The Prayer of Deliverance
By Andrew McChesney
The Ndong family, who live in Libreville, capital of Gabon, love to pray.
Father and Mother love talking to God so much that they named their three children after the French word for prayer, “priere.” The oldest boy is Priel; the second child, a girl, is Priella; and the youngest girl is Pricilia.
Little Pricilia has prayed before bedtime every night since she was three. Sometimes she kneels in front of the bed, but usually she jumps up onto the bed and kneels on the nice, soft mattress. She folds her hands, closes her eyes, and bows her head.
One night, when Pricilia was 12, she jumped on the bed to pray at 9 p.m. Her 13-year-old sister, Priella, also jumped on the bed to pray. They slept in the same bed.
Folding their hands, they closed their eyes, and bowed their heads.
“Our Father in heaven,” Pricilia prayed. “We thank You for everything. Now that I am going to sleep, I’d like You to send your angels to be around me and around the neighbors’ houses. Father, help me to have good dreams. Please reveal to us the hidden things that we need to know. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”
After Priella also prayed, the two girls slipped under the blanket. Quickly they fell asleep.
Around 2 a.m., while still sleeping, Pricilia suddenly couldn’t breathe. She felt someone’s hands squeezing her neck. She struggled to gulp in air. She thrashed around on the bed, trying to get away from the hands clutching her throat. Then she remembered that Mother had told her to pray if she had any problems.
“Pray in the name of Jesus,” Mother had said. “You can call on the name of Jesus anytime.”
Although she was terrified, Pricilia calmly said, “In the name of Jesus.” Then she recited Psalms 23, which begins, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.”
Opening her eyes in the darkness, Pricilia realized that she wasn’t dreaming. She really couldn’t breathe. Invisible hands were squeezing her neck. Her heart pounded with fright.
Pricilia slid onto her knees beside the bed.
“Lord, thank You for protecting me,” she prayed. “I don’t know who wants to harm me. In the name of Jesus, Amen.”
Immediately, the hands released their grip on her neck, and she could breathe. She took a deep breath of air. She saw that her sister was sound asleep. Climbing back into bed, she quickly fell asleep with the assurance that Jesus was protecting her.
In the morning, Pricilia told Mother about the scary experience. Mother was surprised and glad that she had prayed.
“Probably someone tried to harm you through witchcraft while you were sleeping,” Mother said. “Who knows what might have happened to you if you hadn’t called on the name of Jesus!”
Pricilia thanks Jesus every day for His deliverance. Every night she prays, “Lord, thank you for life and the protection that You give every day.”
Andrew McChesney is the editor of Adventist Mission. This story is reprinted with permission.
Download this week's blog and prayer requests
World Church Prayer Requests
July 14 - 21, 2019
• PRAYER REQUEST: Please pray for the new East Central Africa Division Adventist School of Medicine, scheduled to officially open in September 2019. Pray that the school be a unique witness for Christ and the timeless beauty of His plan for all to have physical and spiritual health. Pray that the school would be used to provide powerful Christian medical leadership, service and witness around the world.
• PRAYER REQUEST: Please continue to pray for our church members in the central African country of Burundi. Pray that God will provide wisdom for the challenges being faced, and for peace and prosperity for the leaders and members.
• PRAYER REQUEST: Pray for the church in Turkey, that God will continue to use them as a lighthouse on the hill and that they will truly be a “house of prayer” for those in need.
• PRAYER REQUEST: Please join us in praying specifically for the following “Prayer Focus” city. Huaibei, China, has a population of 2,070,000. Huaibei has great natural resources, and is home to many industries, from construction and machinery to textiles and electronics. It is also an agricultural center for crops like wheat, beans and cotton; many types of livestock are also raised. The city exports more than 100 different types of goods.
• PRAYER REQUEST: Please pray for God’s blessing on Huaibei in the following areas:
o Pray for wisdom for Huaibei’s leaders.
o Pray for the families of Huaibei.
o Pray for the young people making major life decisions.
o Pray for those who struggle with their health in Huaibei.
o Pray that the city’s most lonely elderly residents may find friendship.
o Pray for the women of Huaibei—for their safety, education, and well-being.
o Pray for the men of Huaibei—for wisdom, for their careers and their sense of purpose.
o Pray for the industries and crops of Huaibei to be successful.