Have you ever wondered what prayer tastes like?
Up until yesterday it wouldn’t have occurred to me that prayer intersects with the taste buds at all. But now I can say with pretty firm confidence: prayer tastes like strawberry-apple pie.
I asked a friend to pray for me yesterday. There was something specific on my calendar, and I knew it was bigger than me, so I asked her to go with me through her prayers. And over the course of that hour, I felt covered somehow. Braver than usual, more myself than usual. And I knew I wasn’t alone.
Later that evening the doorbell rang, and it was my friend and her family. In her arms she was carrying something warm and wrapped in a dish towel. When she put her bundle on the kitchen counter and pulled back the cover, a heavenly aroma wafted into the room. It was a homemade pie. Sweet strawberries mingled with cinnamony apples. And it was still warm from the oven.
“I wanted to do something with my hands while I was praying for you,” she said.
I’ve had people tell me they were praying for me before, but it’s not every day that you can see the results of someone’s prayers—let alone taste them.
When I took the first mouth-watering bite, I thought, So this is what prayer tastes like. Sweet and tangy and baked to perfection inside a golden crust.
I pictured my friend rolling out the dough, asking God to smooth out the path before me. I imagined her slicing strawberries and peeling apples as she prayed for God to cut away the obstacles. I envisioned her scooping the flour and sugar, all the while requesting extra measures of wisdom and guidance.
As I licked the last few crumbs from my plate, I thought about what a brilliant idea a prayer pie is. If the thing you’re praying about utterly flops, your sorrows go down much easier à la mode. If things go well, what better way to celebrate than to toast with a forkful of pie? And either way, you will know that the hands that made it were the same hands that prayed you through.
So I guess that’s what prayer tastes like. A little like homemade pie. And a lot like love.
Beautiful! Or maybe I should say…delicious! 🙂
Thanks, Amy! I only wish I could share a slice with you!
A prayer pie! That is genius! I love that someone took that extra step to let you know that she cared and was praying for you. It has really got me thinking how I can do that for the people I love and pray for.
Thanks, Nicole! I agree…it made me think about how God gives us tangible things to help us understand spiritual truths.
Love this! Love that friend! I pray all the time when I cook! For me, it’s not so much doing something with my hands when I pray, but doing something with my mind and heart while I cook! 🙂 I used to put notes with my wares for the student ministries pie auction, saying, “You were prayed for while this pie was made!” Maybe I should start doing that again…
Yes, you should! I’d pay a lot for a pie you made (because it would be delicious), but I’d pay even more for one of your prayer pies! 🙂
It often seem like a cliche’ to say that we are going to pray for someone. What a beautiful picture of putting hands to the words. Thanks for sharing.
I agree, Nancy. And I love how you phrased that: “putting hands to the words.” Nice!
I love this idea and your beautiful way of expressing how special this Prayer Pie is. In the back of my mind for many years, I have pictured myself working in a small pie shop in a small town in North Carolina somewhere when we retire, offering slices of pie and friendship to any soul who wanders in. Your post gives me a vision for my future!
Ooh, sounds like a plot of a novel, Maggie! I’ll come to your shop!