I am a product of my grandmother’s prayers

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Recently, when at dinner with my mom and sister, I asked if they had ever heard my grandmother pray out loud. My mom said she has heard my grandmother pray, but my sister and I were reckoning with the idea. We know she prayed for us, though we may never know the language she used to cover us in those prayers.

We didn’t hear her prayers, yet we can confidently say how we benefited from them.

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I would hear my grandfather praying for his family.  

I can recount the many times when, as a child, I would hear my grandfather praying for his family. He would often pray for God to protect us from dangers seen and unseen. He would thank God for giving him the time to experience his children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and, thankfully today, his great-great-grandchildren. I remember these prayers; they will never leave my heart. I am grateful for the gift to still hear the echo of those prayers today.

And, while my grandfather was the extroverted one who never hesitated to openly pray for us, often close by we would experience the silent yet powerful presence of my grandmother. She may not have taken center stage like my grandfather, but we knew she prayed for each of us. I knew if I’d asked for her prayers, she would have prayed. Still, I knew she was already praying for me even when I didn’t think to ask her.

We can look to those who came before us.  

A common thread we often see in our community is the blessing of our grandmothers’ prayers. Even as we’ve messed up and as the world has counted us out, we can look to those who came before us and say we know we were covered in prayer. Even in the times when we’d gone astray, Jesus was in the midst and often used our grandmothers as vessels, either quietly or publicly, to help draw us back to Him.

There’s one night that lives rent-free in my mind as I think about my cousins and I talking about our faith and how it brought tears to my grandmother’s eyes. In this memory, my grandmother lifted her voice and said how “it did her heart some good” to hear her grandchildren talking about the goodness of Jesus. It was well with her soul to see the fruit of her faith through us.

My grandmother was quiet but when she spoke we all listened.  

She was strong-willed and full of faith. She modeled excellence in how she cared for those in her world, even those who overlooked her. She exuded humility and what it meant to be an image bearer. My grandmother was my advocate, my educator, my encourager and the best cook down south.

When I recount those who influenced my faith, I thank the Lord for my praying grandmother. I may never know every word my grandmother prayed, but I know I’m still covered by the echo of her prayers today.

She would often tell us that, “Ain’t nothing wrong with dying but it’s dying without Jesus that should scare us.” So much is missing without her sweet presence, now, but I know her prayers are still with me and the generations after me will be blessed because of her influence.

My grandparents modeled how to pray both publicly and quietly. Their life was a testament to God’s faithfulness because they never missed an opportunity to tell us about how He provided, how He healed and how He made a way for them.

I don’t know where I’d be without her influence and her covering over me. I’m thankful that I’m a product of her prayers, and I’m thankful for her ministry towards us, leaving a legacy of faith for us to trust in.

“Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.” —Proverbs 31:29 NIV