Praying In Unison, Inc.
Prayers heard around the world
WELCOME
Welcome to the Praying In Unison, Inc. Web Site. There is a companion blog that can be accessed in the menu section above. The companion blog provides a forum for comments, sharing of miracles, beliefs and experiences. Future issues of Praying In Unison will include prayers, thoughts, Biblical references and experiences and will be delivered via the blog site. Please check the Blog monthly and be part of the world wide prayer community.
While this site is written in the format of a "mini" worship service, it is not intended to replace attendance at a church service but as an opportunity to learn about and to pray about matters that are not always addressed by churches.
OUR APPROACH
This site is for people who believe that Jesus is the Son of God who died for our sins, was resurrected and who is alive and able to transform those who put their faith in Him.
In order to focus on God and to become more open to His presence, we shall begin by closing our eyes and slowly, silently praying at least three times, "Praise God". I suggest praying Praise on the inhaled breath and God on the exhaled breath. As we exhale "God", imagine your breath forming a bridge to God. "Praise God. Praise God. Praise God."
THE MIRACLE THAT INSPIRED THIS SITE
For most of my life when I thought about forgiveness, it was usually me asking God to forgive my errant behavior. Sure I apologized when I accidentally stepped on someone's toe or bumped into them on the bus. However, I really didn't think much about me forgiving others especially when I felt their hurtful behavior was intentional.
Having grown up with a raging alcoholic father and a mentally ill, verbally abusive mother, I did not receive the normal emotional support healthy families provide. In my family I was the scapegoat; demeaned, ridiculed and talked about constantly including over the dinner table. Sometimes my only sibling, my brother, followed my mother's lead and made disparaging remarks and laughed at me. This was all considered acceptable by everyone but me. I turned to daydreams to get through the ordeal.
Having grown up with a raging alcoholic father and a mentally ill, verbally abusive mother, I did not receive the normal emotional support healthy families provide. In my family I was the scapegoat; demeaned, ridiculed and talked about constantly including over the dinner table. Sometimes my only sibling, my brother, followed my mother's lead and made disparaging remarks and laughed at me. This was all considered acceptable by everyone but me. I turned to daydreams to get through the ordeal.
Without any one to provide emotional support, I became passive and did not defend myself. This made me an easy target for school bullies. Naturally, I spiraled downward becoming more depressed. I soon came to believe that everyone was mean. I rarely tried to make friends. When someone was my friend, they would throw me overboard when a more popular person made an overture to them. So why bother trying to make friends? I came to believe I was the only nice person at my school.
Eventually, I went off to collage and later got married. Of course, my mother found fault with the man I married. After a few years she tried to make me choose between her and my husband. Naturally, I chose my husband. Not only did that end my relationship with my mother but also with my brother. It just kind of stopped and neither of us made a real attempt to even maintain a superficial relationship.
My relationship with my father had long ago became simply tolerating him when I went to see my mother. When my relationship with my mother ended, I never attempted to contact my father. In time they each passed away first my father then my mother. I received a phone call from my brother letting me know of each of their deaths but I did not attend either of their funerals. Since my family had been out of touch with their relatives, I did not have a relationship with any of them either. I viewed my family as "people I used to know".
A year after the relationship with my mother, father and brother ended, I got divorced from the husband my mother so resented. Time trudged on.
Eventually, I went off to collage and later got married. Of course, my mother found fault with the man I married. After a few years she tried to make me choose between her and my husband. Naturally, I chose my husband. Not only did that end my relationship with my mother but also with my brother. It just kind of stopped and neither of us made a real attempt to even maintain a superficial relationship.
My relationship with my father had long ago became simply tolerating him when I went to see my mother. When my relationship with my mother ended, I never attempted to contact my father. In time they each passed away first my father then my mother. I received a phone call from my brother letting me know of each of their deaths but I did not attend either of their funerals. Since my family had been out of touch with their relatives, I did not have a relationship with any of them either. I viewed my family as "people I used to know".
A year after the relationship with my mother, father and brother ended, I got divorced from the husband my mother so resented. Time trudged on.
Approximately 30 years later, my antidepressant stopped working. I was later told by my psychiatrist this sometimes happens. Before seeing my psychiatrist, I slipped into a major depression complicated by the death of three close friends and terrible winter weather. Some days I was immobilized by my depression; taking off work to sit all day near a window and get the little bit of sunlight available during the bleak weather.
I decided to read one of the Gospels to see what Jesus Himself had said. What jumped out at me was the emphasis He put on forgiving others. Matthew 5:7 says, "Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy", Matthew 5:44 "...Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you:", Matthew 6:12 "Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors".
I began praying for God to help me forgive everyone I could think of who had hurt me including my deceased parents and my brother. I prayed to God to help me forgive people who had bullied me in school, people who had hurt me in various ways, people whom I felt had deceived me even including politicians. I apologized to a couple of people I had bullied as an adult.
My mind was still not at peace so I ordered some meditation CDs. One of the CDs was a guided meditation on forgiving people! I worked with it for over a year praying to God to help me forgive various people but always including my mother, my father and my brother.
My doctor put me on a new antidepressant which really helped me but I continued to pray asking God to help me forgive people including my family. After over a year of these prayers something unexpected happened.
My doctor put me on a new antidepressant which really helped me but I continued to pray asking God to help me forgive people including my family. After over a year of these prayers something unexpected happened.
I came home from work one winter evening and got the mail. When I got into the house and looked through the envelopes, I saw one from my sister-in-law. I had not heard from her in well over thirty years. She had written to tell me that three years ago my brother had a stroke. He had been the victim of early Alzheimer disease and the stroke greatly hastened his mental decline. He did not remember her, his children nor his grandchildren but he remembered me and had been saying he wanted to call me. She said the letter was to let me know in advance so I would be prepared. She also had written their phone number at the end of the letter. I needed to sleep on this.
With my depression under control, I am usually busy so it seemed if we were to talk, it would make more sense for me to call him. The next day I was driving to work thinking of what to do. I thought I would call and begin by saying, "I am only calling as I would call anyone who might benefit by talking to me as I do not consider us as family. If you say one cruel thing, I shall hang up." After that thought was finished, traffic came to a complete standstill. I began looking at the cars with winter dirt on them. In the lane to my left and two cars ahead someone had finger written in the dirt on the back windshield, "What about Bob". BOB IS MY BROTHER'S NAME. The fact that I was there at the time and was stopped and saw this "note" I believe was a miracle. I realized that instead of focusing on me I should think about Bob.
That evening I was shaking as I punched in the numbers on the phone. My sister-in-law answered and I identified myself. She put the call on speaker phone so my brother and she could hear. I told them that very bad things had happened when I was growing up but I have spent over a year working on forgiveness. I went on to say that I forgave our mother, our father and that I forgave my brother.
With my depression under control, I am usually busy so it seemed if we were to talk, it would make more sense for me to call him. The next day I was driving to work thinking of what to do. I thought I would call and begin by saying, "I am only calling as I would call anyone who might benefit by talking to me as I do not consider us as family. If you say one cruel thing, I shall hang up." After that thought was finished, traffic came to a complete standstill. I began looking at the cars with winter dirt on them. In the lane to my left and two cars ahead someone had finger written in the dirt on the back windshield, "What about Bob". BOB IS MY BROTHER'S NAME. The fact that I was there at the time and was stopped and saw this "note" I believe was a miracle. I realized that instead of focusing on me I should think about Bob.
That evening I was shaking as I punched in the numbers on the phone. My sister-in-law answered and I identified myself. She put the call on speaker phone so my brother and she could hear. I told them that very bad things had happened when I was growing up but I have spent over a year working on forgiveness. I went on to say that I forgave our mother, our father and that I forgave my brother.
Since that call I have called my brother and sister-in-law nearly every week. I enjoy the calls and my sister-in-law says I am a support to her as my brother's mental faculties continue to decline. I continue to pray to forgive people. I see a great change in myself. I am more patient, tolerant and understanding. I have learned to forgive the little annoyances that used to really irk me.
*All quotes are from the King James Version of the Bible
ANOTHER MIRACLE
Shortly after I began making my weekly calls to my brother another miracle occurred. One day I prayed about what I should say to my brother. The words that came into my mind were, " You must have felt abandoned when I was born". That evening toward the end of our conversation, I said, "You must have felt abandoned when I was born." My sister-in-law had to remind my brother what the word abandoned meant.
In a clear voice he replied, "I wasn't happy but what could I do?" It was another revelation into his past behavior.
A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE
After I received the letter and made the initial call to my brother, I discussed his past history of ridicule with someone. That person asked me a question that changed my perspective. "If you were the elder of the two siblings, and your mother routinely ridiculed your younger sibling, what do you think you would do?" I admitted I would follow my mother's lead and join in the ridicule. I then understood my brother's behavior a lot better.
After I received the letter and made the initial call to my brother, I discussed his past history of ridicule with someone. That person asked me a question that changed my perspective. "If you were the elder of the two siblings, and your mother routinely ridiculed your younger sibling, what do you think you would do?" I admitted I would follow my mother's lead and join in the ridicule. I then understood my brother's behavior a lot better.
SETTING BOUNDARIES
While Jesus often spoke of forgiving others, I do not think He meant we have to let people take advantage of us. It is well known that Jesus said to turn the other cheek. I believe that includes turning 180 degrees and walking away from abusive behavior when it is possible.
While Jesus often spoke of forgiving others, I do not think He meant we have to let people take advantage of us. It is well known that Jesus said to turn the other cheek. I believe that includes turning 180 degrees and walking away from abusive behavior when it is possible.
Verbal, physical, psychological and sexual abuse are emotionally harmful. You have the right to protect yourself. You have the right to set boundaries. You have the right to tell abusive people their behavior is unacceptable. You have the right to get away from abuse. However, we are told to forgive those who harm us. We are called on to pray to feel forgiveness even if we choose to avoid those who are abusive toward us.