The concept of intercessory prayer in the context of this stretcher really came from two origins. The first is a fairly well-known concept in evangelical Christianity—the prayer warrior. In my case, this prayer warrior is named Sarah.
For as long as I have known her, she has walked closely with God. She is a matriarch in my home church and has cared for the flock for years, from running a bus ministry to co-leading one of the most nurturing Sunday School classes in the history of the Sunday School concept.
Her ability to “get God’s attention” became most real to me in the spring of 2008. I was preparing for the birth of my oldest daughter, and things got very scary at the 20-week OB-GYN visit. During this visit, the physician noted a problem with the cervix and explained that there was a 50 percent chance of saving the pregnancy and the baby. Those were not very good odds for a dad-to-be.
My immediate thought was to call my parents, and I reached my dad. He was calm, as usual, and did not really understand the medical side of what was happening. His response is something I will never forget: “Don’t worry. I’ll call Ms. Sarah.”
I grew up in church all my life. My dad did not call the preacher, a prayer line, or the deacons. He called Ms. Sarah. He knew God would listen when Ms. Sarah prayed.
He was right.
My daughter was kept in utero until 29 weeks of gestation. She weighed just under three pounds at birth and needed weeks of care in the neonatal intensive care unit. Ms. Sarah continued to pray for my little one. She would call to check on us and remind me that she was praying for us.
I did not fully realize it at the time, but this was the moment she put me and my family on her stretcher.
Who is on your stretcher? Who are you taking to Jesus?
Leave a Reply