Betty Was Our Well-Digger

God told the nomadic Israelites they would come to wells they had not dug. (Deuteronomy 6:11) What a refreshment it must have been for the weary travelers to come to supplies of water that their own efforts had not created.

There are days when we are spiritually thirsty but too busy or too faint to provide our own source of refreshment. When someone else prays for us, it is as though they provided a spiritual well for us.

My husband and I were married after his first year of medical school, and the next three years could have been dry and difficult. He studied night and day, was on call every third night for many months, and was rarely able to attend church. 

Despite these desert conditions, we did not suffer drought. Exam times meant extra prayer times. Often on Friday nights, our unhurried Bible reading and prayer would last nearly the entire evening. We began a practice we still continue of drawing spiritual strength by reading together the Bible or a good book.

We were drinking from wells we had not dug. During those busy years, Betty, a dear, praying woman in our church, would occasionally come to my husband and quietly say, “I’m praying for you every day.” Here was the secret of our strength. She and others were digging wells for us. Those were days when we probably would have neglected to dig our own if others had not interceded for us.

If we are willing to pray regularly, God will make us aware of others’ needs. The nudge to pray may simply be an awareness that Janet is discouraged or that Kent is withdrawing from church. Developing sensitivity to the thoughts God places in our minds can help our praying be Spirit-directed. 

Dear Jesus, please give me Your sensitivity to pray for those in need. 

“Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail” (Luke 22:31, 32).