Our Moms-In-Touch group consists of five women who meet weekly to pray
for our children and their schools. At the end of each school
year, we celebrate how God has answered prayers in the lives of our
children and in the midst of their schools. It is truly amazing
to see how God moves among our children and answers our prayers.
I haven’t been able to attend very many Moms-In-Touch meetings this
year because of a hectic work schedule, but I was blessed to be able to
attend one day this month. As we sat and prayed, one mom asked
for prayer for her family during the Christmas season. Her son
was going through some difficult times (as all of our children do), and
there seemed to be tension
in the house between the child and the parents. So the group of
five women began praying for this family.
As each woman prayed and lifted this family in prayer, I listened to
the sweet prayers and my heart repeated the prayers that were being
prayed, and as I listened to their prayers, in my mind, I could see and
smell apple cider in a cup with steam rising from the top. I
can’t
explain it, except to say that it wasn’t a physical aroma that was in
my nostrils, it was the smell of apple cider that was in my heart and
mind as I listened to the prayers.
When it was my turn to lift this family in prayer, I prayed, “Lord, I
don’t know why I’m seeing and smelling a cup of apple cider, but it’s
in my mind as I listen to these prayers. Lord, I pray that you
will grow the relationship between this boy and his parents to a place
of warmth and comfort, just like a mug of apple cider does for us on a
cold, winter day. Lord, let the aroma of this home be like a cup
of warm cider. Let this boy feel warm and comforted when he is at
home with his parents and let his heart be warmed just as cider
comforts and warms our bodies.” As I prayed, I couldn’t help but
chuckle. Surely, I thought, this mom must think I’m nuts, asking
the Lord to let her son see her as a cup of cider. I was hesitant
to pray this prayer, but something inside me pushed the prayer out
through my lips, and as I prayed, a little giggle came out with the
words - It was almost like God was speaking this prayer to bring warmth
to our group too.
After our prayer time, we met together at a local restaurant to enjoy
breakfast together and to celebrate the Christmas season. As the
breakfast was ending and we were preparing to leave the restaurant, the
mom mentioned above said to me, “Mary, I have to tell you about the
apple cider. When I was buying groceries yesterday, I saw a
gallon of apple cider and I thought, ‘My son loves warm cider.
I’m going to buy some cider and take it home. When my son comes
in from his day at school, I’ll make him a warm cup of cider and we’ll
start the afternoon off right.’ So I took the cider home, but
when he got off the bus, things got off on the wrong foot, so we
settled into our routine and I never made the apple cider. This
morning, I was going to make the cider for him, but we woke up late and
had to rush around, so no apple cider.” She added, “When I left
home this morning, there was the apple cider sitting there, and I
thought to myself, ‘I need to make that warm cider this
afternoon’. She added, “I’ll be sure to have that cider prepared
for him this afternoon.”
I was stunned. While I had been praying that prayer, I was
thinking, “This is crazy! Why in the world would I be thinking about
apple cider when I’m praying for peace and unity within her
home?” God’s purpose in that prayer may have been to reassure
this mom that she was on the right track to bring comfort and peace
into their home, and the apple cider was just a confirmation that He
was working in their family to smooth out all the rough
edges. He will reveal to her, in time, what this lesson in apple
cider was about, and I can’t wait to hear her story!
God teaches us so much doesn’t He. It is amazing how Matthew
18:20 applies to our prayer lives, even when we’re not aware that He’s
applying that verse.
