“The Power of Prayer”

“Well, I’ve been lied on, cheated,
talked about, mistreated,
I’ve been used, scorned,
talked about sore as bone.

I’ve been up, down, almost to the ground
But long as I got king Jesus, long as got king Jesus,
long long long as I got
I don’t need nobody else.”

These are the lyrics to the song “Long as I got Jesus” by Vickie Winans. In her later years in life, my grandmother and I attended church together. Some Sundays, one of my cousins would sing the song during praise and worship service. My grandmother sat on the second row to the left of the church and would get happy each time that he sang it. My grandmother never verbally say it, but this was her theme song. This was her motto. All she knew was Jesus. All she talked about was Jesus. She knew that prayer would help her through any situation.

My grandmother’s prayer life is one of the great things that I loved about her. A lot of people talk about Christianity, but they don’t live the life as Christians. This was not the case for my grandmother. She walked the walk and talked the talk. She was always involved in the church. She was a Sunday school teacher for Second Baptist for many years.

Growing up, she and my grandfather would occasionally have disagreements. Sometimes, the arguments would get heated. She never raised her voice at him. Instead, she would open her Bible and sing hymnals to him. My grandfather would stop arguing and things were back to the regular day.

All my years of my life, I never heard my grandmother raise her voice at anyone. Elnora Long never met a stranger. She didn’t care who you were. If you talked to her long enough, she was going to tell you about her faith and about Jesus. My grandmother always showed love. Her life was an example of Ephesians 4:32. “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as Christ God has forgiven you.”

A few months ago, I was headed to my second job. I was pressed for time and didn’t have much to spare. As I walked out of my apartment building, I noticed a man crying profusely. I stood there for a few seconds wondering what to do. My initial thoughts was that it was none of my business. I need to go to work, but the spirit within me said for me to walk over and pray with him. I’ll be honest with you. I was very afraid of walking over to a complete stranger and praying, but the Holy. Spirit would not allow me to walk away.

I walked up to him and asked was he ok. He said that he had received an eviction notice. I told him that I was sorry to hear the news. I asked him could I pray for him and his situation. He said yes. At that moment, we bowed our heads, closed our eyes, and I prayed for him, his finances, and his situation. I know that he didn’t know, but I was in the same predicament as he was a few months prior to me meeting him. I knew the emotions that he was dealing with that afternoon.

After I prayed, I asked him his name. His name was Chris, and he was the manager at the Walgreens beside our apartment complex. He stated that he and his wife were struggling, and times were hard. He said that he didn’t believe in God, but he has dealt with other situations in life. Occasionally, he prayed, but it wasn’t on a daily basis. When he prayed, it was usually when he was in a dire situation. Each time he went through a tough situation, God would send someone like him. He said that he hadn’t been crying long when I walked up. It appeared that I came out of air. We laughed about that part. I told him that I was headed to work and noticed he was in despair. He and I talked for a few more minutes. I told him that tough times don’t last. I encouraged him to not give up. I told him that at times, we go through things that God has to grab our attention. I told him to pray more and give it all to God. We hugged, and I went on my day.

I was late for work that afternoon, but I didn’t care. I told God if I was written up that it wouldn’t matter because I was doing His will. I moved from that particular apartment complex in February. There are times that I still think of Chris and wonder how he is doing. When I think of him, I send up a prayer.

My family calls me “Little Elnora” for various reasons. One that particular day, I thought of her because I said this is something that my grandmother would do. She would not have cared who was looking. She would not have cared about being late for work. She would only have wanted to show the love of Christ. She would have wanted Chris to know that Jesus loves him.

June 29, 2020, my grandmother went on to be with the Lord. On the morning of her death, a piece of my heart left too. There is not a day that goes by that I do not think of her. She was my world. I don’t know if I will ever run into another Chris situation again. It might be someone else. We know the saying what would Jesus do. I also add, “what would grandma do?” I pray that I continue to exemplify her Christian ways and show the love of Christ. That is all she wanted for her lineage. May her lineage and the lives she touched always know the power of prayer.