And 100 Kids Prayed

August 15, 1983. I was 21 years old and a junior at the University of Missouri-Rolla. I was also a children’s pastor at my local church. I left my apartment that evening to preach at a children’s event in Dixon, Missouri. Over 100 children ages 3 to 12 were gathered from local churches for the service. As I walked out to my car, my landlady burst out her front door and rushed to her car. “Jesse has been run over by a garbage truck!” she cried out. “Please pray!!” Jesse was her 4-year-old grandson and one of the kids in our children’s church. I was torn. “Should I cancel the engagement and head to the hospital or go to Dixon and preach?” I decided to head to Dixon.

Prior to preaching to the kids, I called the hospital. Jesse was critically injured. A 12-ton truck had crushed his left shoulder, left rib cage, pelvis and abdomen, nearly severing his left leg. His blood pressure was 30/0. Blood was transfusing. He was headed to the OR. It seemed awfully bleak. To be honest, my faith was low.  I didn’t think he’d make it.

I proceeded to preach to the 100+ kids about Peter, contrasting his cowardice before Jesus’ crucifixion with his boldness after Pentecost. I dressed as a surgeon in blue scrubs, gown and mask for the sermon. During the sermon, I took a boy and proceeded to “surgically” remove a live chicken from his belly while talking about Peter and how the Holy Spirit “got the chicken out” of him. It was just a simple object lesson. 

The sermon went well. Children were rapt with attention and they did not harm my chicken when I let her loose in the church. But my thoughts were elsewhere. After finishing the sermon, I pulled a 4-year-old boy out of a pew. I explained to the kids:

“I’m not a real doctor. This was a pretend surgery illustrating a spiritual lesson. But at this very moment there are real doctors dressed just like me, operating on a real little boy just this big [pointing to the 4-year-old standing with me]. This little guy has been crushed by a big truck. Satan wants to kill him, but we need to pray and pray really hard.”

The church was absolutely silent. No child stirred. I turned the service over to one of the other ministers and immediately left for the hospital. As I left, I saw the kids begin to kneel and pray.

A miracle happened that day. Jesse lived. His leg was saved. Recovery was expected to take several months and was likely to cause significant disability. But he was riding his bicycle within a few months. No disability at all.

Tragically, a year later, Jesse’s father died unexpectedly. Several months after that, I married Jesse’s mother, Diana. Jesse’s children’s pastor had become his step-father.

In the summer of 1989, I had been accepted to medical school on an Air Force scholarship. I went to Texas for six weeks of officer training. While there, the 700 Club heard of Jesse’s miracle and flew Diana and Jesse to Virginia Beach to appear on the show. After their appearance, they were invited to appear on another Christian talk show in Chicago. They scheduled the appearance after my officer training so I could appear with them. We drove to Chicago for the taping of the TV show. During the interview, I told them about the kids in Dixon. Walking off the set, the next guest grabbed me by the arm as she stepped up. “I have to talk to you,” she whispered, “Please don’t leave!!”

After her interview, she approached us.

“You don’t remember me, do you?”

“No,” I replied.

“I was the minister you left all those kids with in Dixon, Missouri,” she informed me.

I apologized. “Oh! I’m so sorry!”

“No worries!” she replied. “You don’t know the rest of the story. After you left, those 100 kids prayed. Even the little ones. And they prayed for well over an hour. Unprompted. Un-coached. Without additional encouragement or adult direction. It was one of the most amazing things I’ve ever seen. Those kids prayed like they meant it!”

I believe those kids’ prayers had a lot to do with Jesse’s miracle. I’m so thankful for God’s mercy and faithfulness and the obedience of those children.

Eventually everyone will experience really tough times. That is life. When bad things happen and you’re asked to pray for someone, pray really hard.

Pray like you really mean it.

Pray like a kid.