Pray for Servers
I want to challenge you to pray for servers in restaurants. Let me tell you a story. I invited a new friend, Luke, to meet me for breakfast to get to know him better. We met at a Cracker Barrel, greeted one another, and were seated. Our server introduced herself and took our drink orders. She returned with our drinks and took our breakfast orders.
Luke and I talked and before long, our server returned with our meals. As she finished placing our plates on our table, I called our server by name, told her we were getting ready to pray for our meal, and asked how we could pray for her. She seemed surprised and asked us to pray for God’s blessings. I asked if there was anything else, she said no and left us to pray. Luke and I bowed our heads, and I prayed for our breakfast, prayed for our server by name, and asked God to bless her.
Luke and I ate our meals and continued to visit. Our server asked if the meals were together or separate, and I indicated together. She shortly returned with the “check” which she slid near my plate. Luke and I continued to talk for another 15 minutes. Then when stood to leave, I grabbed the “check” and opened it. The slip of paper said, “Your meal has been paid in full. Thank you!”
We were shocked. We looked around, and we could not find our server. I slid a twenty dollar bill under the slip of paper, and Luke and I departed. As we did, I wondered if our server paid our bill, if someone saw us pray for her and paid our bill, or if someone knew one of us and paid our bill. As the same time, I also realized that God blessed us at a time when we had prayed for His blessings on our server.
Second Challenge
There are many reasons to pray for servers. Getting your meal paid for is not the point of the story. The point is that it is challenging to serve in a restaurant, and you never know the needs and difficulties of life that servers are facing. In addition, prayer demonstrates the love of Christ. Even when it is not possible to ask for prayer requests, I almost always pray for the server.
When a restaurant is not full, I may even ask if we can pray with the server. I asked one a few years ago, and she immediately left the table. I wondered if I had offended her somehow. She returned shortly with a slip of paper with two serious requests that needed prayer in the next few days. She sat in our booth while we prayed, and I continued to pray for her and her requests for the next couple of weeks.
Over the years, when I have asked servers if they had prayer requests, I have had a few who said no. Some may not believe in God and may not know how to respond. And some incorrectly think that prayer is only for when something is wrong. One declined stating she was a witch. While it stunned me for a moment, I prayed for her and asked God to show her how much He loved her. No one has ever been rude or angry in response to my question.
My second challenge to you as the leader of a Sunday School class or small group Bible study is to challenge members of your group to ask servers for prayer requests. Remember to follow up your challenge by asking group members to share what happened when they asked. Doing so reminds them you were serious about your challenge, and it gives them opportunities to encourage group members as they share their experiences.
Pray for and with servers. Allow God to use you to remind servers of His great care and yours. Make disciples. Be revolutionary!
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