This morning's news broadcast announced that Iran has once again suffered a tragedy. This time, a train accident in Neyshabur has devastated the country. Hearing this, I prayed, just as I had a few weeks ago. It had been very early on December 26 when I'd heard reports of an earthquake in Bam, Iran, coming in over the US airwaves. I had been making my bed when I heard the report.

On the other side of the Atlantic, it was early afternoon. An acquaintance of mine in England, who is also a writer, was hearing the news, too. Although she now lives in London, she is originally from Iran.

As I listened to the news of the earthquake, my first impulse was to reach out to God in prayer: "Dear Father, help me see Your hand guiding, not destroying, Your people."

I know God only as good, not angry or irrational, not unpredictable or capricious. Therefore, it was constant, continuous good from God that I prayed to see.

In the quiet of that early morning hour, I had included my friend and the Iranian people in my thoughts. The fact that my prayer would be far-reaching made sense to me. I knew that God is everywhere, not confined to a geographic spot. I felt the warm arms of this Father-Mother wrapping around all humanity at that moment. I felt His comfort that extends across oceans and wraps around the globe. The expansiveness of Love includes everyone. There were no doubts, no vacillating arguments. My faith in God felt unshakable.

Several hours later, I thought of e-mailing my friend in England to offer my support. But shyness stopped me. She is so well loved, I thought. Surely she has already been deluged with support. She doesn't need an e-mail from me. And yet the idea tugged at me again and again throughout the afternoon.

Finally, I went to my computer. In the subject line of the e-mail I typed, "unshakable truth." I wrote:

Twenty minutes later, I received a response.

Dear, kind Pamela, I am so touched by your love and the prayers that embraced not just Iran, but all of us. Your note brought tears of joy and humility to my eyes. Such dignity and love is the overflow of boundless, unconditional Love. Just think how it blessed our universe. Your love for me is the Christmas candle in a windowsill, giving light to the whole world.

I was so grateful that I had obeyed the impulse to reach across the ocean to my friend. Never could I have imagined what would come next.

Three days later, I received another e-mail from her. Attached to it was an advance copy of an article she had written, scheduled to run in a newspaper the next day. In part, it read:

Oh, my friend, I thought, I am awed beyond words! I decided to go right then to light a candle and think of her light shining brightly, on the other side of the Atlantic. We are not hiding our candles under a bushel, I thought. We are shoulder-to-shoulder with all our neighbors, loving and helping and healing.

The next day, I was elated to hear that the US government was sending American relief workers to Iran—the first US plane to land in Iran in over 20 years. A result of the universal power of prayer, I thought.

Later I heard a radio broadcaster say that aid given Iran by the US and other countries exemplified the good coming out of this earthquake. He said it symbolized the breaking down of barriers between Iran and other nations, and it showed people throwing out old, unproductive behavior and trying on new ways of responding to their Iranian neighbors.

Later I felt the ripple effect of prayer continuing when, after eight days and nights, a 97-year-old Iranian woman was pulled from the rubble of the earthquake. She stated simply, "God kept me alive."

That's the power of heartfelt prayer. It has its foundation in God, so it is unshakable. It reaches across borders, without regard for nationality. It inspires genuine leadership. Prayer digs beneath the surface and lifts us up from the dust. It lights the candle of hope. Prayer enlists the power of God.