Passion of Prayer

It was October 2024 when I received a call from my cousin. He had lost a significant amount of weight because he was unable to keep food down. His condition became serious enough that he had to be hospitalized.

A CT scan revealed a blockage in his small intestine. A biopsy later confirmed stage 3 small intestine cancer. The day he was admitted to the hospital, I heard one word clearly in my mind: pray.

From that moment forward, my cousin, his friend, and I committed to praying twice a day.

We prayed every day throughout his hospital stay and during his cancer treatment. The doctors expressed how difficult this particular type of cancer was to treat. There was no single, specific treatment plan for it. Instead, they had to combine different therapies that were typically used for other types of cancer.

Yet after months of prayer, he was healed.

During that time, the three of us praying eventually grew into a small prayer group. It was through that experience that we began to witness miracles—prayers being answered and healing taking place.

Every night when we gathered to pray, we followed the same structure.

We began with gratitude. Each person shared something they were thankful for.

Next came what we jokingly called the “meat and potatoes”—the moment when we set clear intentions for our prayer requests. I encouraged everyone to state very clearly what they were asking for and what outcome they hoped to see.

But we didn’t just say the words.

We felt them with our hearts. We visualized the outcome we desired as if it had already happened.

Finally, we closed with a prayer of my choosing, guided by the Spirit.

Over time, prayer became my passion.

Through prayer, I have become more aware of my connection with the Divine within myself. I have witnessed people heal from cancer, end-stage renal disease, trauma, and depression.

As a prayer group, we learned firsthand about the power of collective prayer.

There are a few things prayer has taught me:

1. You don’t have to be religious to pray.

2. Anything is possible—within reason.

3. Your words hold power. Be mindful not to contradict your prayers with your everyday words. Pay attention to the conversations you have in your own mind.

Prayer has become both my mission and my passion. It is how I am able to be of service to humanity—and most importantly, to myself.