“When he saw their faith, he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven you.” … He said to the one who was paralyzed—“I say to you, stand up and take your bed and go to your home.” Immediately he stood up before them, took what he had been lying on, and went to his home, glorifying God.” John 5:20,25-25
My friends, true prayer warriors, were heard. Their prayers were powerful. More so, these brothers of mine carried me when I could not come to Jesus on my own. They lowered me into the presence of God and by their deep faith, Jesus healed me of my sin.
See, earlier that evening after sitting with my daughter, I came out and sat with my wife. Resting my head on her shoulder, I cried. “I need God to heal her”, I whispered. My wife replied, “we need to trust God.” “I do trust Him, but I need Him to hear me.” My wife said, “Jesus told us that all would be ok, we need to trust Him.” I told her, “I know if Kristina closed her eyes now on earth, she would wake gloriously happy with Jesus, but, I would lose her.”
Connie was such a pillar of faith: while I wavered and struggled, she stayed strong, continuing to remind me that we must trust in God, no matter what happened. My faith collapsed. I was the crippled man, unable to stand or approach God.
In that despair, I sent the email begging prayer.
Later that night, she went into respiratory failure and was put on a ventilator. I was desolate and alone. A cripple who could stand before God and a blind man who couldn’t see the truth before his eyes and a deaf man who couldn’t hear the simple words of Jesus to trust.
My friends carried me by their intercessory prayers. They spoke words I couldn’t pray. They believed when I couldn’t. And, God heard. And, answered.
That night He gave me over to the care of my Patroness, St. Faustina. I had never heard of her of Divine Mercy before. But, I experienced it on that night. St. Faustina took me under her tutelage and care over the next months and years, and to this day is teaching me the deeper levels of trust.
Believe intercessory prayer is critical. Don’t just tell someone you’ll pray for them, do it. Don’t even wait, pray for them right away. Carry an intercessory prayer book or make a note on your phone to pray later for them and never stop. Their salvation and life may depend upon your prayers. Mine did, my daughter’s did.
My brothers’ and wife’s prayers saved my soul that night. My brothers’ prayers no doubt, saved my daughter’s life that night. Even the doctor believed prayer was involved in her healing. He met her weeks after leaving the ICU and told her, “he did nothing that night, it was all the prayer that did it.”
Believe and pray – you aren’t asked to be worthy to be an intercessor, you are simply asked to pray and trust it all to God.