I was a pastor for 28 years. About eight years ago, in 2016, our daughter Chloe was 12 years old, and she got sick — in and out of hospitals and clinics. One day she woke up and couldn’t walk; she went from active to paralyzed. They hospitalized her again, and over the next six weeks she just got worse and worse. The day came when she couldn’t open her eyelids anymore. And on May 13th, 2016, she had complete amnesia in the hospital. She didn’t know her name, didn’t know the name of her school, didn’t know what a school was, didn’t recognize her mother.

So I held her eyes open. I said, “Chloe.” And she said, “I Chloe.” And I said, “Yeah, baby, you’re Chloe.” She’s 12 years old. I said, “Do you know who I am?” And she strained, and she said, “You, Dada — you love me.” That was her only memory: that I was Dada. She didn’t know her name, but she knew I loved her. The head of neurology said, “Your daughter will never walk again. At some point her eyelids should be able to open, but she’ll be in a wheelchair, in pain, the rest of her life.”

That day, May 13th, 2016 — the worst day of my life — also became the best day of my life, because that’s what God does. God specializes in turning crucifixions into resurrections. In the hospital He made an assignment for me: pray for everybody in the world. And if I would give Him my daughter and put her on the altar, He would take care of her — because the way you love your daughter, that’s the way I love everyone, and I want everyone prayed for by name.

So with great pain and discouragement and brokenness, my wife Mercy and I accepted that call to pray for the whole world. Scripture says in 1 Timothy 2 to pray for all people — because, verse four, God wants all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of His Son, because God loves the world. About four years ago we set out on a mission called World Prays, and a global prayer movement called Pray for All. Our vision is to pray for every person on the planet — all eight billion people — by name, because the Bible says, “I’ve called you by name.” When you have a name, you’re a person. The people who feel invisible, like they don’t matter — God knows their name and calls them His children.

Years ago in Costa Rica, where we were missionaries, I got water baptized. Two nights later I had a dream, and Jesus appeared to me. We sat on a park bench, and He put His arm around me, looked me in the eyes, and said, “Will you devote your life to preach My word?” When you see those eyes — so full of love and joy and peace, and you’re seen and known and loved, not judged but embraced — I said, “Lord, I’ll devote my life to preach Your word.” And with His finger He wrote on the bench, and He said, “I’m going to give you a new name.”

Now we’re on a mission to pray for everyone by name. Just this year, since January 1st, we’ve prayed for over 500 million people by name. When I looked at the painting, I thought: that is who I saw. It was so powerful. And I love that Akiane called it Prince of Peace, because in this world you’re going to have trouble. He said, “I’m not going to take you out of the trouble; I’m going to give you peace in the midst of trouble.” People are looking for something. You might have war in your family, a painful divorce, a loved one with cancer, or you just lost your job — and you need peace in the midst of turmoil. He offers peace that no one else can give. I think this is the time for this painting to be seen by the world, to communicate God’s love and God’s peace and hope.

It took about six months for Chloe to get out of the wheelchair. It’s been almost eight years now, and Chloe is doing better — she’s 20 and recovering, and God has been faithful and merciful to her. She wants to go to Bible college next year. When I think of the word beloved, the scripture that comes to mind is 1 John 4:16: God is love, and whoever lives in love lives in God, and God lives in them. God loves me, and when I receive His love, I’m able to love others — my wife, my children, my friends, the world — the way God loves me. Love isn’t something God has; love is someone God is. The Bible says, “Perfect love casts out fear.” So when I’m really loved, I let go of my fears and my inhibitions, and I’m able to love as I am loved.