This article was written by Dr. Wanda L. Nelson,

member of Mt. Olive Baptist Church where she serves as a deaconess and musician.

As we get closer to Juneteenth in Texas, my thoughts turn to imagining what the first taste of freedom was like for our ancestors.  Perhaps the news to the slaves that they were actually free was received with doubt, that the announcer was trying to trick them and cause trouble.  After all, they had witnessed what happened to those who attempted to escape in the past, but were captured.  Punishments ranged from unmerciful whippings to maiming of feet or even death.

I imagine when the doubts and fears were extinguished, the jubilation must have been sheer exuberance because freedom had been merely a concept of which slaves talked, dreamed, and prayed about for several generations.  Finally, their prayers were answered and the celebrations brought forth joyous singing, dancing, crying, shouting, and praising God.  Our ancestors believed that God delivered them out of slavery, similarly to the Jewish people’s deliverance in the Old Testament, because they understood the power of prayer.

Since I was not alive yet in 1865, I can only imagine the first celebrations of freedom by the slaves.  However, I do remember experiences that are testimonies of how our African American women ancestors prayed to effect positive changes for my generation to enjoy.  Our slave ancestors passed on this mighty weapon to the next generation, and this tradition has continued for us today.  For the men who are reading this narrative, my intent is not to imply that men were not praying; instead, I am writing from my experiences of witnessing prayers of African American women whose lives intersected with mine.

When I was growing up, women prayed often at our church.  There were prayer and mission circle meetings where the women petitioned God on behalf of their families, the church, and the community.  Additionally, one Sunday per month was designated as Mission Sunday when the women were in charge of the church service.  During their devotional periods, powerful prayers were uttered in which God was thanked for the bountiful blessings already received, as well as petitioned for more unity, strength, and continuous blessings.  These praying women were confident that God was listening and that He would “make a way out of no way,” as requested through their fervent prayers.

The Mission Circle visited and prayed for sick people.  I remember seriously ill individuals who were restored to good health and outlived the short time period that a physician had prognosticated.  My personal testimony is that I was born prematurely, and was not expected to live.  At that time, modern neonatal incubators were unavailable in my hometown.  Hallelujah for my maternal grandmother’s prayers, I survived.  There were many other occurrences where positive changes manifested after the women’s prayers.

Communities were safer allowing children to play outside carefree.  Elderly citizens were respected, and their words of wisdom were sought by those younger.  Neighbors looked out for one another’s well-being and performed random acts of kindness, just because. Neighborhoods were more cohesive and peaceful.  Admittedly, we did not have a utopia; conversely, we did not have the chaos of today’s global society.

Within the last year, the movie, War Room, reminded us that prayer changes things.  The message was a timely catalyst for us to pause and think about the areas in our personal lives, as well as today’s society, that need changing.  I adamantly believe that prayer still works to change things.  Let us learn from our ancestors and make a commitment to improve the lives of our children and the conditions of our communities through prayer.  Thank God for the freedom to pray in the United States of America.  Happy Freedom Day!