"I prayed to dispel my fear, until suddenly, and I do not know how the idea came to me, I began to pray for others. I prayed for everyone who came into my thoughts - - people with whom I had traveled, those who had been in prison with me, my school friends of years ago. I do not know how long I continued my prayer, but this I do know - - my fear was gone! Interceding for others had released me!"
About this Quote
The line "suddenly, and I do not know how the idea came to me" is doing quiet rhetorical work. Its not a TED Talk epiphany engineered for applause; its presented as grace, or at least as an interruption. That humility makes the testimony harder to dismiss as mere technique. She is also careful with the cast list: fellow travelers, prison companions, childhood friends. Its a map of an entire life, not a curated circle. Trauma tends to shrink time to the immediate threat; her prayer expands time, reconnecting her to continuity and community.
Context sharpens the stakes. Ten Boom is not selling wellness; she is a Holocaust-era survivor for whom fear wasnt metaphorical. The subtext is radical: relief may arrive not by tightening control, but by practicing solidarity when you least feel capable of it. Interceding becomes both spiritual act and psychological escape hatch, a way of refusing to let the self be the only story in the room.
Quote Details
| Topic | Prayer |
|---|---|
| Source | Corrie ten Boom, The Hiding Place (memoir), 1971 , passage describing how praying for others relieved her fear; contains the line 'Interceding for others had released me.' |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Boom, Corrie ten. (2026, January 14). I prayed to dispel my fear, until suddenly, and I do not know how the idea came to me, I began to pray for others. I prayed for everyone who came into my thoughts - - people with whom I had traveled, those who had been in prison with me, my school friends of years ago. I do not know how long I continued my prayer, but this I do know - - my fear was gone! Interceding for others had released me! FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-prayed-to-dispel-my-fear-until-suddenly-and-i-172842/
Chicago Style
Boom, Corrie ten. "I prayed to dispel my fear, until suddenly, and I do not know how the idea came to me, I began to pray for others. I prayed for everyone who came into my thoughts - - people with whom I had traveled, those who had been in prison with me, my school friends of years ago. I do not know how long I continued my prayer, but this I do know - - my fear was gone! Interceding for others had released me!" FixQuotes. January 14, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-prayed-to-dispel-my-fear-until-suddenly-and-i-172842/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"I prayed to dispel my fear, until suddenly, and I do not know how the idea came to me, I began to pray for others. I prayed for everyone who came into my thoughts - - people with whom I had traveled, those who had been in prison with me, my school friends of years ago. I do not know how long I continued my prayer, but this I do know - - my fear was gone! Interceding for others had released me!" FixQuotes, 14 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-prayed-to-dispel-my-fear-until-suddenly-and-i-172842/. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
