SIMPLY PRAYING
(How ordinary prayers can bring extraordinary results)
The Plain Truth’s podcast, Plain Talking, has one regular feature. Since its beginning in 2021, it has included a short spiritual reflection – given largely by Brother David Jardine. David is an ordained priest within the Church of Ireland and a member of the Society of Saint Francis. As a Franciscan brother, his life is shaped by a daily pattern of prayer.
Every time David speaks, I am moved by his words and his authentic manner. He is often open about his own vulnerabilities but always passionate about the power of prayer.
In the recent Christmas edition of Plain Talking (https://plain-truth.org.uk/podcast/plain-talking-episode-18/), David spoke about extraordinary prayers coming out of the mouths of ordinary people. He began by telling us about Peggy and Christine Smith.
No, I’d never heard of them either.
Peggy and Christine were two sisters who lived in a small cottage in the village of Barvas on the Isle of Lewis, part of the Hebridean islands off the west coast of Scotland. They were eighty-four and eighty-two years old. Peggy was blind and Christine suffered with debilitating arthritis. They were devout Christians but their multiple needs meant they were unable to attend public worship. Instead they just prayed and prayed. They believed that God was telling them that he was about to pour water on thirsty ground.
So the sisters contacted local ministers who also became convinced that God was about to do a new thing on these remote outcrops in the Atlantic.
A change of plans
An invitation was sent to the evangelist, Duncan Campbell, who initially declined on the grounds that he was committed to another appointment. This however fell through, and he arrived on Lewis on the evening of 7th December 1949. But despite being tired and hungry after his journey, agreed to be taken to a prayer meeting in Barvas at 9 pm.
The service ended at 11pm but many stayed on to pray. When the crowd finally disbursed at 3am, they witnessed extraordinary scenes. As they walked along the road, they found men and women crying out to God for mercy. Many of them had woken in the night with the immediate feelings that they must become right with God. The next day, without any advertisement, the church was crowded before the minister arrived. This phenomenon was to be repeated day after day across the Hebrides. Campbell arrived for ten days and left two years later. It is estimated that around 90% of the population of these scattered communities were affected by these strange events.
And at the heart of it all were two sisters who could barely move out of their own home.
David Jardine then cites another prayer pioneer, Frank Laubach. Unlike the Hebridean sisters, Frank gained some fame during his lifetime and is the only missionary whose face has graced an American postage stamp. He was a Congregational missionary and driven to address the illiteracy faced by millions across the world. He devised the ‘Each One, Teach One’ programme which went on to help 60 million people read in their own language.
Praying for world peace
Frank was also committed to world peace and wondered how prayer might help to bring in a better world. This led to the publication of a booklet called The Game with Minutes.[1] In it, he urged Christians to attempt to keep God in mind for at least one second of every minute of the day. In another book, Prayer–the mightiest force in the world[2], Frank wonders about the impact of mass prayer on world leaders:
In another section, he imagines the benefits of mass prayers for peace on the people being prayed for and the people who are praying:
David also refers to Frank Laubach in a short section about the situation in Gaza. Instead of watching the news with cynical despair, David wonders what might happen if we turned every news bulletin into an opportunity to pray for world peace. And if millions of us did the same thing at the same time, just imagine what could happen.
Different meanings
Prayer can mean many different things. When I think of prayer, I’m drawn to a famous scene in my favourite film, It’s a Wonderful Life. In it, James Stewart plays George Bailey, a man whose personal dreams have turned into a nightmare of bankruptcy and imprisonment. As he contemplates suicide, we become aware of a community praying for him. In one scene, George Bailey finds himself in a packed bar and offers a half silent prayer: ‘Dear Father in Heaven, I’m not a praying man, but if you’re up there and you can hear me, show me the way’.
I’m drawn to this scene because it shows what prayer can be. Prayer is an intimate connection between a human and the One who holds us. It generally, although not always, involves a measure of desperation on our part. George Bailey has got nowhere else to go and no one to turn to, so he hands himself over to God.
There’s also a large measure of frustration associated with prayer, at least in my experience. This arises out of a sense of one-way communication. I’m speaking but is anyone listening? To people imbued with great faith, this is rarely an obstacle but for me it’s a major issue. When I’m in a certain frame of mind, there’s a flow of communication, as though I’m in the presence of a dear friend. At other times, I feel I’m talking to myself, my words ricocheting in the ether.
Prayer is also non-hierarchical and democratic. It’s available to anyone, anywhere, and at any time. People of all abilities, gender, faith and class are welcome. All you need is imagination and a belief that God is present to you. The Smith sisters, although greatly restricted by their infirmities, found their liberty in prayer. No church or minister was required to authorise their petitions. And Frank Laubach appeals to the unchurched millions to change the world in prayer. To be good at prayer doesn’t require a church or a creed; all that’s required is a broken and contrite heart according to Psalm 51.
Which is just as well, given the parlous state of organised Christianity in the UK. With churches closing at an alarming rate and with regular church attendance barely reaching 5% of the population, church-based prayer seems to have a limited pew life. However, many social commentators have suggested that even though we are less religious than we once were, there is a growing interest in spirituality. I know someone who is part of a local Christian meditation group, totally ecumenical and hosted in a private home.
No clergy or service books are needed. And it’s part of a rapidly expanding network.
So ‘thank you’ David for reminding us of the revolutionary power of prayer. 
[1] The Game with Minutes by Frank Laubach, reprinted by Martino Fine Books, (14 Nov. 2012), 34 pages, ISBN: 978-1614273677.
[2] Prayer: The Mightiest Force in the World by Frank Laubach, reprinted by Martino Fine Books (21 March 2012) ISBN: 978-1614272687.