Wanda’s Journal

Prayer Changes Things

The Amish pray before and after each meal, and many times throughout the day. They also pray several times during their church services. My husband and I witnessed this firsthand during an Amish wedding, and also when we attended an Amish church service. When it was time for prayer, everyone went down on their knees. It wasn’t a padded, carpeted floor we knelt on, either. It was a hard, cold, cement floor. I found it to be a very humbling experience.

In I Thessalonians 5:17 we are told to pray without ceasing. Although some prayers might not be answered in the way we would like, God answers according to His will. We should never quit praying, for there’s power in prayer. Each time we pray our faith will be strengthened. Whenever we pray God always hears. When we see Him answering our prayers and meeting our needs, our faith will be strengthened, and our hearts will be filled with gratitude.

Remember that prayer is nothing more than making your requests known to God. Just as a flower reaches for the sun, we should reach out to God and let His Son bathe our souls. Is there someone you know who needs prayer today? Would you include me and my family in your prayers — for good health, wisdom, strength, and the ability to discern God’s will in all things? If you have a prayer request, feel to share it so others can pray for you as well.

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70 Comments

  1. A friends son had a brain bleed and then several strokes. He is in nursing home for rehab and only in his 30’s. Please pray for a good recovery so he can support a family and enjoy his life. Thank you and may God bless each and every one of your prayer requests.

  2. Dear friends, please pray for the father of a young family. Jeff Ballinger has cancer and with Hospice at home. Their children are very young teens. Mom (Cathy) is trying to hold the family together. Please pray that Jeff can be strong and his body will heal and that Cathy can take care of her husband and her children! And be strong herself!
    She was our two daughters dear friend in high school. Thank you in advance for all of your prayers.

  3. Pray without ceasing…..to me that means when I wake up I say Dear Heavenly Father and when I go to bed at night I say in Jesus name amen. All day long I’m talking to my Heavenly Father.
    And He doesn’t just want us to pray requests, but also be thankful and praising to Him. I’ve often thought about how I feel when either of my two children go days without communicating to me. That’s exactly how God feels when we go for a long period of time without talking to Him in prayer.
    ACTS: acclimation – confession – thanksgiving – supplication

    I had a left total knee replacement July 16 and am still going through physical therapy. Please pray for less pain and stiffness and total healing down the road.

  4. Yes,Wanda I will pray for you and your family. I have several friends I’ve been praying for. One friend has a rare type of lymphoma and after chemo and a bone marrow transplant last year it returned. New drugs didn’t have any effect or slow it down. She’s been having very strong chemo treatments. She has been passing out different times and her blood pressure has bottomed out and she has been hospitalized for about a week now as doctors work to find what has cause this as they don’t feel the chemo did this. She is unable to continue with her chemo until they can find what’s causing her blood pressure to drop. Could you please pray for my friend Detrea. She is a wonderful Christian and always looks at the positive even through her illness. Thanks so much for your concern.

  5. My husband and I have been praying for this last year that the 2 boys who were abandoned by their mother would become ours. We found out just yesterday that the court has granted us legal custody of them. It has been a long hard road to get to this day. God has seen us thru so much and continues to still do. During this last year we have found out that the oldest boy has Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder. It’s a hard life for him and he’s so smart and so loving but his head is not growing like it should be. They are getting ready to put him thru a MRI sometime soon to find out the structure of his brain. They are hoping that the alcohol did not ruin part of his brain. So I would like to ask you all to please pray with us that he is ok and that his brain is growing correctly. We don’t want to have problems from this as the doctor stated it could lead to mental retardation if his brain does not grow correctly. Like I said he’s so smart and loving I just hope he stays this way and it grows.
    Thanks and God be with you all.

  6. Wanda, I totally agree with the power of prayer. I’ve seen too many answers to prayers including jobs, healing, safety, and so many more. It’s often not as soon as I’d like, but God is so faithful. He walks alongside as we wait, sometimes the healing isn’t to continue on earth, but a complete healing in heaven. It is a privilege to uphold one another in prayer and I believe this pleases the Father. Thank you for such an inspiring journal entry!

  7. Good Morning Wanda, The power of prayer is amazing as I have witnessed first hand. My husband was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer Aug. 2013 and thanks to so many people praying for him, he has been cancer free since Mar. 2014, but still takes an inhibitor treatment once every 3 weeks, but it is doing the trick. Sometimes it seems like my prayer list for God’s blessings for friends get longer each day, but I have witnessed so many good things for my friends. Not only do we pray for our friends, but thank God for the blessings he has bestowed on us. Prayers to you and your family.

  8. Prayer is the thing that helps me through life. I am a strong believer in prayer and even though I cant always see the answers they way I want them I will never stop praying!!

  9. In addition to your comments on prayer, I’d just like to say that when I wake up during the night, I like to pray at that time. If I’m experiencing fear, I ask God to replace it with trust in Him and to handle whatever the fear involves. If someone’s need comes to mind, I pray that God will meet that need. As I pray, I usually relax in a peaceful state and fall back to sleep.

  10. Yes I will pray for you and your family. I also ask for prayers for my family. Especially for my mother and aunt both are having some health issues. God Bless Everyone and thanks for the prayers.

  11. Wanda, I will be glad to pray for you and your writings and how you show the love on God. I do believe in the power of prayer. I prayed for the return of a family member for 18 months. I had to remember that it was God’s time and not my time. She is back and I will continue to praise his name! Thank you for sharing God’s love in your stories.

  12. Prayer is very powerful. When I had my mastectomy two years ago I had 9 people around my bedside before I went to surgery who prayed over me. I had a surgeon who prays over every patient before starting surgery. When I had chemo and was so sick I thought I would die, I felt Jesus’ presence very real sitting with me on my bed. God’s answers are not always our answers, but God is good all the time. Amen and Amen

  13. I believe in prayer. During times of stress and trouble I strive to remember Isaiah 55:8-9 and Romans 8:28. These verses remind me that God’s ways are higher than our ways. and that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him .

  14. Wanda, you and your family are in my prayers. Yes, God wants us to pray for one another. There’s power in prayer warriors binding together in prayer for needs and we all know our country needs prayer. I have experienced God’s healing miracles in my personal life and in others. Sometimes God chooses to do the ultimate healing when He calls them home to heaven where there is no more pain, suffering, sadness, etc. What rejoicing we will have one day when we reach Heaven. God is a faithful and never fails His children!! Blessings and prayers to you, your family and the needs of your readers.

  15. Hello,, I do pray for all friends and family. I pray for my son, he is newly married and they have a physically disabled daughter. He is a hard worker, he is very trusting and has been lied to so much by employers. He is a truck driver and needs a good pay check coming in. He is gone weeks at a time. I Pray daily, many times a day, that the new job offer is really and comes through today. Please Please Pray that it comes through.

    Thank You for the time

  16. Dear Wanda,

    As I read through the comments and requests for prayers to get to this point, I realized how very much so many people need answers to prayers more than I do and yet I know that without my prayers to God and the prayers of others for me, I would not be the person I am today and able to face days I otherwise would not want to face. Prayer without ceasing is something I did my best to teach my 6 kids as I raised them and I am thankful for having realized the need to do that. Some of the teachings, especially from Deuteronomy, where we are to teach our children about God from the time we rise until the time they fall asleep at night fell on fertile soil, some not so fertile, but each day and night I pray those teachings that fell on the not so fertile soil will take root and begin to grow again as they once did in their younger ages. I wish so many times that we “Englishers” were so much more like the Amish in so many ways, especially their strong faith and their not only willingness to help each other, but their eagerness to do so, knowing that is what God would have them to do. Too often we tell ourselves we are too busy or that maybe we really aren’t needed, when in fact we are, even if we can do no more than pray fervently without ceasing for each other. My husband and I both struggle with age related problems and family problems, ironically, the family problems for both of us started with a daughter of his and a daughter of mine who have the same first names. To have your children turn away from you and work to turn their siblings away too, is so heartbreaking, and yet, as someone said in a comment before, it is all in God’s time, not ours, so we continue to pray for understanding, hope and reconciliation for all of us. It is a second marriage for both of us and the pain of the loss of a mother for my husband’s grown children caused them to not want him to remarry anyone and the pain of the father of my kids and me divorcing has never allowed some of my kids to adjust even though those things took place many years ago. My heart and prayers go out to everyone in similar situations and that God will soon bring His world into all of our lives, that we may all live in peace. Thank you for your wonderful books. They bring peace and hope into my life on days that are otherwise filled with too many tears. May God continue to bless you with the wisdom in your writings that help so many of us.

  17. I pray every day and multiple times a day. I believe in the power of prayer and I agree with your blog! God works through our prayers and that’s why I encourage your prayers! Thank you for your insight and I enjoyed your article very much.

  18. I do believe in the power of prayer… Yes I will pray for your family… Have a safe and blessed trip to Indiana…

  19. I agree prayer changes things and is very powerful. In addition to making our requests known, I feel it is conversation in which we listen and learn as well as “talk”. Praise, gratitude and more enter into our prayers. I’ll be praying for you and your family as well as the other requests listed here. Thanks for providing the opportunity to share some of our prayer needs.

  20. I do believe in the power of prayer. I always tell people when I lose one of my contacts I ask God to give the sight I need to find my contact—-GOD hears and answers over 40 years I have only lost two contacts all the other times and there are many GOD has given me the sight to find it. He if faithful in even the very small things.

  21. I strongly believe in the power of prayer and often pray for others as well as bless every meal I have. The Lord has answered many of my prayers and has also not answered some as well. God knows what is best for us and it is always according to his will and his time. I speak to him often throughout the day and always give thanks for my blessings….I am sorry I missed you this time again in Holmes county, Ohio but I will be going down to Sugarcreek with my family Sept. 18th. and 19th. I wish you well and safe travels during the coming month.

  22. I can not express how happy I was to see this entry on prayer. I have devoted my life to prayer. Morning, meals, and bed just barely scratch the surface of my prayer. I don’t make a decision without prayer. I am a member of what my church calls a prayer warrior (prayer group) and we pray for any and everyone in need. I added you, your family, and those who asked for a prayer in your comments to my prayer binder. I heard something a while back that often reminds me thing happen in God’s time… God answers every prayer with one of three answers: Yes, Yes but not right now, or I have something better in mind! May all your prayers be answered in God’s timing. God Bless!

  23. Hi Wanda. Prayer is so powerful! I will pray for you and your family. We will be traveling to Berlin, OH next week and pray for a safe trip. I just love your books. Have a blessed day!

  24. Yes, prayer is a very good thing. I pray daily for different families to keep them healthy and happy. I pray for our world to be a better place. I pray for a cure to all of the diseases in this world. I love your books. Wish more people would read them. I was never to much into religion and praying until I started reading about the Amish. Reading these books have changed my spiritual habits. Thank you and God bless you and yours!

  25. Hi Wanda, Read your journal article. Prayer is a powerful tool. I will include you & your family in my prayers and hope the power of prayer will help heal our country. There is so much evil in the world today.

  26. I couldn’t agree more about Prayer. I periodically read books on Prayer so I can adjust my perspective and be sure I am using Biblical principles when I pray. Just getting ready to read Jim Cymbalta’s book titled BREAKTHROUGH PRAYER. I have a real burden for our two sons, Jeremiah and Aaron, who received Christ as children and grew up in church. They now reject those values and live lives of rebellion to God and compromise of His principles. Thanks for the journal comments. I certainly would love to win your book! I love them all.

  27. Yes, prayer is the key to living our lives as God would have us to do. At our church, we have knelt for prayer time across the years, though sometimes we stand. We also have an altar across the front of the church, used for prayer.

  28. I also believe in the power of prayer. I know if it was not for God being with my husband during a heart valve replacement,he would not have made it. Please pray for my family as we are going thru some difficult times.I read all of your books and really enjoy them.

  29. I love this, I immediately thought of the birthday gift I have for my daughter, Amy, on September 10th. It is a t-sort saying “when life gets too hard to stand, Kneel”. Prayer definitely works!

  30. My wife and I saw the movie, “War Room”, on Saturday. It has a very strong emphasis on prayer, with a number of things in the movie occurring as a result of specific prayer. It was clearly a call to prayer to everyone who saw it. A couple of weeks previously, I read Chrissy Cymbala Toledo’s memoir and was impressed by the huge role prayer played in her life. I really appreciate this journal entry and am seeking to become more focused and intentional in my own prayer life. I confess that it has been more hit or miss than I really care to admit. But I used to hear it frequently in church that confession is good for the soul.

  31. Hi Wanda, I love reading your articles and your journals..I wish I could afford to get your book collection and read them..I love to read..I read this journal entry and I agree with what you have said here..Thank you for doing this website and everything you do.

  32. Dear Wanda,
    I would be delighted to as you and your wonderful family to my daily prayers. I too believe in the power of constant prayers. One of the reasons I love reading your books is that each story inspires me to grow in faith abd and add more simple things to my prayers. This had influenced my life in many ways. You are a blessing!

  33. I agreed with the statement about prayer;however, I think prayer is also a time of thanksgiving. I was raised in a family that had prayer at the beginning and ending of each meal. It was just the way it was. I appreciate that practice m ore and more as I age.

  34. I learned that prayer works this summer. My husband was in the hospital with kidney shut down and fluid around his heart. For three days we were’t sure if he was going to be alright. With alot of prayers, His kidneys started working with out dialysis.

  35. God is the only one who can answer prayer. He is the answer to everything. We have several people we are praying for who are battling cancer. The most urgent request we have is a great nephew who had a swimming accident and is paralyzed from the neck down. He does have limited movement in his hands and arms and the other day moved his foot. God is in control. His name is Zachery. Please pray for him that God will make him a miracle. He is only 20 years old.
    Keep us in your prayers. We will be celebrating our 50th wedding anniversary on September 18 God is good and we owe HIM everything. Thank you for your wonderful stories. Really enjoyed your last book “The Gift.”

  36. I recently gave a devotional to our Senior Sisters group on “praying without ceasing.” I explained that it simply meant to have an attitude of prayer at all times. Would love to get a copy of your book!

  37. Prayer is a wonderful thing. I keep a prayer journal and every time a prayer is answered I highlight it. My journal is full of answered prayers!!

  38. I full believe in prayer! I’m also thankful for unanswered prayers or not really that He leaves them unanswered, but the answer was different than what I thought I wanted. HE knows what’s best. I ask that you add my sister-in-law to your prayer list. She is battling head/neck cancer right now. She is only 36 and has a little girl that’s 11. She is a fighter, though! We’re praying for a miracle.

  39. To me prayer is simply talking to God my heavenly Father and I carry on conversations with Him all day long. Even when I wake during the night it’s a time to talk to Him.

  40. Yes Prayer does change things. It helps us to have a feeling of peace and helps make situations somewhat easier to deal with. I will add you to my prayer list, I enjoy praying for others. Thank you for such a wonderful post

  41. I had a terrible medical condition. I called a prayer night at my house and I had friends come pray over me. The next appointment I had, the doctor’s cleared me and said I no longer need to come in. (I had been going for months). The doctor even asked if he could pray with me before I left! Sometimes we go through horrible things in life, but it ultimately can strengthen our faith in ways that are amazing and wonderful-making those times worth it!

  42. Thank you Wanda for sharing your thoughts. I will pray for your family. Please pray for mine, especially my son, who struggles as he is making his way through the teen years. God Bless.

  43. I believe in prayer and the power of prayer.I need prayer everyday,there is always something going on.From sickness,financial issues,family,and all the things going on in the world today.I feel like that prayer is the one thing that can never be taken away.It is the greatest feeling to know that I can go to the Lord in prayer anytime.I will keep you and your family in my prayers Wanda.Thanks for writing great books.

  44. Prayer up close or at a distance can improve a person’s condition or situation. A room full of prayers can be powerful. In medicine, the power of prayer has been known to work miracles, yet scientifically can’t give any reasons for spontaneous recoveries for devastating illness and catastrophic accidents.

  45. Thank you, Miss Wanda, for your thoughts on prayer.Your words resonated so strongly with me as I choose prayer as an every day part of my life. Our Father in heaven has commanded us to pray. He waits to hear our prayers. He knows us and our hearts better than anyone. We may not always get the answers we want or in the time we hope to, but answers will always come when our Heavenly Father knows we need them the most. Pray in good times and in times of trial. Show gratitude for all we’ve been given. Prayer shows the faith that we have to know our Heavenly Father loves us and always wants the best for us. 🙂

  46. My sister passed away after having colon cancer. She prayed with her minister everyday. I know this gave her peace at the end. She lived near the Amish and was able to visit them several times a year. I enjoy very much reading your books about the Amish. I have learned so much.

  47. Prayer is a mighty tool and both my mom and I were the recipients of prayer warriors on their knees after we both experienced illnesses this year! It is a wonder to me how others make it without prayer. Praying for you and your family that God will continue to bless you as you endeavor to serve Him. Thanks for the reminder of the importance of prayer!

  48. He is faithful to hear our prayers, and so good when He helps us.
    Lifting up to Him, these requests.
    Asking unspoken request for us.
    Thank you.

  49. Prayer is a powerful thing, and it moves mountains. I have used it in my daily life, and God answered prayers of mine, during dark moments in my life, when He knew there was no place else to turn. This seems selfish of me to ask, but my Husband and I both have health issues. A few prayers in our intention would be so appreciated, since both of us could use some relief right now!! I would love to see my Husband a little more back to normal, instead of sleeping his life away, because he doesn’t have the strength to do anything. I will also pray for you and your Family, so you can continue your wonderful work!!

  50. I believe that prayer is what helps the world go round. Although I know I don’t pray as much as I should, I’m trying to get better at it. I pray for world peace and I would to pray for your family’s health and well being. I would also like to request prayers for my niece. She has been ill for several weeks and they finally determined she has hepatitis and has a long road to recovery. Also, my mother-in-law fell and broke 2 ribs and punctured her lung. She has other health issues also and needs prayers sent for her. Thanks for all you do for all of us.

  51. dear wanda,
    I so enjoyed reading your beautiful article. I will pray for you and your family, will you also pray for mine? my father has congestive heart failure and Parkinson’s disease. and, my 5 yr. old grand daughter is severely autistic. thank you, for being such a kind person!

  52. Hi Wanda,
    My mother just loves your books! She and my dad just got back from 4 days in Shipshewana, IN and they loved it there. And guess what she bought? More of your books, of course. Ha. They have also befriended several Amish families in southern Indiana, and ad 18 yr old boy just made a wooden glider for me! It is beautiful, as you can imagine. I will pray for you and your family; especially since I just read that you will not be able to travel to Shipshewana this week. Thank you for your work – God has truly given you a gift.

  53. I AM LUCKY ENOUGH TO HAVE THE HABIT OF PRAYING THROUGHOUT THE DAY.. WHEN I HEAR THINGS THAT REQUEST PRAYER.. I JUST SAID A PRAYER FOR YOU AND YOUR CO-AUTHOR WHO ARE NOT FEELING WELL.. MAY GOD BLESS YOU BOTH AND HOLD YOU IN THE PALM OF HIS HAND FOREVER.. GOD BLESS YOU

  54. I would like to humbly ask for prayers for my daddy. Years ago he fell from the top of a coal truck and landed on his bottom. Because of this accident he has multiple health problems and is in chronic back pain every day. Please pray for his healing. It has been such a long time and I am afraid he is giving up. Thank you.

    Wanda, I am praying for both you and Jean. I am sorry you have had health problems. I am praying for a quick recovery. Sending you much love from MY.

  55. Prayer sure does change things! I see that everyday. Today a little girl who was lost was found here in my small county. She had many prayers going up for her, I wish you and Jean many prayers on good health!’Vicki Catron

  56. Wanda, I have found so much joy and peace while reading your books. Thank you for providing examples of how faith and prayer should be involved in daily living. My prayers will include you today and those near and dear to you.

  57. hello wanda and yes i believe in prayers with out them we could not get through this life and yes i will pray for you and family. please pray for me and my family my grand-ds husband and a friend was in a bad car wreack a few days ago so please pray for them JALEN COLES,and Deark MSGEE they both have children pray for there familys. my husband and i both read your books and we love them we go to the library and get the books we can’t afford to buy them so we thank the LORD for the llibrary and i am learding more about the Amish all the time and it is like reading the BIBLE. it would be nice if the non amish would take care of there familys like the Amish does we bth are in our 70s and we loved to read so this is how we spend our time thanks for writing such wonderful books. may GOD bless you and your family in all ways.

  58. I have enjoyed all of your books and have a library of all of them. Recently I finished “The Gift” and it left me hanging and now I have to wait until the next one comes out in The Prarie State Friends series. Your books are a job and I will continue to read all of them over and over again and you are truly gifted!

  59. Your books have been read by me time and time again as I have all of the ones that you have written and the latest one “The Gift” left me in suspense and wanting to continue with the series. God has truly given you a gift and I hope you continue writing.