There are two women in my life with unusual gifts. One has visionary dreams and one gets woken up by the Lord in the middle of the night to pray for me. Every couple years they will contact me to share a Scripture or Biblical principle the Lord has given them that I need to meditate on. It almost always comes at times I am in the middle of an intense battle. Neither of them are very closely involved in my life so their insights are never based on things they know I’m going through, but they are always very timely and helpful.

For example, before it was publicly known I’d resigned a job, the dreamer called to tell me the Lord was moving me on. I was not to be overwhelmed by all the options before me but to wait. He would make the path clear.

Her reminder of God’s plan made a challenging time much easier.

Another time, the night-prayer told me God was setting a table for me in the presence of my enemies. I’d always skipped over that verse in Psalm 23 because it felt snarky. But as I meditated and studied it after I spoke with her, I realized it just meant God would give me peace and joy to keep doing what He’d called me to. I didn’t need to be distracted or discouraged by opposition. It wasn’t about “showing off” in front of my enemies like I’d thought, but about staying focused on my goals. Shortly after she shared that with me, my team and I experienced a huge and very unexpected victory that transformed our community and removed some major obstacles to our health.

Before moving on, let me make it clear what I am NOT saying. I am NOT saying I am always in the right and that God does more for me than others. God is at work with his children all over the world. I’m NOT saying I need these two women to hear from God – I have the Bible, direct access to God through prayer, and many godly friends who challenge and spur me on.

What I’m saying is that God uses these two women to remind me what He said in the Bible. He uses them to either confirm what He is speaking to my heart or to help me change course when I’m off-base. Their words also remind me that the Lord sees what is going on and is active in my life. That is both sobering and encouraging.

These two women are examples of why Jesus told his disciples it was best for them that he leave. I can just imagine how confusing that must’ve been to hear. But what they didn’t yet understand was that Jesus would be sending them the Holy Spirit, who would bring them all kinds of gifts – like wisdom, discernment, and supernatural love, peace & joy.

The Holy Spirit would help each of them (and us) walk through daily life, knowing how to apply godly principles. He’d help us know when to speak and when to be silent, when to stand our ground and when to shake the dust off our feet and leave, when to give money and to whom. The Holy Spirit (also called the Helper) is the only way we can actually, consistently do all the hard things we’re called to. These two women in my life let the Holy Spirit speak to them and they act on His nudging.

Recently, the nighttime prayer lady contacted me to say the Lord had woken her to pray for me. As she prayed, she felt led to share a Scripture with me.

She said, “every tongue that accuses you, YOU will condemn. You are waiting for God to do something that he’s given you the authority and the responsibility to do. Stop waiting on Him to do your job.”

It was a sobering moment and I didn’t much like it.

For several months I’d been aware that someone was spreading malicious, false rumors about me. They’d been told the lies by someone who was hoping to create a positive reputation for themself by destroying mine. It’s nothing new in the world of politics (and in this case failed miserably for the originator), but these lies were particularly cruel and potentially harmful to myself and several organizations trying to do good in our community.

The night before my friend was woken up to pray for me, I’d had dinner with two friends who were encouraging me to confront the spreader of the rumor. Their counsel was wise but I didn’t want to talk to my accuser and I figured God would deal with it. I’d seen God do that for my husband many years ago when he was falsely accused of something and I decided to follow his example.

But I hadn’t prayed about that strategy. And it wasn’t what I was supposed to be doing this go-around. My friends called me on it and my prayer friend confirmed it.

So I scheduled a meeting with my accuser and asked for ten minutes of her time. I told her how I knew she was spreading lies about me. I told her how to access documents that would reveal the truth. I asked her to call those she’d told the lies to and tell them she shouldn’t have shared things she didn’t know to be true. I explained that the person who had told her the lies had done so because they wanted to keep their hands publicly clean and knew her reputation as the “town crier” and would pass it on. I encouraged her to consider if that was the kind of reputation she wanted.

It was uncomfortable for both of us and I tried to keep that in front of me as I spoke the truth in love. We were both glad when the ten minutes was up and we could move on.

She did not apologize and I don’t believe she has corrected it with those she told,. But I did my part to bring peace. And even if she doesn’t do right by me, maybe it will stop her from maligning others in the future. That would be a net win for our community AND for her personal well-being.

I’m grateful to my friends for having the strength to challenge me to do the right thing and I’m most grateful to the Holy Spirit for helping me walk it out. I’m especially grateful He forgives me when I do wrong and gives me fresh chances every day to do my part in making the world a better place.

Jesus was right. The Holy Spirit was just what we needed. May we make 2025 all it can be by hearing His voice and following His prompting.