By Cynthia L. Simmons
Q: Does prayer really work?
My, I see this question frequently online.
The person asking probably wants proof that God heard — because she didn’t get what she requested.
However, as I research history, I find stories that indicate communication goes much deeper than that.
The Fist Behind the Wire
In the 1860s, telegraph wires connected sizable cities across our country.
Primitive glass batteries provided the power for messages to sizzle from one city to the next. Glass batteries, brass keys, and wires seem impersonal—even callous. However, the operators could sense the “fist” of the sender. In other words, each person who typed in Morse code had a unique way of entering the information—their fist.
The telegraphers on the receiving end recognized the sender and could even sense their emotions. If the telegrapher was tired, the fist might be shaky or weak. If angry or depressed, the rhythm might be heavy. The fist revealed the operator’s heart.
Your Spiritual Morse Code
How does this relate to prayer? We often feel as though we didn’t pray the right way or say the right words.
I recently wrote about six-year-old Kittie Snodgrass, who had to flee her home when a Civil War battle erupted at Chickamauga, Georgia. Doubtless, she cried out to God in that horrible situation—but she probably didn’t sound like her pastor as she huddled in that ravine listening to bullets whiz by.
When we are fearful, our spiritual Morse code might be fragile or even faint. But our heavenly Father’s ability exceeds all the telegraph operators that ever existed.
Romans 8:26 says, “…the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words” (ESV).
God can hear the fist of your soul even when you don’t know what to say. Once, when my husband was very ill, my entire prayer was two words: “Help, Lord!” Our heavenly Father knows the depths of our pain before we even speak.
The Line Is Always Open
Does prayer work? If you are worried about the connection, the answer is yes.
The telegraph worked at the Battle of Chickamauga. A message traveled all the way from Georgia to Washington, D.C., roughly six hundred miles, a journey that would take a soldier around forty days on foot. The telegraph officer in Washington received the news and understood how the telegrapher in Georgia felt, sitting in a dusty tent amidst the battle.
Remarkable. When you pray, don’t worry about the words. Just tell the Lord what’s on your mind. He knows your fist. The Spirit translates our words into groanings. And I can even imagine God holding your hand while you pray.
CYNTHIA L. SIMMONS is the mother of five grown children, past president of Christian Authors Guild, radio host, media coach. She writes both fiction and nonfiction and loves history. She ministers to women of all ages but has a special place in her heart for young mothers and homeschool mothers. See her previous historical article here.
