A simple question can change everything.

Last week, five guys from my small group got together for a 6:30 breakfast. We arrived downtown before the sun was up, ready to enjoy great fellowship over some Eggs Benedict. None of us were expecting an evangelism opportunity.

Our waitress was a wonderful lady in her 40s named Rhonda. She was the type that called us “sweetheart,” “darling,” “toots,” and every other pet name you can think of. We enjoyed bantering with her, and though she used some four letter words that I try not to say, she did say something like, “you guys all seem pretty cool!”

When she brought our food out, the Holy Spirit prompted me to ask a simple, powerful question. “Rhonda, the five of us are all Christians. We usually pray before we eat. How could we pray for you?” In an instant, Rhonda went from smiles to tears. She told us a story of her and her teenage son recently getting mugged and beat up on the street, while others looked on without helping. She pointed out a scar on her lip from the incident. Above all, Rhonda expressed how discouraged she was that something like that could happen.

I told Rhonda: “This world is messed up. It is so wrong that you had to go through that. We’ve all experienced those kinds of things in some ways, and we’ve all been a part of making the mess. But Rhonda, that’s why Jesus came. He came to die for the very sins we are talking about. Let’s pray together.”

Rhonda grabbed the hands of two of the guys, and I prayed the gospel over her. I pray it again today: “Lord, I pray that in the midst of her trials, Rhonda would find hope in you and what you did for her by dying on the cross. Please help her to believe in you for forgiveness of sins, even when it’s hard. Oh, and thank you for this food too!”

A simple question led to a powerful opportunity. Have you asked someone how you could pray for them lately? Are your eyes open to the opportunities around you?

[This article was previously published in our September newsletter.]