Gen Dunlap, a member of Grace’s Intercessory Prayer team, gave this moving testimony at the 10AM service last Sunday in preparation for our combined 9AM Healing Service this Sunday, 3/8. At the healing service congregation members have the opportunity to come forward for 1-1 prayer for themselves, for others, or for our community or world with the intercessors at the prayer rail. All prayer requests are kept completely confidential, and you’ll see the intercessors pray together at the end of the prayer period to “leave it all at the altar.” Please join your Grace Community for this special service.
What is Prayer? How does one pray? I’ve thought about this a lot lately, and now more than ever as a part of the Prayer team at Grace Church. I think how we pray varies in as many unique ways as we are made.
The first time I asked a Prayer Intercessor to pray for me was when I was going through an incredibly heavy, tormenting, time in my life; she placed her hand on my chest and as she prayed, I felt not just a heavy weight lift off my chest in that moment, but an actual flight of this burden, a release, as if a chain broke. It was so powerful. The pressure, that burden, that mess I had been in was changed within weeks for the better. The issue dissipated or slowly disappeared as though it had never even existed; I’ve heard of such inexplicable disappearances of tumors or cancerous cists that were prayed upon, and suddenly were gone as though they were misdiagnosed, but they weren’t since the doctors were just as bewildered, and claimed it was nothing short of a miracle.
That’s the power of prayer.
When I was asked to speak today about my own prayer testimony, I think I thought about how to do this too much, really overthought it, worried about what I would say, how I would say it, when was the actual date I’d have to be ready, would I have something intelligent to say or not, or a new insight for anyone? Nowadays, I could have just used ChatGpt or AI and out would have popped some words sounding like me, but clearly were not, not only because AI sounds so robotic, but also because I don’t believe Prayer comes from our thoughts but actually comes from our hearts, from our spirits. And best of all, from the Holy Spirit.
There’s a Christian music group called Mercy Me that I love, and one of their songs comes to my mind when I say, “the best” with the Holy Spirit. The lyrics say: “What if I was the one to tell you, that the fight’s already been won.” And then… “Well, I think your day’s about to get better. What if I were the one to tell you, That the work’s already been done. It’s not good news…It’s the best news ever!”
I think this is true.
God has already won all of our battles.
Overthinking PRAYER gets in the way of what God is trying to do; to let the Lord do what is PERFECT means WE have to get out of the way, and to do this, the Spirit seeks PRAYERs. Prayers for that work to be done. To step out of the way in order to let the Lord step in, to move freely. This might mean thinking about PRAYER less and just doing it! Going with the Holy Spirit within you, and following your HEARTS’ desires; for me, it meant letting go of my hang ups, my worries, my stress, quieting my own thoughts, especially the negative ones, and releasing all my cares to God, knowing that those battles have already been won.
One such example comes to mind: just yesterday, I was in a meeting with the Prayer Intercessors, and was feeling overwhelmed, stressed, under pressure, needing to get a birthday party ready for Lucy within hours of that morning meeting and this, after a long work week, already feeling exhausted, I was doubting my own capabilities and on top of that, feeling incredibly alone, having to do this all on my own. Without knowing the high level of stress and anxiety occurring inside me, Terry Henry asked me if there were any prayers I needed before I signed off the zoom call, and immediately, with my full HEART’s DESIRE, I asked for prayers for the party to go well.
Simply asking for help and knowing that prayers were going to be said and requested on my behalf took my stress level down immensely. And I’m sure that one of the reasons the party went so well and all who attended seemed to enjoy themselves was because of those prayers.
Letting God do the work can be so scary for many of us; we feel out of control, out of our comfort zone, of letting go of control, or letting go of what we think we are controlling. But whenever I have released any preconceptions, insecurities, shame, lack of faith in either God or myself, and have asked for help in the name of Jesus, my prayers were always answered, sometimes right away, a “yes”, others took years as a “not yet,” and of course, there were the “no’s, but only a “No” because God had a better plan and transformed those messes into miracles.
Words have powerful effects on us. They can be constructive or destructive: as Proverbs 12:18 says, “The words of the reckless can pierce like swords, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.”
Words of Prayer can have healing powers like those from Proverbs 16:24, “Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones. Or connect us to ourselves, or open our Hearts, such as, “For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of” from Matthew 12:34.
Let your mouths speak what your heart is full of. Ask for what you need, for your Heart’s desire; the Lord is waiting and listening, wanting to hear our words, our requests. God is more than capable to take our battles on our behalf.
The battles have already won. We just need to give them to God, and to not overthink the idea of prayer.
There is so much power in His Name. Come forward on Sunday at our Healing Service. No prayer is too small or too great for our Lord, or our intercessors!
Ask today.
After all, as John wrote in 1:14, the “Word became flesh and dwelt among us.”
Jesus is with us. How can we lose, unless we never ask?
–Gen Dunlap, Grace Intercessory Prayer Ministry
PS If you would like to have a prayer concern added to the prayer list for regular, ongoing prayer by our intercessors and/or to be included in the Prayers of the People in Sunday services, or if you feel the Spirit calling you to become an intercessor, please contact the ministry coordinator Terry Henry at prayer@grace-episcopal.org.
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