The first day that I was an editor at Guideposts magazine, almost three decades ago, my new boss, editor-in-chief Van Varner, clutching an ink-smudged manuscript in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other, said, “Are you going to come pray with us?”
“Pray?” I asked, a bit taken aback.
“Every Monday morning we do it. Come to the conference room. It’s not mandatory but I think you’ll get something out of it.” He headed down the hall, the coffee coming perilously close to slopping out of his cup.
Not sure what I was getting into, I followed.
“Our readers send us their prayer requests, and every Monday morning at 9:45 we pray for them.” He gestured to a stack of letters on the table. “Take a few and read them to yourself, then pick one or two to read aloud to the group.”
I sat at the table, stealing a glance at my new colleagues. They didn’t look much different from anyone else you would find in a New York office: sleeves rolled up, ties loosened, a pen in one hand, glasses slipping down a nose. But they were poring over prayer requests.
“How will I know which ones to read aloud?” I whispered to Van.
“Whatever touches you,” he replied. I looked down at my pile of letters. Some were on nice stationery, some dashed off on a notepad, others typed.
Often the handwriting told me something about the writer: a frail hand with words that drooped on the page or a loopy script with enthusiastic exclamation points and heavy underlining.
SEND YOUR PRAYER REQUEST FOR THANKSGIVING DAY OF PRAYER
But the words themselves could be overwhelming: “My husband left me and I have no way of supporting myself.” “Pray that my mom does not suffer anymore.” “I’ve been going to a chiropractor but I’m still not well. Pray for my aching back.” “I ask you to pray for my loneliness and anger.”
One sent a photo of her two cats: “I just thought you might want to see Missy and Velvet.”
These people really do trust us, I thought, and they’re asking us to ask God to help them.
It was an incredible lesson for a new editor, and I’m sure that’s what Van intended. It was a sort of market research. When you find out what someone is praying for, you learn what’s really important in their lives.
I discovered something else too. Monday after Monday I would drag myself into that conference room, often dragging a bundle of worries of my own. I’d begin reading, and then I didn’t feel so alone with my troubles. God, I’d pray, if you can help this person in this letter I’d be really glad.
One day I walked into Van’s office and said, “We should do something to celebrate all the people we pray for.” He looked up from a manuscript. “When?”
“I don’t know…Thanksgiving?” I suggested. “We could ask them to send in pictures and we could give thanks for them.”
So it was born. Thanksgiving Day of Prayer. The Monday before Thanksgiving. Let us know your prayer needs and what you are grateful for.
Praying for others is at the heart of this organization. We’re grateful to hear how those prayers were answered for you. But every prayer we make deepens our own faith and helps us 365 days of the year. That’s what we’re most thankful for.
Send your prayer request for Thanksgiving Day of Prayer. OurPrayer community will lift your prayer on November 21st.
