Excerpted from
Prayer Partners; How Praying with Someone Can Multiply Your Blessings
By August Gold
If there weren't benefits to Prayer Partnering, Jesus wouldn't have suggested it, and millions of people wouldn't be practicing it. What are some of the real benefits?
Kath prayed for forgiveness: "I thought I'd go to my deathbed blaming my mother for how miserably she treated me as a little girl," she said. "Until I prayed with Beverly I just couldn't bring myself to forgive my mom completely. By the tenth week of praying together I forgave my mom. I can see that she was a sick woman and did the best she could. I'm able to remember all the wonderful things that happened when I was a kid-I could only remember the bad stuff before." Kath said that this was the first miracle of her life.
Janet prayed for peace of mind. She said that she could sleep through the night now that she wasn't worrying about her husband and two kids. She hadn't realized how much lack of sleep kept her thinking fuzzy and unfocused, making her unable to make quick, clear decisions in her job.
Hugh prayed for perfect health. He felt that after praying he was stronger in body as well as in mind. He said that he used to get every bug that was going around the office, and now "the bugs don't stick." His office mates are on sick leave as often as he used to be, but he hasn't missed a day of work in the last year that he has been Prayer Partnering.
Carolyn prayed for the grace to respond calmly to situations. She told me that I wouldn't have wanted to know her before she began Prayer Partnering, because she overreacted to everything. Now, she said, she responds calmly when people cut her off in the car or get in line in front of her. "I take a breath and respond like a normal person."
Bruce prayed to let go and let God. He never realized how tense he was beneath the surface, where it didn't show. His heart was always racing as he waited for the other shoe to drop. In the six months that he's been practicing Prayer Partnering, he's relaxed 70 percent. He's no longer thinking of all the bad things that could happen to him and his family. "I'm chilled," he said. He turns everything over to God in the morning, and then he's free to go on with his life. Some days, naturally, are better than others.
Manny prayed to be an open channel for financial success. He said he didn't intend to hide how much he loved material things. Since last year, when he started Prayer Partnering, he has doubled his income and moved out of the little studio he'd been living in since college. "I've made more money in one year than I did in the five years before put together," he said, "which is a great thing, because I'd always been an under-earner." Now he's earning what he's worth.
Ernesto prayed to be rich. He said, "I thought I wanted to be rich when what I really wanted was to be rich in friendships. I made so many friends during these three months I couldn't believe it. How could I have been so lonely and never have noticed?"
"I wanted one thing when I prayed," Mario said, "and I got it-a green card!" His prayer was answered. Now he is praying for a great job.
Melissa prayed for the confidence to speak her truth. She dreamed of the day when she would be able to stand up to her boss who treated her poorly. After Prayer Partnering for six months she walked into her boss's office and told her that she couldn't treat her that way anymore. She stood up to her boss. Instead of being fired, Melissa was promoted and became her boss's personal assistant.
Nancy prayed to love her daughter unconditionally. Nancy said she was constantly criticizing her daughter: "I'd never cut her a break. In my first month of Prayer Partnering we had a terrible knock-down, drag-out fight," she said. "I thought I would die-we'd never fought like that. My daughter yelled at me about how we'd never really been honest with each other, never said what we needed from each other, what worked, what didn't. It was like a slap in the face, but it was the first honest talk we'd ever had. We've been friends since, and now once a week we make a cup of tea and talk about our relationship while issues are still small enough to deal with easily. I got my daughter back," Nancy said, smiling ear to ear.
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