The Lost Passport, the Lost Coin, and the Power of the Praise
“Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’ In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
— Luke 15:8–10 (NIV)
Last week when I walked into church, I gave my usual hugs to my Usher Friends and Sisters in Christ, Stephanie and Kathy, and told them I had lost my passport and needed them to pray for me. They hugged me and promised they would.
I prayed during the service and later, asked Sis Dianne and Dr Francita to lift up a prayer. so when I got home, I ate something, prayed again, and then sent out a text message asking my friends to join me in prayer. This was my message:
“My passport is in my house—I just need to go to the right spot. Please be in agreement with me in prayer that I’ll find it without tearing up the house and that I stay focused this week. Please do not reply with ‘oh no’s’ or ‘too bad’s.’ If you’re praying, just drop a ✅ .”
Every ding of a check mark ✅ that came to my phone felt like a prayer whispered on my behalf.. My community became my “neighbors,” standing with me as I searched.
And when I found my passport—because yes, it was right where God knew it was all along—I realized something: if I could be intentional in asking for prayer, I also needed to be intentional in sending out the praise report.
The woman in Luke 15 teaches us something powerful. She didn’t give up the search for her coin. She lit a lamp, swept the house, and looked carefully until she found it. And when she did, she didn’t rejoice in silence—she called her neighbors and friends together, saying, “Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.”
That’s what God pressed on my heart: prayer is vital, but praise completes the story.
Rejoice in connection, not just membership. Heaven rejoices over one sinner, and we too should rejoice whenever someone feels seen, prayed for, or touched by God—not just at the “big” moments. Every prayer checkmark from my friends was a quiet act of faith holding me up.
We aren’t lost to our value. The coin still had worth, and my passport still carried its power—I was simply disconnected from them. Likewise, when people feel “lost,” they are never worthless in God’s eyes. It’s always about reconnection
Prayer is the lamp and the sweeping. My request lit the lamp, and the community’s prayers became the sweeping motion, clearing panic and making room for peace until the passport was found.
Praise completes the prayer. Petition is only half the story. Like the woman who called her friends to rejoice, sharing a praise report is what seals the testimony.
My passport wasn’t really lost—I was. Lost in worry, in searching, in striving. But God, through community and prayer, is the One who restores. And just like the woman with the coin, I won’t keep quiet about it.
Let’s rejoice together, because every prayer answered, every connection made, every lost one found, is reason to celebrate.
Lord,I thank You for reminding me that nothing is ever truly lost in You. Thank You for the neighbors, sisters, and friends who cover me in prayer. Help me to be just as intentional with praise as I am with prayer. And may I never take lightly the power of connection—whether it’s a checkmark, a hug at the church door, or a sibling coming home. Today, I choose to rejoice.
Ashe.
