It was our last stop on the Idaho Rivers Prayer Journey, the
Duck Valley Reservation in Nevada . There we were scheduled to meet with several Native
Americans and seek their permission to pray for their territory. For the past
seven days, from morning ‘til night, we had been praying over the people and
the land in the states in and around Idaho . But today we were in for a surprise. On this day Pastors Hilliard and Elena Smith,
Josie and Patti brought us into their little church, fed us a lunch they had
prepared, and told our group of seven intercessors that they were going
to pray for us.
They took us one by one, laid their hands on us and prayed
and prophesied over each of us. For me,
this experience was the pinnacle of the journey. It was as if God was giving these loving
people a glimpse into my heart. Elena
seemed to know things about me that could only come from God’s revelation. Then she and the others took what God had
showed them and prayed with love and fervor for God’s blessing on my life. I wept like a baby, enfolded in Elena’s arms,
and the Fathers’.
Hilliard and Elena’s grandchildren were there in the church
that day, playing as we prayed. Their
little granddaughter was adorable, with her soft brown skin and long ponytails.
I asked her grandparents for her name and was told, “Precious”.
I smiled. What a
perfect name for such a sweet little girl.
Then I thought the Father was saying something in my heart. This little one playing in the church was not
the only “Precious”. The Father was
saying, “That is what I call all of my children.” We were treated like precious children in
that place, honored, fed, hugged, blessed, encouraged. We were given a new name
that day. We were called Precious.
photo courtesy of Jim Spaloss, Spaloss Studios, copyright August, 2013
