There was a time not all that long ago when the word PIN meant something wonderfully simple.
If you grew up during the baby boomer era, you’ll remember it well: the sight of cloth nappies hanging proudly on the backyard clothesline. It was like a baby announcement flapping in the breeze: “Yes, we’ve added a new family member … and a mountain of laundry.”
Back then, those PINS did everything from keeping nappies in place to holding up a pair of pants that had lost the will (and elastic) to live. Women even used them to keep blouses from misbehaving. And some girls used a hair pin.
The humble pin was the quiet MVP of everyday life — always holding things together, literally and figuratively.
Fast forward to now, and the word PIN has had a full digital makeover.
Today it’s an acronym: Personal Identification Number, that pesky code you need to access everything from your bank account to your mobile phone, your laptop and in some cases, even your toaster (don’t laugh, we’re nearly there).
And if you’re anything like me and over the age of “What’s TikTok?”, trying to remember every single PIN can be a pain. One wrong number and you’re locked out, looking like a stunned mullet in front of a bank ATM or supermarket checkout. Don’t laugh, it’s definitely happened to me on more than one embarrassing occasion!
But now that you’ve picked yourself up from the floor, let me introduce you to another kind of PIN. One that doesn’t require a reset every 90 days or a phone call to tech support.
This PIN has the power to open a very different kind of door.
Let me take you back to just a few nights ago. I was lying in bed, caught in that quiet space between wakefulness and sleep in that magical window when the day’s noise finally takes a breather. And then, like a soft gentle whisper in the stillness, came a question that slipped right into my heart:
“How much of my prayer time do I actually spend listening?”
Oof. A little discomfort.
I lay there, stunned. Because honestly? I hadn’t thought about it. My prayer time usually follows a predictable script: speak, thank, ask, say amen then it’s lights out. Sure, I do toss up spontaneous prayers during the day: a whisper here, a “Lord, help!” there. But that question made me realise something important.
Prayer isn’t a monologue. It’s a two way conversation.
And conversations, as anyone with a spouse knows, require listening. Oof. Awkward!
So I tried something new. I paused. I sat quietly. I hushed the mental chatter and simply whispered, “Here I am, Lord…is there something You’d like to say to me?”
Sometimes, there’s just silence and surprisingly, that silence feels sacred. Other times, it’s a word, a gentle impression, or a wave of peace that wraps itself around me like a warm blanket straight from heaven’s dryer.
And sometimes, it’s tears, unexpected, soul-cleansing and deeply healing. Not from sadness, but from sensing something inexplicably divine. A moment so personal, so intimate, it can’t be put into words. It’s a spiritual “natural high” that no drugstore will ever be able to stock.
That’s when I began to notice something else happening, a pattern of gentle prompts throughout the day. Not dramatic lightning bolts or booming voices, but subtle nudges.
A name would suddenly drop into my mind. A memory stirred by a passing stranger’s face. A feeling while driving. Or even mid-washing dishes (a place I suspect the Holy Spirit visits often because I spend a lot of time there).
Nudge. Nudge.
These moments began forming what I now call PIN – Prayer Inspiring Nudges.
They’re those spontaneous little taps on the shoulder of our soul that say, “Pray now. For them. Yes, right here in the grocery store aisle next to the cans of tuna.”
I know it sounds odd, but they’ve become a part of my prayer rhythm if I can call it that. Ordinary moments becoming sacred invitations. No pews or pipe organs needed. Just real-time connection, real-life settings and a willing heart.
And here’s the best part: I no longer stress about remembering everyone I promised to pray for. I trust that when it’s time, the right name, face, or memory will surface. And that my dear friend, is another PIN moment.
Just the other day, I was driving behind a car with a registration plate that had someone’s name on it. Immediately, I felt the nudge. That’s a PIN. I prayed for the person with the exact same name that I know, right there in traffic – no eyes closed (safety first!), no hands raised – just a heart open.
You see, God still speaks in the everyday moments of everyday life. Not only in church while we’re taking a nap during the sermon.
And sometimes, He whispers through the quiet.
Sometimes, He taps you on the shoulder while you’re scrolling through your phone or singing in the shower.
And when He does, don’t brush it off.
Because that may not be a random thought or coincidence.
It might just be a PIN – a Prayer Inspiring Nudge.
From the One who sees what we don’t, knows what we can’t, and invites us to partner with Him, not through perfection, but through availability.
So the next time you feel that sudden urge to pray, no matter how odd or out of place it might seem, don’t dismiss it.
Instead, pause… lean in…and follow the gentle nudge.
Because the right PIN doesn’t just unlock your account. It unlocks heaven’s holy anointing and favour.
- COLIN DEOKI lives in Melbourne, Australia and is a regular contributor to this newspaper. The views expressed in this article are his and not necessarily of this newspaper.