America is a country obsessed with dieting, and over the years I’ve tried most of the fad diets. Many were complicated, requiring food diaries, portion weighing, or regular meetings.

Looking for simpler ways to do it, I did find a few: eating only protein, only vegetables, or only diet shakes. But these were “hoax diets,” quick weight loss but even quicker re-gain.

Eventually I heard about a streamlined diet that sounded foolproof. It had only one rule: wait to eat until you growl.

Although stomachs make gurgling noises when they’re full of food, we all recognize the rumbling hunger pangs that come when we’re genuinely empty. They are the body’s call for food, and if we wait to eat until we feel them, we know we’re eating for the right reason.

Years ago I was afraid of hunger pangs. On the rare occasion when they came, they made me edgy, almost panicky. But later I realized they could become my friends, because they were a clear-cut go-ahead to get something to eat.

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This morning as I sat with 4 other women around a small wooden table at church, the sounds of heartfelt prayer went up to heaven as we prayed over 130 requests. Surely our calls to the Lord pleased him, since he has instructed us to make our requests known to him. (Philippians 4:6)

Our little round table was littered with pages and small cards on which Scripture verses had been written. These were supernatural words we were praying into the lives of those mentioned in the requests. The sound of those verses also must have brought pleasure to God, because the Bible’s words initiated with him. (John 1:1)

And then as we continued to pray, I heard a third sound mingling with the names, requests, and verses: a growling stomach. And then two. And finally three! It was stereophonic grrrr-ing.

There were only 5 of us at the table, and I knew rice cakes and peanut butter were keeping my stomach quiet. But I marveled that 3 of these 4 women had skipped breakfast to rush to the church for purposeful prayer, early in the day. And surely because their growling came as a result of putting prayer first, it too was a sound that pleased the Lord.

We prayed on and on, and the growling continued. The rumblings refreshed my spirit as I thought about how keen-to-pray these women really were. God was listening to our prayers and their grrrrs, and I know beyond doubt he’ll not only answer the requests but will also pour out blessing on those doing the praying.

Americans may be obsessed with dieting, but I’m learning that the healthiest obsession is to have a steady diet of passionate prayer.

The angel answered, “Your prayers… have come up as a memorial offering before God.” (Acts 10:4)