United prayer leads to radical testimony

Does united prayer really works?

As at now in my Christian experience, whether prayer works or not is not a question that baffles me. For me to doubt the power of prayer will be tantamount to denying the saving power of Christ.

I was raised in a church that took prayer and Bible studies seriously. The Wiamoase Seventh-day Adventist church is one of the oldest churches in Ghana. The church is more than 100 years and it has produced pastors more than any local church in Ghana (if not overstretched). This is an obvious image of a mission-oriented church.

The elders of the Wiamoase church believe in the power of a united prayer. Fasting and night vigils were constant practices of the church. All the members wanted more of these spiritual exercises.

Whiles I was growing up as a teenager, I had the opportunity to get involved in some of these spiritual routines. Besides the many wonderful testimonies of the church, one event still makes me recall the power of a united prayer.

One day, we woke up to find the church’s vehicle missing. Geographically, the size of Ghana covers about 238,535 km2. We have ten regions and shares borders with Burkina-Faso, Togo and Côte D’Ivoire. Because of poor logistics, a missing vehicle would be difficult to track by the police. These crimes were common in the country about twenty years ago.

The church reported the incidence to the police, and further made announcements on the radio with every description of the vehicle. After few days, when the whereabouts of the vehicle was unknown, the elders called upon the church to summon the situation to God in an all-night prayer. The church gathered (which I was present) on a Saturday’s night, and prayed until Sunday morning.

On Monday, an announcement came on the radio about a found missing vehicle. It was our church’s vehicle. The thieves have packed the car alongside the road in another region. Eyewitnesses saw the car moving without a driver. It attracted public awareness and the vehicle was identified as the missing car belonging to the Wiamoase Seventh-day Adventist Church. This was the result of a united prayer.

The church represents the power of Christ on earth. God will never hesitate to answer the united prayer of His church. Ellen White wrote:

“Prayer, faithful, earnest prayer will move the arm that moves the world… The church must pray much if they would walk in the light, as He is in the light” (The Signs of the Times, January 15, 1880).

The response that follows after we have prayed does not come as mere illusionary coincidence or chance. An answer to prayer is a miracle of God. Thus, we testify of His greatness.