I believe in the power of prayer as a viable means to healing and other needs and desires. God answers prayer that is sincere and heartfelt. I myself have had many prayers answered. Every day He answers prayer for protection and provision for me and my family.

I believe it is due to my prayers that God has protected my family from drastic circumstances that could have been fatal many times. For example, every one of our children have been in potentially fatal auto accidents. But miraculously they have come out of them with no lasting injuries; in most cases with no serious injuries at all.

Our oldest son, Louis was in an accident while he was helping a friend move. Louis was sitting on the side of the truck bed when the driver swerved to avoid hitting another vehicle. Louis fell out of the truck and skittered across the pavement on a roll, with his upper body receiving the brunt of the initial impact. He had a concussion and other head injuries that left him with no smell or taste for a very long time. In fact, he still does not have the full use of his sense of smell and taste. But God preserved his life, I believe for a reason.

Our son, Nathan was involved in several accidents, one with his brother on a job he was helping with in which he, Louis and six other people were involved. The driver of the other car was only fifteen, his grandparents and two other people were in the automobile at the time. He ran a stop sign and hit my son’s vehicle broadside. The vehicle was totally destroyed, but no one was injured.

In another instance our son, Nathan was with his grandmother and she was hit by another vehicle. Neither of them were injured.

Another time Nathan was driving home from college one weekend and had two of his friends as passengers in his vehicle. He was trying to pass another vehicle and the roads were slick from ice, when the other vehicle pulled out Nathan swerved to avoid a collision and went out of control, into the field and rolled three times, coming to rest on its wheels. The vehicle was practically totalled but no one was injured.

While home on break from college my youngest daughter, Deneen was in an accident with a friend of hers and was hit broadside on the passenger’s side by another vehicle. She had a slight concussion and her eye was swollen more than half it’s size, but she came out of it without any serious after affects.

Our oldest daughter, Catie was on her way to work one day, driving on a rain slick highway when a pickup truck driven by another woman went out of control coming down the entrance ramp to the freeway and hit my daughter’s vehicle, slamming it into the path of several other vehicles, I believe she said nine other vehicles hit her car and slammed it into one of the concrete columns of the overpass. The EMTs had to cut her out of the vehicle which took two hours. She was not injured except for a few scrapes and bruises.

I truly believe it was an answer to my prayers to keep her safe.

Just as with Catie, I believe God was merciful and gracious to keep my two sons and daughters and my husband from serious injury. My prayer for them has always been “keep them safe from harm, forgive us of our sins and draw us closer to Thee”.

My husband was going fishing one evening after dinner and as he kissed me goodbye, I felt no apprehension for him. Then as he began to drive out of the driveway there was a gentle urging for me to stop him from going. It got stronger and just before he was about to drive onto the highway, I ran out and told him I didn’t think he should go. He said “O.K.” and didn’t go. That in itself was unusual, he normally would have given me an argument. But this time he acquiesced and didn’t go.

I don’t know why, or what might have happened to him if he had not listened to me. But I strongly believe he averted an accident or even death by not going that day.

I have heard many stories of people who were on their death bed, while prayers from different sources were being offered up for their survival, prayers from heartbroken wives, parents, friends and relatives and miraculously they came out of the coma or began to recover against all odds; against the dire predictions or diagnosis of the doctors. What else could have saved them but the merciful hand of God?

Yes, I believe in the power of prayer. But I also believe the reason a lot of prayers are not answered is the power of disbelief. Jesus said, “by your faith you are healed.” Or “be it unto you according to your faith.” Many times it was the faith of the person being prayed for; but many times it was the faith of those who brought the sick and diseased to Jesus to be healed; the man who was let down through the roof after his friends took the roof off to get to Jesus. It was by the faith of his friends that he was healed.

The twelve year old girl who was already dead and they called Jesus, not really believing He could raise her from the dead. Jesus would not allow anyone except the parents of the dead girl and his disciples in the room with Him. He raised the girl from the dead because of the faith of the parents and His disciples. He did not want the unbelievers in the room to have to deal with their unbelief.

So, if I need prayer, I want only those friends and relatives who really believe that Jesus heals and that “by His stripes we ARE healed” to pray for me. I don’t want the prayers of unbelievers being offered just as an empty gesture. “The effectual fervent prayers of a righteous man availeth much.”

Prayer: Father in Heaven, I submit this story in order that it may glorify You and give others who may read it the incentive and the faith to believe that You do answer prayer and that You are who You say You are. May all who read this be encouraged to have faith to believe in the power of prayer and in You. In Jesus name, amen.

Nell Berry louis_berry@bellsouth.net

Bio: Nell is a newly published author of one book, Growing up in Missouri and Other Short Stories available from amazon.com or publishamerica.com. She is the mother of four children, nine grandchildren and two great granddaughters. Her interests include, cooking, sewing, crocheting, writing of course and preparing meals on special occasions for her family. She formerly lived on a small farm at Mark Twain Lake in Missouri with her husband of 56 years. But recently felt the call of God on their lives to follow their youngest son, who has been called into the ministry. They now reside there in Alabama.