Prayer is Interactive
Prayer in its simplest form is interaction between man and God—a two-way street. Then when we pray for someone else, another person enters the equation. As it affects others, prayer’s influence expands. And, as can be seen through Biblical examples, prayer can resound through time and impact generations.
One definition of interactive is “a two-way flow of information between input and output”. Another definition states, “influencing or having effect on another”.
Interactions are often illustrated by using graphs or pictorials. Last year, I taught a class on prayer once a month. It was my desire to show how explosive and extensive prayer was. With the use of a white board, I began to illustrate some of the well-known Bible stories that involved prayer. (Inevitably, there were some comments on my lack of expertise as an artist. However, that was not the point.) I wanted to show at a glance the influence of prayer.
Some of the Biblical examples that I depicted were the stories of Hannah’s prayer, Jonah’s prayer, Elisha’s prayer, Daniel’s prayer, Cornelius’ prayer, Jesus’ prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane… If you read those passages and illustrate them in some way, it can then be seen at a glance the enormity of the result of prayer.
Personal modern-day prayers can be illustrated in the same way to show the interaction. It was during the start of the Ukrainian and Russian war. Our son was heavily involved in getting supplies into the Ukraine. On a particular day, he had spent hours shopping and packing his car for the trip to the border to pass off the supplies to our church contacts. At that time, I was in a church service in Texas and after presenting the request for prayer cover the church went into intensive prayer. My husband was in Indiana and experienced a similar happening. Our daughter was in Alabama, and she also experienced intense prayer. In Romania, at basically the same time, a car accident happened with a large truck. The car rolled multiple times until coming up against a tree. Two men who were traveling behind our son said that they were afraid of what they would see as they approached the totaled car. What did they see? Our son with barely a scratch on his shin. They thanked God. And those two men helped in all things needed as though they were angels.
God is a prayer answering God. The results of prayers live on. The stories live on.
[Cornelius prayed to God.
The angel came.
3 men were sent to Peter.
6 brethren and Peter went to Cornelius.
Cornelius gathered his kinsman and near friends.
Apostles and brethren of Judaea heard the message.
Jews of Jerusalem heard the news.
Ultimately the message came to me and you, and we heard and responded.
This scriptural reference is found in Acts 10 and 11.]
[Peter was imprisoned by King Herod.
Placed with 16 soldiers.
Chained on each side with a soldier.
The church prayed.
The angel came.
The angel took Peter out the prison and out the prison gate.
Peter went freed to the house of prayer.
This scriptural reference is found in Acts 12:1-24.]
[Prayer from Texas.
Prayer from Indiana.
Prayer from Alabama.
Accident in Romania near Ukrainian border.
Helpers sent—not one but two brothers.
Personal testimony and to God be the glory!]
Valita Patterson