The Power of Testimony and Prayer

A week ago, I attended a writer’s retreat. The location of the retreat was just ten minutes away from our home. It was a blessing not to have to travel far. It was the first time I’d left our baby, and although in very capable hands with his dad, I was comforted by the fact the I could ‘pop’ home if necessary. As it happened, it wasn’t necessary. The surroundings at the retreat were beautiful, it helped that the sun was shining, which gave opportunity to explore and appreciate the viewing points and quiet areas, with thoughtfully placed benches, nooks and crannies where one could have time alone to reflect and pray. Towards the end of the retreat, there was a down pour, and for me, it didn’t spoil anything, it just gave me an opportunity to appreciate where I was in a different light. I’m quite happy to cosy up indoors whilst the rain hammers down on the window. I find it relaxing, the sound of the rain brings a feeling of safety and comfort as I am quietly thankful for a roof over my head.  

The retreat was inspiring and challenging. If something is challenging me when I hear from God, it’s usually confirmation that I’m in the right place! There was a lot to process, and a lot to pray about. In fact, one of the revelations I had during my time at the retreat was relating to my prayer life. I want to share a little about this, and then share what the holy spirit has laid on my heart to reveal to you today. It is about a profound experience I had in motherhood around the time I fell into the arms of Jesus.  

Whilst at the retreat, I knew my relationship with God had changed significantly, and knew that when I left for home, I wouldn’t be the same person as I was when I arrived at the retreat. I don’t mean that in the weird sense, I know it sounds radical, but actually, it was a radical change! There are a few reasons for this, but I’m going to share one for now. The testimonies shared at the retreat were phenomenal. Every testimony is unique, it could be just a few sentences, but how God uses it to change the heart and mind of a person is what’s incredible. It was these testimonies that renewed my faith, and trust in God. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust God before, but through His grace I was taken into a deeper trust in Him, and who He is. I could hear the power of prayer from the testimonies given, and knew that as a child of God, I could also press into prayer in a more impactful way, that would allow God to lead my life by His spirit in every moment. l’ve always prayed, but this was different. The simplicity of prayer became clear to me. If I handed over everything about my life to God each day, I could live the life that He had planned for me. In the process, He would then guide me in my family life and those who I meet each day. I had a fresh knowledge and knowing in my heart that I can trust him with everything. A conviction that he is the head and I am part of the body of Christ, he is the one in control.  It was as though I’d had my mind completely renewed, and I’d met Jesus for the first time, but this time, with the addition of everything he had already revealed to me from when I first met him. I could see Him more clearly than ever, and Romans twelve had come alive in me. I had been blessed with a renewed knowledge of the gift of freedom that he has given to all those who believe and trust in Him. Prayer is powerful, and the combination of His word and prayer is key to a relationship with Jesus.  

This leads me onto something that happened seven years ago. Not long after I became a follower of Jesus, I fell pregnant with our third child. The night before the twelve-week scan, my husband and I prayed together. During this prayer, I had a picture of an angel wrapping its wings around our baby, our baby was pulled towards the angel and sheltered underneath its wings. As you can imagine, this brought a mixture of emotions. The angel was a very tall figure with very large wings. It wasn’t something I felt afraid of.  

The next morning, I was compelled to write something down before we left for the hospital. It was about prayer.  

This is what I wrote in 2016, the morning before our twelve-week scan where we would meet our precious little baby.  

‘I have an overwhelming desire to express the importance of prayer this morning. The more we pray, the closer we can be to the Lord. Our Father wants us to speak to him, we are his children. Not just speak to him once a week at church, not just in the morning, or before dinner, but all through the day! Sometimes He will answer immediately, other times we need patience, but if we put ALL our trust in the Lord He will answer and be close to us. We face trials, and we must persevere, but we can walk through these trials with the strength of the Lord, knowing that he has our hand as we walk. It’s incredible, the peace, joy and love He wants to give us, we just need to keep communicating with Him, and seeking Him and know that nothing is impossible when we put our full trust in Him.’   

As you read the previous paragraph, you can now see how the revelation of the power of prayer in the writer’s retreat relates to this time in my life.  

The difference being, about two hours after writing the paragraph above, my husband and I attended the antenatal appointment and found out that our precious little baby had died.  

In God’s grace and mercy, he had prepared our family through the picture I received in prayer the night before, and through what he placed on my heart to write before attending the hospital for the first scan. He brought our family comfort, with knowledge that our baby was in the arms of an angel. Through this, I was being called into relationship with Jesus, so that my husband and I would be comforted by Him through this trial. I urge you all to ask Jesus to show you how you can pray with more intention, one thing I’ve learnt in my journey with Jesus so far, is that there is always more! Ask Him how you can use the gift of prayer that we have been blessed with, allowing us to be in relationship with Him. If you struggle to pray, you can ask for guidance. We don’t need to pray long prayers, he knows our hearts. If you would like a prayer partner, someone to walk beside you in prayer, to encourage you, please message me and I will pray for you and your family. God tells us to comfort one another as He has comforted us.

In Philippians 4:6-7, God tells us not to be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your heart and your minds in Christ Jesus.  

This is a challenging verse for me personally, because I do have to fight anxiety with the word of God, but this verse gives me hope that by praying he will give me peace through my trials. We can know his strength in our weakness.  

Praying with the word open in front of me, beginning with a thankful and repentant heart is allowing me to grow into a deeper relationship with Jesus through His spirit. I pray that it will be the same for you too.