“This hope will not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” Romans 5:5 CSB
Leaving change on a wishing fountain is giving someone hope. Whoever picks up the quarter will have a momentary sense of wonder as they decide what they will wish for, before flipping the coin into the fountain with hope of its fulfillment. Hope is a commodity this world can use more of, as evidenced by Hayden Philpot when he stood by a flag pole and prayed. “See You at the Pole” is a movement which started a few years ago. Students all around the world gather at flagpoles at their schools and pray for the upcoming year. Wed, Sept. 25th is this years “See You at the Pole Day,” it falls in the middle of Global Week of Student Prayer from Sept. 22nd-28th, more information can be found here. Hayden was the only one to show up at the flagpole at Lake Minneola Highschool in Sept. of 2017. He thought others would show up as well, but when they didn’t, he simply asked God to use him. He was the coin that God left on the wishing well for the rest of Hayden’s community.
A passerby noticed Hayden praying by himself and took a picture and posted it on Facebook, the post went viral. The post said: ““I commend the young man that stood alone at Lake Minneola High School’s ‘See You at the Pole Day.’ I weld up with tears, happy tears, proud tears. I honestly didn’t know that it was today until after I had left and heard it on the radio. Please take a moment today to pray for our children, school, teachers, and administrators. Pray for protection over them, guidance, wisdom, and a wonderfully blessed year.” Hayden gave hope to a community by his obedience to God. Hayden prayed specifically as he stood alone at the pole; ‘God, as people drive by, let them wonder, let their hearts be pricked.’ Hayden’s prayer was answered, people did wonder, their hearts were pricked. He stood physically alone that day, but God saw him. God knew his heart, He answered his prayer, Hayden’s wish came true.
When you toss a coin into a wishing well, it causes ripples. Ripple effect is the ripples that keep expanding outward when an object is dropped into it. Hayden caused a ripple effect when he stood alone by the flagpole. The first ripple was the passerby that saw him and snapped a picture, then posted it. From that ripple hundreds and thousands more spread throughout the world as the picture went viral. God dropped Hayden by a flagpole and used him to ignite a movement and spur it on. The ripples are still going, this devotional is another ripple of a teenage boy having the courage to stand alone and pray. He’s giving me hope, and I’m sharing it with you. If there isn’t a wishing well for you to leave a coin at today, you be the coin. Let God drop you where you need to be today. If you don’t know what to do when you get there, pray like Hayden. Ask God to use you, wherever you are, then watch as the ripples begin to flow from you. Ripples of hope that comes from a heart full of Jesus.
