The Power of Praise

I have written elsewhere on this blog about the powerful worship song, which Jonathan and Melissa Helser wrote, during the battle for the life of a two-year-old American boy called Jaxon.

However, what I only appreciated recently, was that it took place against the backdrop of the Christmas season, and that it was a ‘Christmas miracle’ that this family so desperately needed.

So, as we head rapidly towards Christmas, I thought I would share this moving film, in which Jaxon’s parents (and a handful of others, including the Helsers) reveal, first hand, the backstory of what happened. In it, they talk about the supernatural way in which their son’s plight brought the church together; the overwhelming outpouring of prayer and support, which they received from Christians all over the world, most of whom they had never met; the thousands of messages that poured through their social media feeds, full of care, kindness and compassion; the letters they received in the post, packed with encouragement, and some of them containing drawings from children of a similar age to Jaxon.

As Jaxon’s life wobbled in the balance between life and death, complete strangers were being prompted to intercede, across multiple different time zones, providing him with 24/7 prayer cover … while his mom kept declaring life, not death, over him, as he lay dying in his hospital bed, the doctors unable to help him … and his dad kept playing the Helsers’ new worship song over him, proclaiming the power of praise into the spiritual realm.

The film will take you 11 minutes to watch and, be warned, you will probably need some tissues.

***

There are very few of us who could muster this amount of prayer support in a similar situation, and it was only possible for this family, because their church is well-known, and it includes some globally networked people.

But how many other ‘Jaxons’ are there out there, who need Christians to be praying, whether we know them or not? How many of us would keep on persevering in prayer, declaring life not death, despite the circumstances? How many of us would recognise the power of praise to confound the plans intended to bring harm to someone so young?

***

I don’t know about you, but I’m going to be watching Jaxon’s life from afar, because I have a strong sense that God has a very significant plan for his life. For, as his mom says in the film, “This story is part of his testimony now, that miracles do happen.”

Image by Daniel Reche from Pixabay