Do We Believe in Prayer?
Dan Snaddon grew up in a small town in Scotland, joined the Royal Army Medical Corps, and became a prisoner of war when the Japanese captured Singapore. For almost four years he lived in utter deprivation and was witness to horrible abuses against himself and his fellow prisoners. His story is an amazing witness to the power of his relationship with God and how his prayers sustained him through conditions that seem impossible for anyone to have endured.
After he was released he had time to reflect on what prayer meant to him. He first thought of his mother’s promise to “go (every morning) into your bedroom at 8 a.m. and kneel at your bed and pray for you.”406 He thought of his hometown church and all his brothers and sisters in Christ who kept praying for him, even when they didn’t know if he was dead or alive. He concluded firmly that, “I believe that God answers prayer.”407 He then went on to challenge other Christians about the strength of their beliefs:
Worldly men laugh when Christians mention the power of prayer. We are not altogether surprised at this, but let us take ourselves to task. Do we really believe in prayer? I am inclined to believe that deep down in our hearts we really doubt the power of prayer, although we acknowledge the power with our lips. This was my own experience, but prayer is real. It is something tangible. I have found out from my own personal experience that prayer moves the hand of Him who moves the universe. God answers prayer. It is one of the most powerful and potent means that God has put into the hands of the believer. In fact, one has written that ‘Satan trembles when he sees the weakest saint upon his knees.’408
We know that God does not always cure the sick or save those in danger. If we believe the apostle Paul’s words that “to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21), we can safely assume that God’s plan is at work no matter the outcome. But we can take even stronger encouragement from Dan Snaddon’s witness that he has seen God respond to specific prayers, and, especially, that he has been sustained through the direst possible circumstances by his relationship with God through prayer.
Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
—1 Thessalonians 5:16–18
Old Glory flies over a U.S. aircraft carrier.(National Archives)
