A touching true story. Only the names have been changed. Spring 1973. In a quiet kitchen, sunlight streamed in across a table where Sarah sat with her morning coffee and the Wenatchee World. She wasn’t looking for anything specific, just checking out what was happening in the world. Her eyes caught a sales‑promotion article. Three young salesmen smiled for the camera. The one in the middle—Rick Watts—had a friendly grin, a thick mustache, and the longish hair. That was the style of the day. He looked lighthearted. Just a young man making his way in the world.
But something stirred in Sarah’s spirit. A quiet nudge. Pray for him. She didn’t know why. She didn’t know him or his story. But she cut out the article, folded it, and gently tucked it away.
And she prayed. Not for a week. Not for a year. But for twenty‑three years. Twenty‑three years of daily lifting a stranger’s name up to heaven. Twenty‑three years of blindly trusting a God who sees what we cannot. She didn’t realize how much obedience—even small, quiet obedience—matters.
Sarah, now gray-haired, attended Sunday worship service as usual. Excitement filled her tiny hometown church. They were soon to meet their new pastor. A man in his early forties stepped forward.
The church leader introduced him as Rick Watts!
He looked a little older now, wiser, but the smile was unmistakable. Sarah’s breath caught. Her heart pounded. Deep down, she just knew that God had woven something remarkable.
For years after that first meeting, she prayed for him, sat in Bible studies with him, listened to his Sunday messages, and watched him shepherd the flock. She heard him speak of his wild younger days. His stories told of danger, recklessness, and moments when God had clearly intervened. He spoke of feeling God’s complete forgiveness, of wounds healed, of a love that had chased him down long before he knew it.
He had no idea that a woman in a small town over a hundred miles away had been praying for him through all of it. And Sarah never told him. Not until the end.
She waited until she had only weeks left to live. When Pastor Rick visited Sarah in her home, they sat across from each other at her kitchen table. Her hands trembled slightly as she reached into her Bible and pulled out a faded, yellowed clipping. She slid it across his desk.
Rick looked down at the paper, startled. “Where did you get this?”
“I clipped it out of the Wenatchee World.” She smiled softly.
“Why did you keep it?”
Her eyes shone. “I felt led to pray for you.”
Silence filled the room. The moment felt holy, weighty, and electric with meaning.
Later, Rick’s wife would marvel at the delicate threads God had woven. Before Rick became Sarah’s pastor, he had been offered two pastoral positions: one in Alaska or one in Washington State. Rick’s wife wanted to do God’s will, but it was important for her to stay close to family in Washington. She didn’t realize she was following directly into God’s design.
Had they gone to Alaska, the truth would have never come out. Sarah would have died never knowing that God used her prayers to make a beautiful difference. Rick would have never learned that God had been pursuing him through the faithful prayers of a stranger.
But God wanted them both to see.
He wanted Sarah to know He had heard her.
He wanted Rick to know he had been carried.
He wanted all of us to know that nothing whispered to heaven is wasted.
Be encouraged; God is listening to you.
What does this touching true story say about God?
God desires all of us to get to know Him on a personal level.
He’s kind and cares about you.
He works behind the scenes in ways we may never see. How do you suppose God has worked in your life?
We are fortunate and blessed when we do see them. God sees eternity and the big picture. We don’t.
“…the LORD longs to be gracious to you.” — Isaiah 30:18 NIV
Part of this was written from Sarah’s point-of-view. I can only surmise what she was feeling, but I imagine it’s close.
Theresa Wise Author 