A few weeks ago, our neighbour’s BBQ gas tank burst when they were having a BBQ, causing a huge fire. Our neighbour called the fire brigade and while the firemen were making their way to the house, our neighbour and my father were using the water hose to try and contain the fire. The fire was burning quite fiercely and thank God that the constant water applied to the gas cylinder prevented it from erupting.
As it was happening my initial thoughts were, “What if the fire spread to our house? Where are we going to live?” At the same time I also feared for my father’s safety, “What if the tank did burst, he would be injured quite badly!” My mother and I decided to pray to God while we all waited for the firemen to arrive. They finally did and managed to put out the fire altogether.
This incident left an impression in me–that is, the importance of having prayerful spiritual friends and family members in our lives. Whilst life for most of us is quite smooth sailing, unexpected “fires” may come our way. That is when we need our spiritual friends and family members to “offer up their safety and hold out their water hoses”–we need their support in prayer. Prayer is so powerful. But when we pray by ourselves we may lack power. And often when we face with “little fires or even big fires” our physical strength diminishes. Jesus Christ said in Matthew 18:20, “Where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.” God did not mean for us to walk this path of salvation alone. While we may have many friends, it’s the ones that are able to pray for you that are most precious.