The Power of Our Prayers
“Again,
I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it
will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three come
together in my name, there am I with them.”*
Late one Friday afternoon the phone rang. It
was my dear friend from Texas, JoAnn Payne. JoAnn usually called on Fridays
around 2:30 p.m. Since she and her husband Joe were visiting their daughter in
Colorado Springs over the Christmas holiday, I hadn’t expected her to call.
For
many years now, JoAnn and I have scheduled a time each week to catch up on the
happenings in our lives, pray and encourage each other in our faith. In spite
of the fact that she lives in Texas and I in Michigan, with a one-hour time
difference complicating our calls, or that sometimes one of us happens to be
out of town, JoAnn is faithful in managing to call every Friday.
On
that particular day, she and Joe were on their way home, having gotten up very
early and having left Colorado Springs before inclement weather set in. It was
going to be a long stretch in order to drive all the way to Texas that same
day.
“Is
this a good time to talk?” she wanted to know, afraid that she was interrupting
our dinner. I told her the timing was good and that I was surprised by her
call, thinking she was still in Colorado Springs.
Would
she be able to talk while they were driving, I wondered? Joe was at the wheel,
so JoAnn thought she could, for a short time anyway. They were just entering
the outskirts of Fort Worth where there was more traffic on the freeway.
When
it came my turn to pray, the first thing that came to mind was to ask the Lord
to help them get home safely. It had
already been a long day on the road, and they still had over an hour to go
before reaching their home near Waco.
Suddenly
JoAnn said something to Joe. I stopped in mid-prayer.
“JoAnn,
are you okay?” I asked.
“Yes,”
she said, “but the car in front of us just stepped on its brakes.”
I told her that I’d better hang up and would
keep on praying. After they arrived home, JoAnn texted and explained what had
happened.
Just
as Joe looked in the rear-view mirror before changing lanes, the car in front
of them came to a stop. JoAnn saw it and told him. He immediately braked, narrowly
avoiding a rear-end collision. She said it happened while I was praying for
them to get home safely! Thank you, Lord!
That
experience reinforced to me the importance of our prayers, whether in a group,
with another person or two, or by ourselves. God is listening! Even though we
don’t often see answers that come as quickly as the answer to prayer for Joe
and JoAnn’s safety, He hears and is working. We can count on that!
When
the apostle Peter was put into prison several years after Jesus’ ascension into
heaven, many of the believers in Jerusalem gathered together to pray for Peter’s
release. The night before his trial an angel appeared to him in his cell, freed
him from the chains around his hands and feet, and told him to get up and
follow him.
Peter
and the angel walked by the sixteen soldiers who were guarding him and out the
gate of the prison. Then the angel disappeared. At this point Peter realized
that he wasn’t dreaming and made his way to the house where the believers were
fervently praying for his release.
When
a servant heard his persistent knocking and recognized Peter’s voice, she was
so overjoyed that she ran to tell the others, leaving him standing outside the
door! (Acts 12:1-18)
They
didn’t believe her until they saw him with their own eyes.
After
sharing how the angel had helped him escape from the prison, he quickly left
for a safer place. I wish I could have heard the conversation of the folks left
behind. Had they expected that miraculous answer to their prayers? Probably
not!
We
should never minimize the importance of our prayers! May we renew our
commitment to gather for prayer in Jesus’ name—in church, over the phone, at home, in the
store…wherever we happen to be—and expect results!
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