The Prayers You Never Knew Were Prayed for You

Back in middle school, my cross-country coach told me that when she couldn’t sleep, she would spend the night praying for other people until she fell asleep.

It became a habit of mine to pray myself to sleep.

The long, dark, quiet moments under the covers became my time to talk to God. Because maybe the world outside seemed a little upside-down, maybe tomorrow looked a little bit scary, but there under the covers, everything seemed to fall into place.

I would talk about my day, my hopes and dreams. I would thank Him for all the threads I could see slowly coming together, and all the perfect details that I hadn’t noticed before.

And a lot of times, I would pray for the people in my life. They usually never knew that I had said those prayers for them. I had said those words in the quiet of my room, in the dark, under the covers…

Away in my prayer closet.

“But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret.”

~Matthew 6:6, ESv

Your prayers do not have to be seen or heard by anyone but God. Sometimes they are meant to be between just Him and you, because character is who you are when nobody is watching.

And while God is in the midst of the two or three that gather together in His name (Matt. 18:20), He’s also there beside the one heart that seeks Him in the quiet of solitude. Away in the prayer closet, in the dark of your bedroom before you fall asleep, in the coolness of the air as you run by yourself.

Just you and God.

Because it’s not about the words you say, it’s about the heart behind the words (Matt. 6:7).

And you pray all these words for other people, words that come from a heart of care, but you pray them alone, and…

The people you just prayed for have no idea. Perhaps they’ll never know you said those prayers for them.

And yet, not a single prayer goes unheard.

And not a single prayer goes unanswered.

In all the prayers that you pray, all the times you lift up these words for other people, it’s like you’re casting out seeds. Casting out seeds in the hope that they’ll grow into something more.

You may not even know what you’re praying for, or why you’re praying at all. You may not get the answer you expected. And you may have to wait many years before you see the first signs of growth.

You may not even get to see the blossoms yourself, but that doesn’t mean that something hasn’t grown.

A few weeks ago, I felt that God had put it on my heart to pray for someone that night. I had only a faint idea of what I was praying for exactly. Still I lifted up the words.

In a conversation the next day, I realized the specifics of why I had felt called to pray. I also learned that in the morning, the prayer had been answered in a beautiful way.

A hurt had been healed over the course of that night, and it felt like… Like my words had been heard.

I knew that God had always heard my prayers, but seeing this happen… It was just the reminder that I needed. Like God saying, “See, I heard that prayer that you prayed for someone else. And I answered it. I’m still listening.

I’m still here. For you, too. Always.”

As I’ve prayed for other people, I’ve seen this reminder that God is still active in our world. Even when it feels like He’s been silent in my personal life, I know that He isn’t, because He shows up in the lives of those around me.

He shows up in the lives of those around me, answering the prayers that I’ve lifted up in the dark of my bedroom on those sleepless nights.

All the prayers that no one ever knew about—God heard them all.

And, my reader, there have probably been many prayers you never even knew were prayed for you. Maybe every simple blessing, every little miracle, is an answer to someone else’s prayer for you. <3

all the prayers

as leaves float in the wind
do you ever wonder 
where they’re coming from
or where they’re going

do you ever wonder
how many prayers
were lost in the quiet winds
but lifted up to heaven

here, see this tree
and how it grew:
its leaves are all the prayers
you never knew
were prayed for you

as this road stretches out wide
do you ever look back on
where you’re coming from
or wonder where your 
path is going

do you ever wonder 
how many prayers
were poured out of the weary hearts
that stopped in their own paths
to pray for you on yours

here, feel this wind
and how it blew:
its Maker is hearing all the prayers
you never knew
were prayed for you

He’s hearing all the prayers
you never knew
were prayed for you–
hearing them,
and answering them
too

Thank you for reading, and I hope my writing encouraged you! If you enjoyed it, you can subscribe to my mailing list here.