This morning when I got to work, The Upper Room Prayer Line was forwarded to my phone. After I panicked for five minutes trying to figure out how to make it stop, I accepted that I would be the Accidental Prayer Volunteer from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.
Here’s what I learned:
1. Acceptance. Sometimes things just get thrown my way whether I asked for them or not. I can get all excited and throw a fit. Or I can just accept it and do the right thing. Answering the prayer line and praying with the callers was the right thing to do.
2. Openness. I was afraid about what would happen when I answered the call. So I said, “Upper Room Prayer Center. May I pray with you?” And then people started talking about what was troubling them. When I let go of my fear and had an open heart, my mind, my heart, my mouth knew what to say.
3. Prayer time with people is holy time. What an honor it was to answer the phone and pray with a complete stranger, a person who trusted The Upper Room to hear the big and small, intimate details of their lives. They had a need and they reached out. And we were there — I was there — to say a prayer for that person. We sat together and God was present there on the phone — and in Nashville, Texas, Illinois, California, Pennsylvania, and Michigan. God is present and sends God’s comfort right then and there through the voice at the other end of the telephone.
You can be a prayer volunteer. I recommend it. Learn more at the Living Prayer Center’s website.
All the Wonders 
Prayer line can be the most hurtful. You share ur hurt and pain with the prayer partner, hoping he or she will pray with you most sincerely. Instead, you get somebody who trivializes your issue (e.g. by asking God to educate this caller that her being sexual abuse as a child was nothing more than any other trouble that everyone else is experiencing), or educates you on what you should do–basically doing what he/she does because he or she has also gone through hard times (with all the glory details of his/her own hard time) and he/she has overcome, or insult you by telling you that you are like his/her own nieces jumping up and down asking for watermelon when you ask God to give you a family after your last family member died more than 25 years ago and you are still alone today. Such is prayer line. Many prayer warriors are filled with paternalism but little compassion. It is like they actually enjoy the 2 hours fully feeling their superiority and their kindness (but in reality cruelty) in “helping” the callers by counselling the callers. But they violate every single basic rule in counselling to cause the deepest hurt, and moreover, the caller is actually looking for God’s help, not the prayer partner’s counselling or advice. The worst is when they tell you that the Holy Spirit leads them to tell you xxxx. Are you sure it is from the Holy Spirit?
Wow! Thank you very much for the feedback about prayer lines. While I hope that The Upper Room prayer line is different, I have no knowledge of what it is actually like to call and receive prayer. Please forgive us if we have hurt you. Thank you for sharing your heart.
The 700 club won’t let me call them. so these guys are all I have and they always help me. I never had them treat me like I was garbage or crazy like the 700 club. The prayers help a lot. It may not seem like it instantly but it nearly is. The other phone lines have paid employees and they made me scared for telling them like I did something wrong. Not these guys here. They always will pray for me no matter what when even my own Mother won’t even speak to me.
Prayers for you always, Katie.