The Prayer Warriors Episode One

“Mr Tony, your wife cannot give birth by herself. We need to carry out a caesarian section on her immediately. If we delay, she might die and the baby will also not survive. At this point, the only available option is for us to operate on her and bring out the child. Your wife has being in labour for the past 24 hours and she has not given birth. Please, sign this document and give us the go ahead and do the operation.” Dr Raph said to Tony who was standing outside the hospital praying in tongues.

He has been fasting and praying since his wife was brought to the hospital to deliver their first child. Tony was not the only one praying outside the hospital. The prayer warriors from his church were all there. His pastor was also there leading the prayer. They were all “kabashing” and speaking in tongues.

“Doctor, my pastor told me that my wife shall not deliver through caesarian section. Please, nobody should operate on my wife yet. I’m a child of God. There is no way God will look at me and allow my wife to deliver her baby through caesarian section. She will deliver the baby through the normal way. You can see my pastor and the entire prayer warriors from my church, they are here praying with me. God will hear our prayers and my wife will deliver the baby through the normal way.” Tony said as he continued praying.

“Mr Tony, please, this is not about prayers or your pastor. We are talking about the life of your wife. She is currently in danger. She can no longer push out the baby herself. She is very weak and she will die if we don’t do CS on her immediately. This is a medical issue which has nothing to do with prayers. Please, sign this document so that we can go ahead. You are the only one here who can give us the go ahead to operate on her because you are her husband.” Dr Raph said with seriousness on his face.

“I just told you not to touch my wife. God will answer my prayers and she will deliver her baby through the normal means. I made a covenant with God that my wife will not deliver her baby through CS. God told me that my wife will deliver her baby normally. God told me that CS is not her portion. So, please, go and sit down in your office. This is a spiritual battle, not a medical issue.” Tony said.

“It is not a bad thing to deliver through CS. Caesarian section is also normal. It is not a bad thing. Please, permit us to do this before your wife will die.” Dr Raph said but Tony paid him no attention. Instead, he went to meet his pastor.

“Pastor, the doctor said he wants to do caesarian section on my wife. Should he go ahead?” Tony asked his pastor.

“No way. We are here praying for God to intervene and the doctor is busy talking about CS. The doctor does not have spiritual eyes, so he cannot see what God is about to do. Tell the doctor to go back to his office and relax. Your wife will not die. I’m here with my prayer warriors. The Lord will show himself in a mighty way and even the doctor will be surprised.” The pastor tells Tony. He went back to the doctor.

“My pastor did not give me the permission for us to do CS. The pastor assured me that my wife will deliver normally. Please, no one should touch my wife. She will deliver by the grace of God.” Tony said. The doctor was shocked.

“Are you taking permission from your pastor before saving your wife’s life? Your pastor and the prayer warriors have nothing to do with this. Please, sign the document or your wife and baby will die. The baby will die in her womb. She is not able to push again. Time is running out.” The doctor said.

“Doctor, please, don’t touch my wife. I said no CS. Our prayer warriors will do the job. I’m a child of God and CS is not for the children of God.” Tony said. The doctor went back to the labour room where Hannah was lying lifelessly. She cannot talk anymore. She was in coma.

“This woman is about to die. What will I do? I need someone to sign the document to give me the permission to operate. This woman will die. The baby will die. Who will sign for her? She can’t even talk” The doctor said. He was even crying.

Hannah could hear the doctor, but she could not talk back.

“God, please help me. How I wish I can talk. How I wish I can move my hands and sign the document. Is this how I will die?” Hannah asked herself. She felt like she was trapped in a box. She was screaming but the doctor could not hear her. It was like she was in the spirit.

“I’m dying and my husband is praying. How can I tell the doctor to ignore my husband and do the CS?” Hanna asked herself.

The Prayer Warriors Episode Two

After some time in the labour room, Doctor Raph came out again to meet Tony. He looked very worried and tired. He was sweating because of the situation. He called Tony aside and spoke to him in a low but serious tone.

“Mr Tony, I am begging you as a man, as a husband, as a human being. Your wife will not survive the next one hour if we do not do CS on her. I am telling you the truth. This is not something we should waste time about. Your wife’s life is hanging by a thread.”

Tony folded his arms and looked at the doctor. He shook his head slowly. He was not moved by the doctor’s words.

“Doctor, you lack faith. You are looking at this matter with your physical eyes, but I am looking at it with my spiritual eyes. My pastor told me that my wife will deliver normally. He said there will be no CS. I trust my pastor and I trust the prayer warriors who are here praying. You people will soon see what God will do.”

The doctor almost collapsed in frustration. He held his head with both hands. He could not believe what he was hearing. He spoke again with tears in his eyes.

“Tony, this is your wife’s life. This is not about me. This is not about who has faith or not. This is about saving her life. If you don’t sign this paper now, your wife and child will die in my hands. Please, I beg you. Let us do the CS.” But Tony just continued shaking his head.

Instead of answering the doctor, Tony went to meet his pastor again. The prayer warriors were still praying loudly outside the hospital. Tony whispered something into the pastor’s ear.

“Pastor, the doctor said my wife will not survive the next one hour if we don’t do CS. Should I allow them?” Tony said.

“My son, fear not. This doctor does not have spiritual eyes. God told me your wife will live. God told me she will deliver normally. There is no need for CS.” The pastor said.

The doctor was shocked. He spoke to the pastor angrily.

“You are a liar! You are a wicked man! How can you gamble with a woman’s life? You are not God. Stop deceiving this man! His wife is dying. His child is dying. And you are here pretending to be speaking for God. You are a wicked pastor. God will judge you.” The doctor shouted.

“Doctor, you will soon see the mighty hand of God. Your eyes are blind.” The pastor responded.

The doctor could not take it anymore. He walked away from them. He went back into the hospital. He entered the labour room and looked at Hannah lying weakly on the bed. She was no longer moving. Her eyes were closed. Her chest was rising and falling very slowly.

The doctor sat down and thought deeply. He knew he could not operate without permission from a legal representative. If he did that, he could lose his medical license forever if anything happens to Hannah. His career would be destroyed.

“God, what should I do?” he asked in pain. He looked around the room. Suddenly, his eyes landed on something that gave him an idea. He saw Hannah’s phone lying quietly on the hospital bed beside her weak body.

The doctor quickly picked up the phone. He pressed the power button. Luckily, it was not locked with any password. He opened the phone and started checking the contacts. He scrolled carefully, looking for someone who could help.

Suddenly, his eyes caught a number saved as “Mum.” He was very sure it was Hannah’s mother. He wasted no time. He dialed the number and placed the phone on his ear. It started ringing.

After the third ring, a woman’s voice answered.

“Hello? Hannah, is that you?” the voice asked. The doctor quickly introduced himself.

“Madam, this is not Hannah. I am Dr Raph, your daughter’s doctor. I am calling from the hospital. Please, listen carefully. Your daughter is in grave danger. She is in labour but she can no longer push. If we don’t do a CS immediately, she will die and the baby will also die. Please, we need your urgent help. We need you to come now and sign the papers. Her husband refused to sign it.”

Hannah’s mother screamed on the phone. She almost dropped it from her hand.

“Jesus Christ! My daughter will die? Doctor, please don’t let her die. I am on my way right now. I will be there in less than twenty minutes. Please, don’t let her die before I arrive. Please save her.”

The doctor was relieved.

“Please hurry, madam. There is no more time.” He said as ended the call. He looked again at Hannah lying weakly and prayed silently for her.

“God, keep her alive for just twenty more minutes.” He said.

Meanwhile, Hannah heard everything, just that she could not talk.

“God thank you. My mother is now coming. God help me to leave this hospital alive.” Hannah said

The Prayer Warriors – Episode Three

Hannah’s mother rushed into the hospital compound like a dog pursuing antelope. She was sweating and crying at the same time.

She pushed her way inside and saw Tony standing with the pastor and the prayer warriors. Without greeting anyone, she started shouting.

“Tony, are you mad? Are you out of your mind? How can you be watching my daughter die and you are here praying? Are you really a human being? You want to kill my daughter in the name of religion? God will punish you!” She said.

Tony was shocked to see his mother-in-law talking to him like that in public. He raised his hand as if to calm her down, but she was not ready to hear anything.

She moved closer and pointed her finger into his face.

“You are a wicked man, Tony. You are pretending to be a Christian but you are nothing close to Christianity. You want to kill my daughter in the name of covenant. You are heartless. God will never forgive you if my daughter dies today. I regret the day Hannah married you.” She said.

Hannah’s mother turned to the pastor with fire in her eyes. She shouted at him.

“You! Yes, you call yourself a pastor! Don’t you ever interfere in anything concerning my daughter again. You are not a man of God. You are from the pit of hell. You are using my daughter’s life to show yourself. Let me tell you, if anything happens to Hannah today, I will personally make sure you face the law. Your prayers are nothing but noise. Get out of my sight before I show you pepper!” The pastor was speechless.

After that, Hannah’s mother turned to go into the hospital to sign the papers. But before she could take a step, Tony quickly blocked her way.

He stretched his two hands wide and stood in front of the hospital entrance.

“Mama, don’t waste your time. You cannot go in there. Hannah is my wife. I am her husband. Only me has the right to take decisions about her life. And I have said no CS. Mama, please go back. Your daughter will deliver normally. God is in control.” Tony said.

The woman almost fainted from anger. She screamed until people around gathered.

“Tony, you are not God! You are not her savior! If you love your wife, you will allow the doctors to save her life. But you are acting like a beast. You are not a husband. You are an enemy of your wife. If you stand here and stop me from saving my daughter, you will regret it for the rest of your life.” She said.

Tony shook his head and still refuses to allow her pass.

“Mama, don’t waste your time. My decision is final.” He said.

Hannah’s mother trembled with anger. She stepped aside and pulled out her phone. With tears rolling down her eyes, she dialed her husband’s number quickly. When the call connected, her voice could be heard as she cried.

“My husband, please, come and save our daughter. She is dying. Tony is blocking me from signing the papers. The pastor is also deceiving him. Please, do something before we lose her. I cannot allow my daughter to die in this wicked man’s hands. Please, do something fast!” She said over the phone

On the other end of the call, her husband who is an Army General, listened carefully.

“Don’t cry again. I have heard you. No one can stop us from saving our daughter. If Tony thinks he is stubborn, he will see another side of me today. I am sending ten soldiers to that hospital immediately. They will make sure the doctor does the operation. Don’t worry. Hannah will not die. I repeat, Hannah will not die. And if he dies, I will deal with Tony and the pastor.” The Army general said.


 

The Prayer Warriors – Episode Four

Tony was still at the hospital with his pastor and the prayer warriors. They were praying loudly. Their voices filled the compound.

They were speaking in tongues and clapping their hands. Tony’s face looked proud. He believed that his prayers were already working. He believed his wife would soon give birth by herself.

He had no idea that Hannah’s father had sent ten soldiers from the barracks. Tony knew his father-in-law was an army general, but his mind never thought the man would go that far. He was confident nothing could stop him.

“My God is a miracle worker.” Tony said.

While Tony was still blocking the entrance to the labour room, Hannah’s mother stood aside waiting.

She was not afraid. She was not moved by his stubbornness anymore. She knew help was on the way. Suddenly, a loud sound entered the compound. It was the sound of a military van. The engine roared as the van entered the hospital. Everyone turned to look. Tony and the pastor stopped praying for a moment. The prayer warriors became silent. Soldiers jumped down from the van, dressed in full uniform.

The atmosphere changed immediately. Hannah’s mother pointed straight at Tony, the pastor, and the prayer warriors. She shouted at the soldiers.

“These are the people! These are the ones! They want to kill my daughter in the name of prayer. They are stopping the doctor from saving her life. These are the wicked men I told my husband about. Please, take them away so that my daughter can live. Arrest them now before they waste any more time!” The soldiers did not waste a second. They matched forward with power and authority.

Tony tried to resist. He stretched his hands wide, blocking the labour room door.

“You cannot touch me. Touch not my anointed and do my prophet no harm. I am the husband. I have authority over my wife. Nobody should take me away. Nobody should touch the pastor. We are doing the work of God here.” Tony said.

The pastor also tried to talk. “God will fight for us. Nobody can stand against the children of God. This is persecution.” The pastor said.

But the soldiers ignored them. They held Tony, the pastor, and the prayer warriors and pushed them roughly into the military van. Two soldiers were kept in the labour room to protect Hannah.

As soon as they were carried away, Hannah’s mother rushed inside the hospital. She met the doctor who was still standing helplessly near the labour room. He was surprised to see her enter freely.

She shouted, “Doctor, I am here! I am Hannah’s mother. Please, give me the document. I will sign it immediately. My daughter must not die.” The doctor quickly brought out the papers. With tears in her eyes, Hannah’s mother signed. Without wasting time, the nurses and doctors pushed Hannah into the theatre and the operation began immediately.

The operation was tense. Everyone was quiet. The machines beeped and the doctors worked with speed. Hannah’s mother knelt down outside the theatre and prayed silently.

“God, please keep my daughter alive. Don’t let me cry over her. Don’t let me lose her now.” After about one hour, the cry of a baby was heard. The doctor came out smiling.

“Mama, congratulations. The baby is alive. Hannah survived. She is weak, but she will be fine. We thank God you signed on time. If we had delayed, both of them would have died.”

Tears of joy filled Hannah’s mother’s eyes. She lifted her hands and shouted.

“Thank you, Jesus!” She cried and laughed at the same time. She hugged the doctor and blessed him. Meanwhile, Tony and the prayer warriors were still in the military van, held at the barracks until the operation was completed. It was only after the surgery that the soldiers released them. Tony rushed to the hospital, expecting his wife to welcome him.

“My wife, you have delivered. God answered my prayers.” Tony said after he saw Hannah and the baby. But Hannah did not talk to him.

“My wife, I have been praying for you. Ask your mother. I have been here praying. I believe God answered my prayers. That’s why the CS was successful.” Tony said. Everyone in the hospital was looking at him as if he was not mentally stable.

The Prayer Warriors – Episode Five

When Hannah finally returned home from the hospital with her baby, Tony was acting like nothing bad had happened.

“I’m happy that God did it for us.” He said.

He smiled and sang praises loudly, thanking God. He carried the baby in his arms and told people that his prayers worked wonders.

He never admitted his wrong. He never apologized to Hannah.

“I told you God will do it. I told you God will not shame us. It was my prayers that brought this baby out. God used me.” He said.

Hannah kept quiet, but deep inside, she was very angry.

Tony began to shower Hannah with love and care. He washed her clothes. He cooked for her. He carried the baby whenever the child cried. He tried to act like the perfect husband.

“You are such a good wife.” He said to Hannah.

He believed Hannah had forgotten what happened at the hospital. He believed time had healed the wound. But Hannah was only watching him. She knew what she wanted to do. She had already made up her mind. The pain she went through at the hospital was still fresh in her memory. She was waiting for the right time to act.

One quiet afternoon, Hannah sat Tony down in the living room and told him her mind.

“Tony, I have something to tell you.” She said.

Tony smiled and replied, “My love, I am listening. What is it?”

She looked straight into his eyes. “I have filed for divorce. I cannot continue to live with you. You hate me. You wanted me to die. You left me to suffer in the hospital when the doctor begged you. A man who loves his wife will never do what you did.”

Tony was shocked. He jumped up from his chair. He shouted.

“What did you say? Divorce? Hannah, you cannot do that to me. I love you. You are my wife. I have never cheated on you. I pray for you every day. I carried you in my heart throughout the pregnancy. Why will you divorce me? Don’t say that again.” He said.

Hannah’s eyes were filled with tears.

“If you loved me, you would have signed the paper. If you loved me, you would have saved me. Instead, you almost killed me.” She said.

Tony knelt down and began to beg. He held her legs and cried.

“Hannah, please don’t do this. Don’t leave me. I promise to change. I promise never to listen to anyone above you again. Please, forgive me. Don’t destroy our marriage. Don’t destroy our home.” But Hannah shook her head.

“No, Tony. It is too late. You almost destroyed me and my baby. If not for my mother, we would be dead. I cannot stay with you. You are dangerous. Your beliefs are dangerous. I will not continue.”

The next day, Hannah packed her clothes. She also packed her baby’s things. Tony was crying as he watched her fold each dress and put them in the bag. He begged her again. He even went on his knees before her mother and father, asking them to talk to her. But Hannah refused to listen. She carried her bag, strapped the baby on her back, and walked out of the house. She moved straight to her parents’ home. That was the day Tony’s world collapsed completely. He sat on the floor and wept like a child.

Days turned into weeks. Weeks turned into months. Tony went to court many times, trying to stop the divorce. He begged Hannah at every opportunity. He sent people to plead with her. He even went to her church and cried in front of the congregation. But Hannah never changed her mind.

“A husband who cannot save his wife is not a husband. A husband who chooses pastor over his wife is not a husband. My life is precious. My child’s life is precious. I cannot stay with him anymore.” Hannah said.

Finally, after some months, the divorce was approved. The court dissolved the marriage officially. Hannah and Tony went their separate ways. Hannah raised her child with the support of her parents. Tony remained alone in the same house, filled with regret.

Anytime he looked at the empty rooms, he remembered his mistakes. He remembered how his stubbornness almost killed his wife. He remembered how his pastor deceived him. But it was too late. His marriage had ended forever. That was how Tony lost his wife in the name of prayers.

The End.