A Lesson on Prayer

In 2011, Betsy Ragsdale, Peggy Michael, and I met together each Sunday morning before first service to pray for the pastors, staff, and teachers of our church. Each week I developed prayer lists to go along with current Christ’s Church activities and our pastors’ personal issues. We wanted our ministers to one day be able to say like Paul in 2 Timothy 4:7, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”
After we met several years for prayer, Peggy told me I should make these lists into a book. I was surprised because I am not a pastor’s wife and didn’t feel qualified. We prayed about the idea. Several months later, I became convinced she was right.
Several friends from our church joined me in prayer. After writing a book proposal, I sent the proposal to a publisher who immediately sent it back. They claimed to have too many books in production already. More determined than ever, the warriors continued to pray for the right publisher. A writing friend of mine introduced me to an acquisitions editor for a publishing company. After chatting with him about my book, he gave me his business card and asked me to email my first three chapters.
In August 2013, I signed a contract. Prayers continued as I wrote chapter four. During the writing, I became very ill. Although my intercessors and I prayed diligently, my condition worsened until my doctor admitted me to the hospital in December.
During 2014, I was admitted to the hospital seven times, underwent two surgeries, went to the ER five times where I was treated and released, and spent two months in a rehab facility. I was unable to walk or stand on my own for sixteen months. Most times, prayer requests were for health and strength, rather than writing.
Whenever I was able, I wrote another page, a paragraph, or a few sentences. Some of the sections needed to be rewritten because I was drowsy and dizzy from strong medication. As we learned about prayer, I typed a few more words about prayer.
With an incredible amount of intercession, my health improved. During 2015, I was able to get on a schedule and write a section each day. With still more prayer, the rough draft was completed. During 2016, my warriors concentrated on prayers for editing. Eventually, the final draft went to the publisher.
I learned patience, endurance to the extreme, and confidence in answered prayer. My heart swells with gratitude to those who over several years spent hours in prayer. We laid our requests before God and waited to see what He would do (Psalm 5:3). Praise God for his mighty power over any obstacle.