Power Of Prayer

I watch the Christian Broadcasting Network’s show The 700 Club every afternoon. CBN has ministries all over the world. Their Operation Blessings ministry is the answer to prayers of many poor people in third-world countries. The people in these nations pray for the health of their children, their crops, education, business, & many other things. CBN gives them the medicine they need, seed & equipment for their harvest, educational supplies, and they provide surgeries that they could not have afforded otherwise. The people prayed for healing & the Christian Broadcasting Network was the answer to those prayers! When children are born with birth defects like cleft lip & pallet we Americans know it is only a birth defect. But because of the superstitious culture in these countries this small abnormality is perceived to be a curse & the child is left in the wilderness for the wild animals to eat. The only education they have is what the elders taught them. But because of the surgeries CBN provides the young ones will grow up strong.

On May 27, 2015 CBN sent me a thank-you message from a family in India. A monsoon wiped out everything they had. CBN was the answer to their prayers. Here is the letter CBN sent me:

Dear Michael,

They thought they were going to die.When monsoon rains caused the Himalayan rivers of Northern India to flood, Ulfat and her family lost everything.

The family had faced heartache before. Ten years earlier, their father died suddenly, and Ulfat became the caretaker of her mother and two younger sisters. She was only 12 years old at the time. Finding work before and after the flood was very difficult in this male-dominated area. No one wanted to help a family of women.That's when CBN partners came to their rescue with relief supplies. Ulfat and her family received food, along with blankets, shoes, and other items they needed to keep warm during the winter. They also were given a business they could run as a family. They found a place to stay, and they are saving money to buy a new home. "We are very happy because of everything you have given us," said Ulfat. "You have wiped away all of our tears and replaced them with smiles. You answered so many prayers and we thank you for that. "

When tragedy strikes a family it is natural for loved ones to cry out to God in prayer. I can confidently say that I would not be standing here today if that hadn't happened! After I was in the car wreck on June 4th, 2006 I was in a coma for 3 weeks. The doctors didn't know if I would survive the injury. Family & friends went to God in prayer. When I started rehab at the Shepherd center in Atlanta I was at the point in recovery that I was still unable to fully grasp the magnitude of the injury. In my mind I would be out of work for a little while & after I finished recovery, life would go back to what it was. But God had a different plan. When I was at therapy at Shepherd Pathways I was able to understand things better & I had a clearer picture of reality. It was then that I understood I owe everything to God. I asked for salvation when I was in therapy at Pathways. Since then I have seen Him answer my prayers many times. I’ll share a couple of examples of that now.