a little. The attorney had a legal assistant working for him by the name of Denise. Denise and I had grown very close during the litigation process. Denise has a wonderfully calming voice and a soothing personality. I think that is a real gift. I've never had that. I've prayed all my adult life to be empowered as a woman of quiet spirit. Instead, God seems to give me more boisterous personality with each passing milestone. It reminds me that he has a real sense of humor. But I digress. There were times because of the length of time I worked with this particular attorney in litigation that we had grown very comfortable in our conversations. You know what they say about familiarity? It breeds contempt. I often think of this in terms of families. When people are close to each other, they say things to each other where given exactly the same circumstance with another individual, they would exercise much more restraint or choose words more carefully. The attorney and I had reached this stage early on. When I would be particularly frustrated, Denise just offered such a calming influence that my frustration and anger would just dissipate.

I showed up in the law office two years ago just before Christmas to bring gifts to the attorney and to Denise. I thought a good will showing was certainly in order. Things had been a little strained. I had arrived there from another legal meeting that had been extremely emotional and had gotten what I felt was horrible news in transit. My mind frame was very strained at this point. I entered the office noticing immediately that there was someone else at the front desk that would normally have been occupied by Denise. Upon being shown to the attorney's office, I asked about where Denise might be. I explained that I had brought her a special gift for Christmas.

The attorney began to tell me an unbelievable story. He said that Denise was being deported to Haiti where she was originally from. I had not known she was from Haiti. Both as a Christian and as a person with some political knowledge, I knew Haiti to be a place of social and political unrest and poverty. I also knew that often that environment was very unfair and unforgiving. The attorney further explained that Denise had been attempting to take a trip somewhere that required a passport when something from her past in Haiti had been discovered. It was very likely that the discovered thing was not even true. Crimes and such matters were very often fabricated there. However, Denise had been arrested and sent to an INS detention center to await a hearing that would result in her being sent back to Haiti. Denise's children were born in South Florida and as such were American Citizens. Denise was divorced and I was told she had enough time to get her children to her Sister's home prior to being detained.

I sat there devastated and dejected. I immediately asked what was being done to help. I was told there was nothing to be done. I was told that it was not possible for me or anyone else to help in this situation. I left the office in shock almost immediately. Denise would not even be allowed to apply to return to this Country on a visa for at least 10 years. Being a single mother, my heart broke for her. How could she be torn like this from her children? I knew her to be always caring and concerned. I knew her to be a very diligent worker. It hardly seemed fair. I began making phone calls before I even reached the car. I called anyone of political influence I knew and asked about how to go about helping. I had people making phone calls. I had people with political influence offering to contact the attorney. I was told that there was hope if acted on fast enough. I felt lost. My friend, Doug who had been with me both in Miami and in the attorney's office took time out to pray with me for Denise's safety and for the impossibility of overcoming the government machine that had been set in motion.

Despite our efforts, I never heard of any outcomes nor was I able to track the course of Denise's circumstance. My heart was truly burdened for this young lady. Doug and I spoke of her often and prayed for her often. I could not help but to feel that I had somehow let her down. I was somewhat angry at the attorney for not doing more to help. He was an attorney for crying out loud! Surely he could have filed a motion or something.

Between this past Thanksgiving (2007) and Christmas, my church was sending a missions team to Haiti. I was so excited when the trip was announced. I was determined to be a part of the team so that I could find Denise and reassure her that God had not forgotten her. I was hoping to be a bridge between her and her children also. I figured that was the least I could do. My health had been of some concern. I was recovering from something life-threatening at the time and although I had made significant progress, my physician said it just was not wise to make the trip. I reluctantly agreed to stay behind. I was disappointed and felt that I was letting Denise down all over again. I could do nothing more, so I prayed. "God, you have laid such a burden on my heart for this young woman. Let me never forget to lift up her situation to you. Put someone in her path who can help." I had told Denise's story to several people and I gathered prayer warriors to help in lifting up her situation. I knew that God would make good of this even if I did not know how he would manage that.

This brings us back to the phone call I received last week. I was shocked to see the attorney calling me as identified by my caller ID. I had at some point after Denise's departure moved the case to local lawyer where I lived. The attorney who had represented me in the past worked and lived several hours away from where I lived. He was calling me to ask how I was being treated up here by the attorneys and just get an update on how my litigation was developing. During the course of the conversation, he dropped the most wonderful bomb on me. "You'll never guess who's back working for me?", he teased. "Kathy Mehaffey, I thought she was practicing real estate law now?" I countered. "No...not at all. I think she's doing well though.", he replied. "Then I'm afraid I am not going to have a clue who might be working for you that I would recognize.", I answered honestly. "It's Denise.", he said with excitement in his voice. I stumbled over my own brain at this point. I could not even format a response. That's not possible. I must have misunderstood him. "But Denise was deported to Haiti...", I exclaimed in utter disbelief. "Well...funny thing...she got up to the INS hearing and the judge listened to her story and sent her home. Told her to go be with her children." "That just doesn't happen. " I exclaimed. He said he knew but it had.

Immediately, right then, I felt God's presence in every aspect of my life and my own situation. I felt him right in the vehicle with me. I knew that the burden he had given me for this dear woman was done so that she would be constantly brought to his throne room. I knew that while I had not been able to physically intervene, he had given me a much more significant role. He had wanted me to be undiverted from the ever important task of prayer over her situation. Prayer does not just have it's place in our lives, it should be the foundation of our everyday existence. Prayer keeps us in God's presence. The further we go in our walk, the more our lives should become a means of breathing prayers as well as speaking or writing them. Prayer is the means by which we share our lives with our Creator's.

My own story, as I am sure your is as well, is sometimes unbelievable and incredible. I am still amazed after all the places I have walked to find that God is so concerned with my everyday life. To say that I am thankful for all he is and all he has done is a weak choice of words compared to how my heart really feels. We experience God in prayer and in his answers. Experience him today.

Prayerfully Yours,

Annie Hickey

Author of Faith You Can Borrow