"What do you usually imagine if you hear the word prayer?" A genuine smile let go of her lips as she asked a question to the crowd. Their gazes were all focused on her and as she stood before them, all they felt were amazement, astonished by what they were giving attention to.
"Who wants to volunteer themselves to answer?" She once more asked, and no one spoke, afraid to respond with a wrong explanation.
"Let's not be timid when it comes to conversing a word, we're talking about God here and that simply means that everyone should be participating and glorifying His awesome Name because He has given us the ability and wisdom to think and speak." She added and once again, she let out a chuckle and proceeded with her introduction.
"So, for today's topic, we will be going to talk about prayer. Does anyone know what exactly prayer is all about?" She spoke and gaze at the crowd, seeking for somebody to be able to answer her question.
"Uh, I think prayer is when we utter what we want to God." Her smile grew the more when a tall lad raised his left hand and stood before her. Seeing his disposition, Mace Leo felt relieved considering that finally, the individual from the crew retorted.
"A great idea, anyone else?"
"Prayer is calling His name whenever we need help from Him?" Somebody replied, and Mace simply nodded her head.
"I can see that some of you have an idea about it but they're not clarified." She stated and took a deep breath before proceeding. "Prayer is our communication toward the Lord. It's when we utter the things He wants us to speak and pray, and not the things we simply want or desire. So, does it certainly help us spiritually?" She added and kept quiet for a moment, observing the students before her sight.
Nobody dared to answer her in a view of the fact that they are frightened to utter a wrong answer. Her chest aches, sensing the sympathy she feels as she watches them lost and empty. "Let's proceed. So recently we haven't been seeing each other because some of you didn't attend the meeting and some left without telling me the reason, please let me know about your situation, problems, and thoughts that have been bothering you, we are all aware that we are here not just to study God's Word but to take care of one another." She gently announced and everyone in the folk simply nodded and agreed.
As they had their gathering in the school's garden, someone came and joined them, a man with his stunning caesar cut, his alluring presence along with his addicting perfume scattered on the atmosphere, and reached her location. Upon seeing the man, Mace Leo felt uneasy. "This is a bit awkward," the lass mumbled as she tried to focus on her notes.
Her stare peeks at his figure and her heart hastens its throb. "... In this topic, we will get to understand what prayer really means." Her fingers traveled down the pages of her notes and as her eyes scanned the writings, she breathed once again and implored the Lord. "God, please enable me to be effective, let Your Spirit minister with us, and permit them to see You in me." She uttered and flipped the plates of her memo.
"This will be our reference verse, Matthew chapter 7:7-8, so it is said here that when we ask, it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds… and to him who knocks, it will be opened." All ears were compressed to what she spoke. "Kindly open your Bibles and read the verse for yourselves."
Few from the populace hastily opened their Bibles and others shared. They browse and reflect on the passage, "So, it is said here that if you ask wholeheartedly, it shall be given to you. Have you ever wondered what are the things that we must ask from the Lord?" The lass affirmed.
"Uh, excuse me… do we refer to the things we mostly utter in prayer? such as the things we often want to have?" An individual asked.
A genuine smile fled from her edges upon the sudden question. "Apparently, not. The things that we're referring to here are the stuff that God primarily wants. Prayer is our communication with Him, we speak to Him through prayer while He speaks to us through scriptures."
"So how does it usually happen? I mean, when He spoke to us…" a lady from the group disputed.
"When we pray, we must have our Bibles with us because He speaks through His Word, He reveals things that only the Spirit understands, that's why it's very important to have the Holy Spirit along with us." She explained and the learners conceded.
"God's arms are not too short that He could not reach us, His ears are not deaf that He cannot hear us, He always listen to our heart's cries," Mace added and faced the crowd with her sincere smile, yet she paused when her gaze focused on the man standing at the back while deeply staring at her. Their eyes met, and she could barely feel her heart thudding. He averted his gaze and so her lips parted and strived to concentrate on her topic.
"Sorry but, can I throw this question? I know I've been a new member here, but this thing confuses me. I see that He's able, yet why some prayers don't answer? What kind of prayer is He looking for?" She paused upon the sudden question of her member, he stood up and stared at her, expecting a response.
"The more you talk to God, the more you'll know His voice, and you will get to dig deeper into His heartbeat, you will eventually know what He wants you to utter in prayer and that's how the more He amazes you." Mace Leo responded, she walked near them and opened her notes once more, skimming the written words.
"Honestly, prayer is a vital part of our spiritual life. It is a relationship which means, we are working together with God." She added, the confidence she has is there, and as she spoke all those words to them, teaching them about heavenly things, she's eventually interrupted when someone spoke and asked her a question.
He raised his right hand and stood straight, "Can I ask? I see that people often pray when they're in trouble and need, wouldn't God be offended by that? He's been taken for granted by His beloved people," he questioned, and everybody in the group turned their heads back to his location.
"Of course He's hurt and the stinging pain is there, but His love is unconditional, that's why we should always know His heartbeat so that we can get to know how to please Him. Prayer is not a shopping list where we can always ask for the stuff we only want, it's not all about what we want, but it's about what God wants for us to pray." Right after she spoke, a smirk flashes on his edges, and comes back listening to her teaching. Mace Leo taught the learners for almost an hour and her smiles and laughter won't get away.
As the sun went down, the students and the teachers decided to go home. Her eyes travel along the hallway as her feet march toward the classroom. She sighs upon seeing her reflection on the window glass, "Thank You for this awesome day, God. I hope I'll come home safe," she mumbled and proceeded walking.
Mace hastily took all her stuff and made her way out of the room, her phone suddenly vibrated and so she took it and checked the messages. She finished off getting out of the school building and had her long walk towards the murky alley.
A narrow street greeted her and she sighs, "Why is my place so limited and terrifying?" She mumbled as she drifted her sight to the wholesome of the road.
Alarmed and confused, her eyes widened from the abrupt screams.
"Get her!"
"Lead her to the middle alley!"
"You can't get away from us, Sullivan!"
Mace Leo's eyes rounded off what she heard, she roughly followed the familiar voices and jogged with care heading to where the voices came from. Chaos occurred. They gritted their teeth in anger as they hastily ran after her, "Damn this guy, they'll pay for this!" She hissed as she tried to catch her breath, her feet never stopping from operating. She carelessly got out of the place but ended up being in their territory.
"You never learned!" The lass shrieks in discomfort when a guy tugged her hair and shoves her, causing her immediate fall.
"Get her things." The other dude demanded, they took her stuff and the guys held her wrists tightly.
"Back off you thieves! Let me go!" She yelled and struggled to get away, they're too strong for her and so she panned out to fall on the ground once more.
"I told you to never dispute back, we ask for your money yet you didn't heed us." The guy retorted as he severely kicked her in the core. She attempted to yell for help but no one could even hear her shout.
"You'll never escape from this place safe and sound, Sullivan." He warned, he gripped his knife and stepped toward her with his heavy footsteps. His violent smile streak on his lips and as he raised aloft his hand to take any action, a sudden thud interrupted him and he ended up falling to the ground with a red fluid spurting out of his open wound. He flinched and screamed in pain and took hold of his bleeding shoulder.
"Don't just sit there, Kyaell! Let's hurry!" The young lady pulled her arms with haste and took the same metallic slab she took at the corner and whacked the two other guys.
"Go back from where you came from and never touch us!" She yelled and drove on her feet out of the area. They were running away from them, with their heavy breathing, they arrived in front of a huge building—an apartment. They hurriedly rushed inside and went upstairs, to Mace Leo's room.
"That is crazy!" Sullivan hissed as she stopped walking, her wobbling knees halted her from moving, causing her to feel weak.
"I know! Why are you here anyway? You shouldn't be walking in the middle of the dark narrow street!" Her companion yelled back.
"What do you expect?! I'm planning to stay at your apartment for the rest of the night, I hate to stay at home!" Sullivan asserted and flipped her hair, "Oh my gosh, my precious hair, they almost ruined it!"
"You should at least wait for me at the school campus!" The terrifying incident caused her heart to beat hastily. Unable to calm herself because of fear, she took a deep breath and kept quiet momentarily.
"I texted you, I hate this life," Sullivan replied and sigh, the lass concentrated her attention on the hallway. Thoughts were running inside her mind and it eventually disturbs her entire being. "You know what, you should move out of this place, you can spend your days in our house, it's just me and my parents."
"He is still good even if life isn't," Mace replied. "And staying at your house is a bad idea, you know? It'll be embarrassing to stay at your house, your parents would scold both of us."
"You think so?"
"Probably, why are those bad guys chasing you anyway? Do you have any connection with them?" she asked as she glimpsed at her pal's countenance.
"... no, I don't know them, but they always threaten me and ask for money."
"Don't be misled, bad companies corrupt good characters." Upon hearing that her head automatically turned to look at her friend's. The young lady looked exhausted and uneasy and so she recalled what happened earlier.
"That's so scary I swear."
"Don't think too much, you'll end up paranoid. Where are your brothers anyway? I thought they're staying with you?" Mace asked, glancing at her friend, as they walked through the aisle, they encountered her neighbor, the same lady who stays in the room next to her.
"... Hi, Iris!" She greeted, hoping the lass would notice her existence yet she didn't bother to look at her and so she frowned. "That's actually rude," she mumbled.
"That neighbor of yours is weird," Sullivan commented.
"I know right, but maybe she needs a friend. I'm always available,"
Upon arriving at the room, they entered and had their rest. The awful occurrence bothered their thoughts yet Mace Leo remained in her room and prayed for a calm spirit. Kyaellani Sullivan on the other hand stayed in the living room and took a book to read. She sat still on the couch and eavesdropped on her pal's voice. She let out a bitter smile, "The best kind of friend to be with is the praying friend." She muttered and focused her attention on the book in her grip.