Our Story, Part Twenty-Seven (The Healing Power of United Prayer)

           "Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.  There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all."

Ephesians 4:3-6

Throughout this seven month period, God continued to guide me and teach me in the most incredible ways.  I understood that this healing wasn't just automatically going to happen; we were in a spiritual battle that had to be fought for and won! God was showing me all the steps I needed to take in order to defeat the enemy, and from the very beginning, I would hear these words replay in my mind over and over throughout the day: Build the army! 

God had let me know from the onset that I needed as many people as I could find to join us in praying for this healing.  Not only did our army need to be large in size (numbers), God was also teaching me that the most powerful armies are those that have the greatest variety of gifts, talents or strengths.  In other words, we needed a complete body of Christ.  

God had begun all of this by using the most unlikely candidate (sweet Rachel), and because of this, I didn't want to overlook the possible hidden value of any potential recruit. I began to feel an urgency to gather as many people from a variety of denominational backgrounds or personal belief systems, centered around Christ.  Diversity was the key, and it didn't even matter to me if all of my recruits were even Believers at the time. I figured if they weren't already invaluable members of the body, they were potential invaluable members!  My deepest heart's desire was that God be glorified to the fullest through this entire event.  I couldn't think of a better way for His glory to be displayed (to the lost) than through this miraculous healing. It was evident that God was up to something remarkable, and I wanted as many people as possible to be a part!

I began the recruitment for my army with my own children.  I asked my older children if they would join me in fasting and praying every Friday for this healing, and I asked the younger ones to pray. This was a very special time, not only for Kaylee, but for the spiritual growth of my children as well.  They each took their duties very seriously, and the sacrifice they made for their sister during this time will undoubtedly always bond them together in a special way.  They know that they played a part in bringing this healing about. I can't think of a time that I felt more proud of my children than I did as I watched them go without food all day for their sister. No amount of teaching could ever duplicated what I saw being produced in each one of my children during this time.

I also invited their cousins (my nieces and nephews) and some of their friends to join us in fasting on Fridays.  I was amazed at the enthusiasm of these young people to join in, and I cherished each and every one of their sacrifices and prayers!  God had already demonstrated to me the power of child-like faith at work!

The next step in my recruitment was to call my extended family and close friends to ask if they would join us, and this was very special as well. Although I came from a Christian family, we were a very broken family.  Not only was my own marriage in shambles, my parents had been divorced as well.  In addition to this, there were others within our family who had not spoken for many years. It was a beautiful and touching time to witness, as each one of us were able to put our differences aside and come together united again over our love for Kaylee!  I sensed that God was doing more healing during this time than we even understood.

Before long, my confidence in this healing had grown to such a high level that I was asking nearly everyone I knew to join us!  I was so bold at times that I still can't believe some of the things that I did. It wasn't like me at all. One day I walked into Kaylee's orthodontic's office and passed out her prayer pager number to all the staff as I announced the date of her anticipated healing. Kaylee had become a patient there shortly after she was diagnosed with Crohn's disease, and many of them had witnessed her struggles throughout the years. I felt a special connection with these sweet people, and it only seemed appropriate that they be given the opportunity to be a part of this as well.  I have to admit they looked a little bewildered by my announcement (and I probably would have too) but I didn't worry about that at all.  I was simply a recruiter for this army, and I would leave the rest to God! 

It was truly evident that God had set all of this up in advance, and He continued to confirm every detail of what He was teaching me through the wonderful church He had led me to visit. In fact, when we ended the Pursuit of Joy message series at this church, we began a new series entitled: One Prayer! 

During the first message of this series, the pastor informed us that they had joined together with 1,365 other churches for this incredible series on united prayer! He went on to say something profound that would later be the key element in Kaylee's completed healing.  He asked us if we could imagine what life might look like if we all (the church) came together in unity?  He said, "What might happen if we all dropped our egos and logos and focused, not on what separates us, but on what we have in common" (Jesus!)  

Along with all of these amazing confirmations I was receiving through the church about the power of a unified body, God also continued to speak to me through the children I was working with at L.C.Y.D.C.  He didn't want me to forget where He had first begun the recruitment for this army or to lose sight of the most meaningful part of what He was teaching me: the parts of the body that appear weaker are indispensable! (I Corinthians 12:22)  

One day a girl (probably the most severely abused and broken child I had ever worked with) told me that I needed to read a poem entitled: The Touch of the Masters Hand.  I instantly knew this was going to be something significant pertaining to Kaylee's healing.  I had intended to go straight home and look this poem up, but for some reason I never did. I think God wanted me to hear this story straight from her mouth.  So a few days later, when she had finally given up on me, she came to my desk to tell me the story in her own words.  I could hardly hold back the tears as I understood the full beauty of what God was putting together:  

'Twas battered and scarred,
And the auctioneer thought it
hardly worth his while
To waste his time on the old violin,
but he held it up with a smile.

"What am I bid, good people", he cried,
"Who starts the bidding for me?"
"One dollar, one dollar, Do I hear two?"
"Two dollars, who makes it three?"
"Three dollars once, three dollars twice, going for three,"

But, No,
From the room far back a gray bearded man
Came forward and picked up the bow,
Then wiping the dust from the old violin
And tightening up the strings,
He played a melody, pure and sweet
As sweet as the angel sings.

The music ceased and the auctioneer
With a voice that was quiet and low,
Said "What now am I bid for this old violin?"
As he held it aloft with its' bow.

"One thousand, one thousand, Do I hear two?"
"Two thousand, Who makes it three?"
"Three thousand once, three thousand twice,
Going and gone", said he.

The audience cheered,
But some of them cried,
"We just don't understand."
"What changed its' worth?"
Swift came the reply.
"The Touch of the Masters Hand."

"And many a man with life out of tune
All battered and bruised with hardship
Is auctioned cheap to a thoughtless crowd
Much like that old violin

A mess of pottage, a glass of wine,
A game and he travels on.
He is going once, he is going twice,
He is going and almost gone.

But the Master comes,
And the foolish crowd never can quite understand,
The worth of a soul and the change that is wrought
By the Touch of the Masters' Hand.

- by Myra Brooks Welch

... the value and worth of the battered and scarred violin was restored once it was played (put to use) by the Master's hand.