Recently at dinner with my mom and sister, I asked if they had ever heard my grandmother pray out loud. My mom said yes, but my sister and I were reckoning with this idea. We knew our grandmother prayed for us, but we may never know the language she used to cover us in those prayers.

We didn’t hear it, yet we can confidently say how we experienced it.

As a child, I can recount the many times I would hear my grandfather praying for his family. He would often pray for God to protect us from dangers seen and unseen. He would thank God for giving him the time to experience His children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and (thankfully, today) his great-great-grandchildren. I remember these prayers. They will never leave my heart, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to still hear those prayers today.

Although my grandfather was the extroverted one who never hesitated to openly pray for us, often close by we would experience the silent yet powerful presence of my grandmother. She may not have taken center stage often, but we knew she prayed for each of us. I knew if I asked for her prayers, she would do it—and more so when I didn’t think to even ask her. My grandparents modeled how to pray both publicly and quietly. Their life was a testament to God’s faithfulness because they never missed an opportunity to tell us about how He provided, how He healed, and the ways He made for them.

A common thread we often see and hear in our community is being the product of our grandmother’s prayers. When we have messed up and the world has counted us out, we can look to those who came before us and say we know we’re covered in prayer. Even in times when we may have gone astray, Jesus was in the midst and often using our grandmothers as vessels—either privately or publicly—to help draw us back to Him. My grandmother was my advocate, my educator, my encourager, and the best cook down south. I don’t know where I’d be without her influence and her covering over me.

There’s one night that lives rent-free in my mind: My cousins and I were talking about our faith, and it brought tears to my grandmother’s eyes. She said how it did her heart some good to hear her grandchildren talking about the goodness of Jesus. It was well with her soul to see the fruits of her faith through us. I’m thankful that I’m a product of her prayers. I’m thankful for her ministry towards us to leave a legacy of faith for us to trust in.

My grandmother was quiet, but when she spoke, we all listened. She was strong-willed and full of faith. She modeled excellence in how she cared for those in her world even those who overlooked her. She exuded humility and what it meant to be an image bearer. When I recount those who influenced my faith, I thank the Lord for my praying grandmother. She would often tell us, “Ain’t nothing wrong with dying, but it’s dying without Jesus that should scare us.”

So much is missing without her sweet presence, but I know her prayers are still with me, and the generations after me will be blessed because of her influence. I may never know every word my grandmother prayed for me, but I know I’m still covered by her prayers today.

Many women have done noble deeds, but you surpass them all! – Proverbs 31:29