We ask God for things all the time. Protection for our loved ones. Good health. Success. He answers those who ask on a daily basis. But sometimes God gives us things we didn’t even know we could ask for.

I’ve been working on a book about women and the power of prayer. For the book, I’ve been taking photos all over the area with women dressed up in medieval type costumes, wielding swords. I would have loved to have access to a full suit of armor, symbolizing putting on the whole armor of God. I didn’t even think to pray about it because it seemed so far out of reach and was not absolutely necessary to the message of the book.

However, God had other plans. His blessings have been on this project from the very beginning. The photo shoots I’ve already done have been amazing. I think the women who have volunteered would say they have seen themselves in a whole new light. We are not cast down to the point we can not get back up. We are not defeated. If our trust is in God and we are still standing, no matter what we’ve been through, we are surely becoming warrior women of God.

Imagine my surprise when someone approached me and said they knew someone with a suit of armor who might let us use it for a photo shoot. I was so excited I could hardly stand myself. Sure enough, the owner of the armor and the armor were available last week-end and we were able to do a phenomenal photo shoot with a local lady wearing it. The photos turned out great. She is beautiful and the armor was authentic.

I even hammed it up with the helmet and sword, and a bit of armor. I couldn’t let the opportunity pass me by. I didn’t look great, hadn’t planned on being photographed, therefore no make-up or special hair designs. I didn’t care. I just wanted the experience of looking through the eyes of a real helmet and feeling the weight.

I am a person who wants to be a life long learner. I learned a lot about the medieval warriors in their day. The weight of the armor alone was overwhelming. Those little dudes, and big ones had to be terribly strong to support the armor, much less fight in it. As the owner strapped our lady warrior into the pieces, it became more and more evident why each knight had to have a squire. There is no way a warrior could have dressed and undressed himself into his own armor.

I’m still processing all of the lessons that went on that day. The experience was once in a lifetime, no doubt. I’m so thankful I got to be part of it. But the most important thing I’ve learned is that God loves us enough to hear the desires of our hearts and answer, even when we don’t realize we should ask in a formal prayer.

Ephesians 6:10 -18 is the Bible passage that discusses putting on the whole armor of God. We are in a spiritual battle every day of our lives. Putting on the whole armor of God is our best way of equipping ourselves. This includes the helmet of God, the breastplate of righteousness, the shield of faith, and the sword (which is the Word of God).

It was such an unexpected opportunity, I enjoyed it all the more. When the book is complete, I believe all of this effort going into it will be well worth the time and energy spent. In the meantime, the process is more fun than I could have imagined!

Reach Judith Victoria Hensley at judith99@bellsouth.net or on Facebook. Check out her blog: One Step Beyond the Door.