In the middle of a particularly busy day of kids, homeschool, seminary homework, and too many undone house maintenance projects, a friend I have not seen in a long time came to my mind. It is frequent for me to think of people throughout the day, and typically I move quickly to the next thought, or maybe say a short prayer for the person. But this time I did what is rare for me, and I texted my friend.

My friend was in the middle of a problem. The train she was riding was in an accident. Everybody was fine, but the situation was chaotic, and it looked like she might not get where she was going. So I prayed for my friend that another way would come, and texted her my 20 second prayer. Eight minutes later she wrote again that my prayer had been speedy, and she was again on her way! Problem averted through a very short prayer!

I am so glad I did not ignore this moment!

Intercession does not have to be about long hours in the prayer room. It can also be listening and acting on the Lord’s promptings throughout the day. The Holy Spirit is placing small missions in our minds and hearts. Are we listening? Are we pausing to act? Sometimes the most important moments happen in the shortest slivers of time.

“The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results” (James 5:16 NLT).