I would like to thank John for putting Mary's link on the doves site. Like
Mary, I feel that 4 in the morning is a great time to be woken up by the
Lord to hear his voice as it is a quite and undistracted time.

This story is about something that will unlock the unanswered prayers.

http://www.maryeadams.tictacwebsites.com/page/page.cfm/2360955
 

Travailing Prayer
 

"The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." (James
5:16)

A young Malaysian Chinese girl had travelled with me many years. Her name
was Melanie.  Melanie was a wonderful servant of the Lord, and had a passion
for missions.  One year she went on a trip to Vietnam to minister in an
orphanage.  It was her very first visit to that country, and when she
arrived, she was so shocked to see the many crippled and maimed children who
had suffered in the recent war there.  It grieved her terribly, and when she
went to a museum, there were stark pictures of all the suffering that had
occurred.  It was an emotional shock to her--as war always is.  So when she
returned to her room, she began to weep and cry to God about it, in great
travail.  While she was praying, suddenly she remembered someone else that
had been affected by that war.  When she went to Bible school in the States,
her roommate had invited her to come to her parents home during a holiday.
Her father was in a wheelchair, because he had suffered injuries as a
soldier there.  She began to weep about his condition also.  And while all
of this is taking place, a thought came to her about the story in the Bible
concerning Peter and John going up to the Temple and meeting a crippled man.
  Peter had said to him, "Silver and gold have I none, but such as I do have
give I thee...in the name of Jesus Christ, RISE AND WALK!"

Later that evening, Melanie wrote all her feeling in her diary and then sat
down to send a letter to her ex-roommate and tell her all that had happened
that day, and how she had prayed for her father.

After two or three weeks, Melanie returned to her home in Malaysia.  When
she went to her computer to see if there was any email, she discovered one
from this ex-roommate in Texas.  She wrote:

"Melanie!  I was so shocked to get your letter and find that you had been
praying for my father.  You know how bitter he was over his war injuries and
had lost all hope?  Well, let me tell you what has happened!  On the 12th of
June my father was home alone, watching the tv.  He got sleepy and slid out
of his wheechair onto the carpet and fell asleep.  But he had a dream, and
in the dream he heard a voice which said "RISE AND WALK!" He awoke, and GOT
UP AND WALKED!  Melanie---when did you pray for my father? Melanie quickly
wrote her back.  She had prayed on the 5th of June!  The man was healed
exactly one week later!
 
 

Several months later, I personally talked with this man, Brother Salazar, in
San Antonio, Texas.  He and his wife went to a restaurant with me and he
told me again what had happened.  "When I got up and walked, our little dog
became so frightened he ran under the couch!  He had never seen me walk
before!  And when my wife came home and she saw me walking, we could hardly
speak.  But she is a devout Christian and wanted to call her pastor and tell
him, which she did.  It was a true miracle!  Then the pastor asked me if I
would come to the church to testify, and I agreed.  On a Wednesday night, I
came with my wife (but in the wheelchair as the Pastor suggested).  Then he
announced that I had some testimony to share and handed me the microphone.
Then I told them what happened and got up and walked!"

The whole church erupted in pandamonium...there were hours of rejoicing as
Brother Salazar walked among the people, laying his hands on them and
praying for their healing!  The entire proceedings were video-taped.

Jesus spent hours in travailing prayer, weeping before His heavenly Father.
It is when our hearts are affected so deeply for other and our own spiritual
conditions, God sees and is touched with the FEELINGS of our infirmities.

MARY E. ADAMS