00:00One morning, a woman received a frantic message from a friend telling her to get online because
00:05a picture had gone viral. When she saw the photo, she knew what the uproar was all about.
00:10Stacey Philpott had taken a break from social media to focus on her family when a friend sent
00:15her a message urgently telling her to take a look at a photo that had gone viral. The picture in
00:20question depicted a young man in front of the local high school. Confused, she took a closer
00:25look. As it turns out, the boy in the photo was Stacey's son, Hayden. The young man was standing
00:30completely alone, facing the flagpole in front of Lake Mineola High School. As she read through the
00:36comments, she realized why the photo of her son had garnered so much attention. As I scrolled through
00:42the pictures, it hit me. The boy who stood alone at the pole was my boy, Stacey wrote in her
00:47blog.
00:48They were talking about my son. Hayden had shown up before class for a see you at the pole day
00:53when
00:53students gather around their school's flagpole to pray for their community. However, this year was
00:59different. When it came time to begin, no one else showed up. It was then that Hayden realized that
01:04he would be standing alone in intercession for his family, school, and city. So he did just that.
01:10My son says at first, he thought he would simply pray until someone else came along.
01:15Eventually, he realized no one else was coming. Then, the cry of his heart changed. He asked that
01:21God would do something with his standing alone, Stacey wrote. Despite having no support,
01:26Hayden's faith wasn't shaken. Without a second thought, the teen bowed his head and cried out
01:30to the Lord on behalf of his community. Indescribably proud of her son, Stacey Philpott immediately texted
01:37him, telling him that his solitary moment of prayer had been captured and that people were praising his
01:42perseverance. Stacey texted her son at school and told him,
01:46You should know that people in our community are going crazy about a young man who stood at a flagpole
01:51alone and prayed this morning. They are talking about what an amazing young man you must be and
01:56how proud his parents should be. And I want you to know that your parents are so proud of you.
02:01You are an amazing young man. I love you so much. When Hayden got home from school, he read through
02:07the
02:07social media comments. With tears in his eyes, he explained to his mom what he had prayed.
02:13He told me with sheer amazement in his voice that as he stood alone and prayed the cry of his
02:18heart
02:18had been, God, as people drive by, let them wonder, let their hearts be pricked. He laughed and said,
02:24It's crazy because it's like he answered in this big way. Out of everything Hayden could have asked,
02:29his only prayer was that God uses him as a light to those around him. Incredibly, his prayer was
02:35answered in a much bigger way. Little did Hayden know that his simple act also brought peace and joy to
02:40his mother. Stacey had been feeling like she hadn't been giving her children enough time and energy,
02:45and her son's faithfulness has since given her hope. So you, wherever it is in your life you stand alone,
02:52be a flagpole or a marriage, a place of work or a seemingly impossible situation. I believe my son
02:58would like to remind you God can do big things with your standing alone, Stacey concluded. Perhaps for
03:04now, you are praying until someone else shows up or takes notice. God sees, he knows, and he can do
03:10big
03:10things. Hayden expected his prayer to be answered, but he never knew just how big of an impact it would
03:16have on his community. While he has served as an example to his fellow classmates, his fervency has
03:21also served as a beacon of hope to people across the nation. All it takes is one simple, selfless prayer
03:28to completely transform lives. Hayden's faithfulness is a beautiful reminder to us all that God hears us
03:34and answers our prayers according to his perfect will, even if we don't see the big picture at first.
