Author's Personal Note

It would be wrong of me to begin the second edition of this book without again mentioning briefly where my initial interest in prayer was created. I grew up in a Christian home where regular prayer was a normal part of my daily life and routine. My father, the late Bishop T.G. Francis, instilled in me the importance of a regular prayer life. As a young boy, I never fully understood or welcomed the 6 a.m. prayer sessions that we as a family were expected to attend in our living room each morning. There were no exceptions to this rule, and I would have happily swapped an hour or two on my knees for my warm bed and pillow any day!

Now that I am older, I am glad that my father took the time to introduce me to prayer at such a young age. I can honestly say that there have been so many occasions in my life when I have been so grateful to have the foundation of prayer to rely on in my Christian walk.

There truly is power in prayer; and as each season of my life passes, I find that I rely on prayer as an integral part of my life more and more. I know that if it were not for prayer I would not be alive today. My mother was diagnosed with cancer before I was born. My parents had been told by the doctors that my mother had an inoperable brain tumor and that she didn't have much longer to live. They had concluded that there was nothing they could do for her, and had actually sent her home to die. The only help the doctors were able to provide was some pain relief medication.

My father wasn't prepared to accept this fate for her and continued to pray for her healing. If the doctors couldn't do anything, then he was sure that his God could! He didn't believe it was God's will that my mother should die.

After much prayer and my father's obedience to God's Word, my mother was healed of cancer. I was born after my mother was healed, although the doctors advised my father that having more children could result in her death. My father believed that if God had allowed my mother to become pregnant, then He would keep her through the pregnancy.

My mother, Elfreda Francis, defying the odds, not only gave birth to my sister, but became pregnant again and gave birth to me. My mother is still alive today--a living testimony to the power of prayer. I have seen the lives of many changed in remarkable ways because prayer was seen as a real and tangible solution to their impossible situation.

A few years ago, I spoke on the topic of Talitha Cumi at a conference called Praise Power. As I was preaching, I felt led of the Lord to place the tallit I was using on a lady in the congregation who was confined to a wheelchair. She immediately got up out of the wheelchair and started worshipping God. I later found out that she had been completely healed of cancer that evening; and when I visited the same conference a year later, she was still rejoicing, still completely healed, and she no longer needed the wheelchair.

Prayer is powerful and wonderful, and my desire is that all will discover the joy, strength, and peace that a dedicated life of prayer can bring.

The first edition of this book was released in 2007 and not only changed my life, but thousands of others as well. This expanded edition delves much more deeply into prayer, some Jewish traditions that the Lord gave His people, and the gifts of prayer and praise we can offer to our heavenly Father today.

I hope and pray you are touched by His mighty love and grace today and every day.

Bishop John Francis