Women of Prayer

When I was in Liberia, I had the pleasure of working with a fabulous group of women: the Deaconesses of the Liberian Methodist Church. These are super special women in the church. They go through something like a three-year training program to do their job. What is their job?

To Pray.

They wake up at 3am and they pray. They stayed up until midnight or later with us during our ministry to pray. They set up prayer boundaries around us -- physical walls of prayer. They went into the communities where the crusades would be to pray. They are honored in their home churches because they pray -- day in, day out, in constant communion with the Lord. Whoa.

Preparing the water for baptism

I could always tell when there was a deaconess nearby because a peace would settle upon the area. If I felt spiritually vulnerable out in the villages, all I'd have to do was spot a deaconess and be comforted. I tried to keep one of these amazing ladies in my eyesight at all times. They are just filled with the Holy Spirit in a powerful way.

Praying for those who were just baptized

The craziest thing about these ladies is that they wear white from head to toe -- turban to flip-flop -- whenever they are performing their official duties. Let me tell you one thing about Liberia: It is a dirty, dusty country. I wore white one day (and only one day) and was filthy within an hour. God must be protecting their clothing as well as their souls!

Since getting back, I've been curious. What would the Church in America look like if we had a dedicated core of women who consistantly prayed for salvation and protection? Women who gathered together with the firm belief that God is a God who answers prayer? Women who were willing to stand apart from the community and intercess on its behalf? Can you picture it?