Diane Williams - Angels in Action - Stories to Inspire

We all sat around the table that night recounting the events of the day.

“Mom, I was so scared,” Jasmine said. “I had never been in that neighborhood before. I didn’t know where I was or what to do. I started walking in the direction of your car. I was so angry and confused. I just kept walking, block after block. At first, I just thought you were mean. Then I thought you were crazy.” Jasmine started to cry as she remembered her frustration and hurt. “I couldn’t figure out why you would treat me this way.”

I took her hand.

“You girls need to be much more responsible than other children,” I said gently. “I need to make it clear to both you and Tiffany that because of my physical situation we need to be able to trust one another for everything. It’s important for you to follow my instructions. If you don’t, Child Protective Services can take you away from me and they will become your guardians. In other words, you would go to a foster home or a group home. I love you and I want you to be happy on your journey to greatness and sometimes it requires obeying God’s tough lesson.”

Reflection: Go within and CORRECT IN LOVE …therein lies your power. Love spurs obedience. Obedience, while difficult, will produce blessings and encourage your trust in God to grow. We need to understand that God loves us unconditionally, and we need to follow Him to reap the benefits of a blessed life.

“You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love,” (Galatians 5:13).

I always had a deep desire to be of service. When I was introduced to a prayer group in church, I joined immediately. The group taught me how to pray and gave me many opportunities to pray for others. We prayed for each other, and I soon learned, “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another” (Proverbs 27:17). I then decided that prayer would become my ministry. I wanted to delve deeper into the ministry of prayer. I found a mentor and fervently studied prayer. After years of practice, I joined the Guideposts prayer ministry to be of service.

“PLEASE HELP ME,” pleaded the caller. “I can’t take it anymore.”

Her voice was breaking up. I listened intently. She told me her name was Mary. She was in her early fifties, worked as a home health provider, but was unable to work because of a job-related leg injury.

Mary spoke rapidly, “I’m so full of despair that I decided to dial the Guideposts prayer line.”

“I’m glad you did, Mary. How may I pray for you today?” I asked.

“My temporary disability payments are less than half of my regular pay, and this leaves me without enough money to pay my bills. I have been juggling my good faith payments on my overdue bills, but I am not able to keep them up. In addition, the week before I was to report to work, I hurt myself again. While waiting for another claim to be processed, my funds were exhausted. My creditors were threatening to cut off my utilities. I had almost accepted the possibility of living without these essentials.”

Mary went on to tell me that the notice placed on her door made her even more desperate. She said she broke down and cried as she read the flier. The apartment building in which she had lived for more than thirty years was no longer going to be rent controlled; it was going co-op.

I silently thanked God for giving me her call. In my professional career as a social worker, I had heard this problem hundreds of times. I knew how to help her. I yearned to give Mary the information I had at my fingertips, but there was something stopping me.

It was the Guideposts prayer ministry guidelines.

The Holy Spirit reminded me that I was a prayer intercessor and that it was my job to pray to the Lord on the caller’s behalf. No advice whatsoever was to be given—that was God’s job. Therefore, I prayed and went on to my next caller.

Week after week, Mary called, sounding progressively more defeated. It was becoming more difficult to decipher her words through her sobs. My heart ached for her.

By the time the seventh week rolled around, I had made up my mind that I was going to give her some advice—after all, hadn’t I worked as a social worker for fifteen years?

However, the words I had read in the Guideposts guidelines—“We are not a counseling line”—played themselves repeatedly in my mind. I put my decision on pause and prayed for myself, but the urge to intervene grew even stronger.

I wrestled with the concept that God uses people, so maybe that’s why He gave me Mary’s call, wasn’t it? I called Jim, my prayer mentor, and explained my dilemma. He validated my feelings, prayed for me, but repeated the guidelines, “We are not a counseling line.”

Next week when Mary called, crying, the urge to give her advice had disappeared. I felt rejuvenated. I prayed God’s Word with conviction. “Wow,” chuckled Mary, “you sound so powerful.” Silently, I thanked the Holy Spirit for His visit.

Several months later, on the line as usual, my first call came from Mary. She spoke nonstop as always.

“Diane, I’m so glad I got you today! Listen to this! When I was in the laundry room of my building, a strange lady greeted me and she started to stare at me. She explained that I looked like someone whom she had hired twenty years ago to be her aunt’s caregiver. As she spoke, something clicked in my mind. Her aunt was my first client. I took care of her for many years before she died. Vaguely, I remembered the niece’s face, and when she mentioned her name, memories flashed in my mind. Whenever she visited her aunt, she was always carrying books. Her aunt often spoke of how brilliant she was. Therefore, I asked her what became of all her knowledge. Hold your breath, Diane; you will not believe what happened next.

“‘I was my aunt’s primary caregiver,’ the niece explained, ‘and I loved her dearly. Nevertheless, coupled with pursuing my college education and proceeding with my career, I was forced to hire additional help and that person, Mary, was you. It was a pleasure to see my aunt so happy and so well groomed. I knew I had done the right thing.’

“Diane, not only did the niece earn a master’s degree, she started her own real estate business. In fact, she is now the new owner of the building. She is responsible for converting the property into a co-op. Instead of congratulating her, I bawled and dumped my miserable life story on her; but listen to this. She gently put her arms around me and promised that I would have a place to live in that building for as long as I wanted!”

After I hung up the phone, I smiled and I reflected on the miracle God produced in not only Mary’s life but also in mine. Mary’s leg healed, she returned to work, and received the deed to her co-op apartment. Moreover, I was blessed with the privilege of praying for a resolution to Mary’s problems. God did a much better job at fixing everything than I could have ever dreamed of doing. What a reassurance that God does take care of His children.

Reflection: Go within and SERVE …therein lies your power. Be of service in the position God has appointed you. He is omniscient and omnipotent and you are His vehicle. Recognize your knowledge, recognize your skill. Discern when to use your abilities or tap into His.

When entering school for a master’s degree at the age of forty-three, I was daunted. I found my first college experience extremely challenging twenty-three years earlier as an active, healthy, and mobile person. Now as an immobile person, rolling on a walker (and at other times a wheelchair), I believed it would be hard, and I did not want to weather the challenge. However, after much deliberation and encouragement, I decided to move forward.