Stacey Philpot had taken a break from social media to focus on her family when a friend sent her a message urgently telling her to take a look at a photo that had gone viral. The picture in question depicted a young man in front of the local high school. Confused, she took a closer look.
When Stacey Philpot saw a photo that had gone viral, she knew exactly what had happened. (Photo Credit: Facebook)
As it turns out, the boy in the photo was Stacey’s son, Hayden. The young man was standing completely alone, facing the flag pole in front of Lake Minneola High School. As she read through the comments, she realized why the photo of her son had garnered so much attention.
“As I scrolled through the pictures, it hit me—the boy who stood alone at the pole was my boy,” Stacey wrote in her blog. “They were talking about my son.”
Hayden had shown up before class for “See You at the Pole” day when students gather around their school’s flag pole to pray for their community. However, this year was different. When it came time to begin, no one else showed up. It was then that Hayden realized that he would be standing alone in intercession for his family, school, and city. So he did just that.
The photo showed Stacey Philpot’s son, Hayden, standing in front of the flag pole at his high school. (Photo Credit: Facebook)
“My son says at first, he thought he would simply pray until someone else came along. Eventually, he realized no one else was coming. Then, the cry of his heart changed. He asked that God would do something with his standing alone,” Stacey wrote.
Despite having no support, Hayden’s faith wasn’t shaken. Without a second thought, the teen bowed his head and cried out to the Lord on behalf of his community.
Indescribably proud of her son, Stacey Philpot immediately texted him, telling him that his solitary moment of prayer had been captured and that people were praising his perseverance.
Stacey texted her son at school and told him, “You should know that people in our community are going crazy about a young man who stood at a flagpole alone and prayed this morning. They are talking about what an amazing young man he must be and how proud his parents should be. And I want you to know that your parents are so proud of you. You are an amazing young man. I love you so much.”
Hayden was the only student to show up for “See You At The Pole” day to pray for his community, so he prayed alone. (Photo Credit: Facebook)
When Hayden got home from school, he read through the social media comments. With tears in his eyes, he explained to his mom what he had prayed.
“He told me with sheer amazement in his voice that as he stood alone and prayed the cry of his heart had been, ‘God, as people drive by, let them wonder, let their hearts be pricked.’ He laughed and said, ‘It’s crazy because it’s like he answered in this big way!’”
Out of everything Hayden could have asked, his only prayer was that God uses him as a light to those around him. Incredibly, his prayer was answered in a much bigger way.
Hayden revealed that he had prayed for everyone who saw him praying to “let their hearts be pricked” by God. (Photo Credit: Facebook)
Little did Hayden know that his simple act also brought peace and joy to his mother. Stacey had been feeling like she hadn’t been giving her children enough time and energy, and her son’s faithfulness has since given her hope.