The Whispered Prayers We Can Answer
You may be the only Bible someone reads
If you’ve been following my stories, you’ll know one of my absolute favorite things to do is riding shotgun with my dad while he runs his errands. Forget "daddy’s girl"; I am proudly a daddy's passenger princess. It's where the best conversations happen, and, apparently, where I learn real-life experiences.
On my last trip home to Ilorin, I invited myself (as usual) to follow him on his Sunday rounds. It was one of those bright, hot afternoons where the sun feels like it’s hovering just two inches from your forehead.
We were driving when we spotted a woman, who looked to be in her late 30s, standing by the roadside. She was holding a small child, both of them standing in the brutal afternoon heat, clearly waiting for a keke or a bike. My dad, without a word, eased the car over. He rolled down his window and said, “Come in, let me drop you at the junction.”
She didn’t hesitate to jump in; she was grateful. She bundled her child in, and we continued. Here’s the thing: he didn’t just drop her at the junction. He asked her where she was actually going, and he took her the whole way. It was completely off our route, adding at least 30 minutes to our trip. But my dad just smiled and waved her off like it was nothing.
About two hours later, after visiting our close relatives and picking up groceries, we were on the quiet stretch of Asa Dam Road. Suddenly, my dad braked and pulled over.
I looked up, confused. “Why are we stopping again?”
He pointed. An elderly woman was standing by the road. “I heard her say, ‘Please help me halfway.’ Let’s carry her,” he said.
Immediately, my survival instincts kicked in. “Daddy, you know you can’t do this in Lagos or Abuja,” I told him. “You can’t stop for every single person you see on the road.”
He simply smiled. “Well,” he said, “some people say silent prayers. And sometimes the prayers are so small, so simple… that I can fulfill them.”
I kept quiet because what he said was powerful. It struck a chord in me, enough for me to want to write about it to you.
He is absolutely right.
As Christians, honestly, as humans, we spend so much time asking God for one thing or another. But not every prayer needs a miracle. His simple act reminded me of something powerful:
God is everywhere, yes, but sometimes, a prayer isn't answered by a booming voice from the heavens. Some prayers can be answered in seconds by someone who has the privilege, time, or means. We are the ones with the capability to be the answer to someone’s whispered, quiet, desperate prayer.
Think of the simple, solvable needs right in front of you. Sometimes it’s as ordinary as paying for someone’s transport when they’re stranded, offering to carry a heavy bag for an elderly person, checking in on a friend who’s been unusually quiet, or sharing an extra meal with someone who doesn’t have one. It could be giving directions to a lost stranger, helping a colleague meet a deadline, or sending money to someone who didn’t even ask but clearly needs it. These things feel small, but to the person on the receiving end, they’re nothing short of divine timing.
If we slow down enough, listen enough, and stay open enough, we’ll realize that every day gives us tiny opportunities to be the human form of a silent “Amen” in someone else’s life.
Look around. Is there a simple, small prayer you can answer today? You may be the only Bible someone reads and the miracle someone is waiting for.
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