Sitting Next To Satan

The past few weeks have been crazy here in my home. Getting ready to add two adults and four large dogs to our household kind of turned us on our head. We had to clean out, get rid of, pack up, and organize a lot of "stuff". We had to rebuild fences. We had to literally put out a fire (thanks for making that part of my day, Daddy). We had to switch things around and we had to shed a few tears.

The good news is that we survived it all. Hubby, Daddy, and I made it through the daunting emotional task of cleaning out Mama's room and packing up her belongings. Sister, Ricky Ricardo (nickname for brother-in-law), and the hounds arrived safely and got moved in. The hounds got boxed in to the cul-de-sac when they got out of the backyard and could not get away from us when we went after them. Hubby managed to get out of here on time to go to his men's retreat at Laity Lodge and I did not have to frantically call him back to handle any emergencies.

An interesting thing that kept happening through the course of this preparation and moving-in process was that I would find prayer requests that I had written down at various times over the last few years. Some were in notebooks and others were on scraps of paper. The requests came from a multitude of different people that I had met in all kinds of interesting ways. As I found each request, I would say a short prayer for that person again and then move on to my next task.

However, there is one of those prayer requests that I have not been able to put away. I have it sitting here next to my computer where I can look at it often. I have no expectation of ever again seeing the young man who prompted the prayer request, but he is here with me even so. I see his face and the look of anxiety it held. I feel the spiritual warfare still raging around his family. I wonder how they are faring.

I met this little boy, Jesse, while I was doing some volunteer work for a Christian children's program. Jesse was part of the small group that I was talking to about that day's Bible lesson. Seemingly out of the blue, Jesse looked straight at me and asked, "Is Satan real?". I told him that Satan was most definitely real. Jesse heaved a huge sigh and said, "Sometimes I feel like I am tied up right next to Satan". That broke my heart. Jesse was only in fourth grade and he was having to contend with the devil already? 

Jesse and I talked for a few minutes about how Christ has overcome evil and that salvation is available to all. He seemed comforted by our conversation and seemed to enjoy the rest of our afternoon together. He even gave me his gummy treats (I do not like gummy treats, but I never would have told him that when it was obviously such a prized gift). Myself and the other volunteers walked the kids home at the end of the day. I gave Jesse a pat on the back when we got to the apartment where he was temporarily staying and that was the last I ever saw of him. It has been over two years since then.

To be completely honest, I will tell you that there are some prayer requests that are made of me that I do not write down and forget soon after saying the first one or two prayers. But there are some prayer concerns that stay with me long after they have been first brought to my attention. I am pretty sure that I will be praying for a hedge of angels to be around Jesse as long as I am able to. I don't want anyone to have to feel like they are bound up next to Satan, especially not such a tenderhearted young man. 

Do you write down prayer requests? Do you keep them and pray over them years later? It is a formal thing for you or do you just use scraps lying around like I do?

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Once again I am joining up with Jen and the rest of the Soli Deo Gloria Sisterhood over here. Why don't you come see what the rest of the girls have going on?