Kim Bryan

I have a powerful testimony to share with you.  Some time ago, I was invited to host a book signing at Acorn Books in Dover, Delaware, on a Saturday afternoon.  On the day of the book signing, I arrived early but a bit later than I had hoped, so I was rushed as I was gathering the various items needed for the signing into one pile on the backseat of my car.  In my hurried state, I mistakenly locked all of the car doors with my “clicker” before shutting one car door in order to open another door to retrieve just one more thing from the glove compartment.  Uh-oh.

Please allow me to create this visual for you.  Picture the backseat of my car loaded with my books, my poster, my bookmarks, my pens, and, yes, my purse and my cell phone.  Now picture me standing outside of my completely locked and stocked car, looking in the back window at everything I needed for the book signing that was scheduled to begin in fifteen minutes.   It was nearly impossible for me to wrap my brain around what had just transpired.  I began to pray.

The bookstore owner was absolutely wonderful.  She provided me with a phone and the phone number to our local police station.  A very kind policeman came to the shopping center where I was parked and began to work on unlocking my car door through the window seal.

As he was working on the situation, I went into the bookstore to meet with a woman who had been waiting for the book signing to begin.  She was very nice and expressed her sympathy for my plight.  I signed her copy of Perfect Pace and returned to the parking lot to check on the policeman’s progress.

He had called for backup (I just wanted to use police lingo here), and an additional policeman and policewoman arrived with a more advanced lockout kit.  They all began to work diligently on the car, using the new lockout kit, with frustrating results.  I continued to pray.

As I was standing next to the car praying, the woman who had met with me in the bookstore came up to me and asked if she could pray with me.  I did not hesitate to accept her offer, so she reached for my hands and began to pray aloud for God to hear our prayer and to open the car door.  I closed my eyes and joined her in prayer.

As we were praying, the car alarm in my car began to emit the signature sound of entry gained.  I mean, right then and there, the car was opened!  It was beautiful!!  The woman and I were hugging, crying, and jumping all at the same time.

The police were speechless.  It was evident that they knew they had just witnessed a powerful event.  Whether they were prepared to give God glory for the way He had moved in the situation, I do not know.  I do know that the woman and I were enthusiastically and emphatically giving God all of the glory for answering the prayer offered by the two of us together.

This woman literally ran across the parking lot to share her testimony with those who were in the bookstore.  She was absolutely breathless with awe (not exertion) as she recanted how God heard our prayer and how He answered the prayer immediately as we prayed together in the name of His Son.

It was a powerful and memorable example of how God desires for believers in the body of Christ to come alongside one another and to join together in prayer and petition.

I believe wholeheartedly in the power of prayer.  Thanks to this experience, I now understand more about the holy power generated by prayer offered by two or more believers gathered together.

When I read Matthew 18:20 these days, I know with certainty that Jesus was right there in the midst of us that Saturday afternoon and that He moved in a mighty way at just the perfect time for His glory and His purposes.

To God be all glory and honor and praise!