Just Have Faith When You Pray

By Michelle Milam and Janeare Ashley


Enter PRAYER WARRIOR #1 in military fatigues into the Prayer Care office. The Receptionist eyes PRAYER WARRIOR who is agitated, and bouncy. The receptionist Patience for the SPIRITUAL WARFARE HELP is on the phone.

Prayer Warrior
I need to see the prayer medic right away, it is an emergency!

Patience
Please take a seat over there, ma’am.

Prayer Warrior
Lady, I don’t think you understand. I just got a notice in the mail (points to her paper) that we are going into serious spiritual warfare, and I need some relief.

Patience
There are lots of wounded warriors in here, ma’am. Now please have a seat and wait your turn. (Answers the phone) Welcome to the Prayer Care Holy Ghost hot line, you send it, we mend it! Yes, I see that your appointment is confirmed for today at noon. Well what seems to be the problem with your hope? Yes, yes, umhumm. I see. So is it rusty or crusty? A lil of both? Well we have a hope that is built on nothing less than Jesus Blood and righteousness. Oh you don’t want that kind? Well, I’m sorry Ma’am that is the only kind we




Prayer Warrior
Hello, lady? You do see me standing here, don’t you?

Patience
I see you standing, alright Now let’s see if you can learn to wait. (to the phone) Yes ma’am. Oh no you’re not interrupting anyone.

Prayer Warrior
Hang Up the Phone! Hang up phone now! (They struggle, and Prayer Warrior hangs hangs up the phone)

Patience
Excuse me! What do you think you’re doing?

Prayer warrior
Trying to get you to do your job, something you obviously need a remedial course in.

Patience
You have no right to come in here and bulldoze your way in here talking about ---what is it you were talking about anyway?

Prayer Warrior
If you could close your mouth and open your ears I would tell you. Look, I’m not trying to be difficult, I’m really not. But I got a major situation I need to handle right about now. M y name is prayer warrior. (shows ID) Here’s my ID see? And right now lady this place is my only hope.

Patience
What do you want?

Prayer warrior
I am the commander of a special operative that was supposed to transform a neighborhood. I had twelve men under my command. Our mission was to get the church people to stop fighting among themselves and invest in the youth.

Patience
And I take it that didn’t work?

Prayer Warrior
Duh! You think I got this black eye for nothing? I mean God must have cosmic jokes. I mean I am going up against some major big bad demons and strongholds, and God sent me a knife for a gun fight. I asked him for patience and he gave me the worst assignment known to man.

Patience
What do you mean?

Prayer Warrior
God told me to go out and transform this neighborhood for his Glory. And we ain’t talking your Leave it to Beaver neighborhood. We’re talking about liquor stores on every corners, schools that are raggedy, and crack heads in every corner. That’s how I got my black eye. A crackhead snuck up on me.

Patience
Well, I don’t control the assignments ma’am. And I know for a fact that it is Heaven;y policy that where God guides, he provides. Now looking at my notes, it looks like God already sent you some help. He sent you the twelve Christians who were supposed to work with you in key places to turn the neighborhood around. I see here he sent you a teacher, a lawyer, a police officer, a janitor, and a school nurse.

Prayer Warrior
Oh, is that right? Well let me show you what God provided! I got the paperwork! (shows her notes) God provided me with the most ragtag group of insane insubordinate people that anybody this side of heaven will ever be bless to know. I mean don’t get me wrong. It didn’t start off that way. In the beginning it was great. Everyone wanted to provide the youth with love and a safe space to be. Then it changed.

Patience
Look, Ma’am good already sent you---

Prayer Warrior
Some lunatics! Just so you know, my teacher, didn’t want to teach, because she thought that the students in the church program were unreachable.

Patience
Ouch.

Prayer Warrior
But, wait, there’s more. That lawyer who was supposed to start the free legal clinic for the domestic violence victims? Distracted! She done left her husband and run off with the police officer that she was supposed to be working with.

Patience
Ooooch!

Prayer Warrior
And just when I thought it couldn’t get any worse, the janitor who was supposed to mentor one of the kids who was selling dope, got frustrated because everybody was going plain nuts, he just packed up and moved! D-boy is on the corner now. I won’t even tell you what happened to the rest of them. So as you can see. I need help now!


Patience
I see. You need some major spiritual weapons.

Prayer Warrior
I need to Admiral Prayer. That is what I need.

Patience
Look, I’ve been trying to tell you the admiral is ….

Prayer Warrior
I don’t care if he is sitting in that place down sipping on ice cubes with the devil, I need to see him now! Do you understand that if God doesn’t transform this neighborhood that some of my kids aren’t going to make it? Now, why don’t yo pick up that little phone you got going on and call the Prayer Admiral, today!


Patience
I told you, the prayer admiral…

ENTER THE PRAYER ADMIRAL

Prayer Admiral
Is wondering what in heaven’s name is going on here? Patience? I thought you said that George Bush was my last appointment for the day? What is all this nonsense about?

Patience
Thank God, admiral. I’ve been trying to tell this woman –

Prayer Warrior
Who you think you calling, this woman?



Patience
That God is helping her with her spiritual warfare problem, but she just won’t listen.

Admiral
I see. What seems to be the issue?

Prayer Warrior
Admiral, God has sent me on the Where’s Waldo of assignments. He has me working to bring a hurting neighborhood together. He even gave me twelve Christians who were supposed to help. They all said they wanted to help, and they wanted change. But now when it comes time to do what it takes to change the neighborhood none of them will man up.

Admiral
And what weapons have you used to address this issue.

Prayer Warrior
I tried kindness, gentleness, self control, discipline, love, faith, and hope. I’ve tried it all, admiral, and I can’t seem to make any progress here.

Admiral
I see your problem.

Prayer Warrior
I’m glad you do, because I’m through. I need help.

Admiral
No you don’t. You don’t want help.




Prayer Warrior
What do you mean I don’t want help? I’m standing here looking for help! Look if you don’t want to help me just tell me now and I’ll leave.

Admiral
Then go.. Your ego is so big that it will leave before you do. God doesn’t need any scary defeated warriors Go’on!

Prayer Warrior
I’m not going.

Admiral
What?

Prayer Warrior
I’m not going!

Admiral
Your problem is that you give up too easy. You’ve judged everyone around you and given up on your assignment, just because a little trouble came your way. Where is your faith, warrior?

Prayer Warrior
Admiral I just want to see it change. I just want to see this community change. Our church change. Tell me what to do. I will do anything.

Admiral
You don’t even know who you are. Why are you called a prayer warrior when you have forgotten to pray?

Prayer Warrior
What do I pray for? Victory? Them to act right?

Admiral
Warrior, prayer changes things. It is powerful. It brings down strongholds. Don’t know know that the power that raised Jesus from the grave lies within you. And all you have to do is humble yourself and ask to access it. Anything we pray according to God’s will in Jesus’ name will be done for us. Come I’ll help you. Let’s pray. Repeat after me,”

Our Father
Who Art in Heaven
Hallowed by thy name
Thy kingdom come
Thy will be done
On earth,
As it is in heaven
Give us this day our daily bread
And forgive us our trespasses
As we forgive those who trespass against us
And lead us not to temptation
But deliver us from evil
For thine is the kingdom
The power and the glory
Forever
Amen.


Prayer Warrior
I feel it…I feel the stronghold breaking….

Admiral
That is your secret weapon, and you can call on it anytime.



Patience
That’s what I wanted to tell you earlier. God already sent you help in the gift of prayer. This reminds me of a song the Lord put upon my heart…



Sing the song…