Do This to Encourage a Friend—Takes Just Two Minutes

On a dark rainy day several years ago my mood matched the weather. I climbed in my car and listened to the rain patter on the roof. I felt physically and emotionally drained.   

Suddenly, my cell phone rang. I answered with a cheerier tone than I felt. A voice on the other end said: “Bill, this is John Anderson. I’m calling from Washington D.C.” John is a Federal Marshall—in fact it’s his job to oversee security for every federal courthouse in the United States.

“Bill,” he continued, “I’ve only got two minutes, but I wanted to pray for you. Okay?”

“Please do,” I said.

Mark prayed for two minutes and said he had to go.

As I hung up the phone I realized a miracle had just occurred. My batteries were charged about half- way.

When I got home the phone in my office rang. “This is Jason,” the man on the other end of the line said. “I just called to pray for you.” Jason lives in Dallas. At the time of the call he had recently discovered he’s got the best kind of a bad disease. That means he’ll be okay for a long time. As you can imagine—he’s had a lot on his mind—running a business, caring for his family and coping with the diagnosis.

Jason prayed for about two minutes. When he hung up a second miracle had occurred—my batteries were fully charged.

The next day I called a friend in Seattle. He’s a businessman I’ve been praying for on a regular basis. “This is Bill,” I said. “I’ve only got two minutes, but I wanted to pray for you.” He said, “Okay.” I prayed and said “Goodbye.”

I want to challenge you to try something today. Call a friend and say: “I’ve only got two minutes. I can’t talk but I wanted to pray for you.” And then pray. You never know but your prayers may be just the lift they need on a rainy day when their batteries are low. If you’re not comfortable praying for them on the phone then pray first and then call them and say, “I’m calling to tell you I just prayed God would give you a surge of hope and encouragement today.” Thank them for their friendship and say goodbye. Keep it to two minutes or less.

Let me know what happens.

Locking arms,

Bill