Marking The Time With Prayer
About this episode
Dr. Don Allen, pastor of The Church at War Hill in Dawsonville, Georgia, joins Daily Faith alongside Pastor John Matson to share one of the most extraordinary miracle stories you will ever hear. John Matson suffered a massive heart attack at home, was clinically dead for 45 minutes with no heartbeat, and arrived at the hospital with EMT records that listed his condition in one word: "dead." What followed was a stunning, medically documented resurrection. At the center of this miracle is a prayer principle Dr. Allen calls "marking the time" — praying with radical specificity and then recording the exact moment you believed God for a breakthrough. Rooted in James 5, which declares that "the effective, fervent prayer of a righteous person avails much," this approach has produced a cascade of healings at War Hill Church, including a stroke victim restored to full mobility and a cancer healing among church board members. Dr. Allen's book, *Mark the Time*, documents these accounts and is available at donallen.org. Whether you are believing God for physical healing, a prodigal's return, or a financial miracle, this episode will challenge you to stop praying in generalities and start marking the time in faith.
Part of our Faith collection of conversations.
Quotes worth sharing
“The only place I could find was I reached out and grabbed hold of his big toe. And I began to pray. And while I was praying, the Spirit of God spoke to me and said, mark the time you pray. And so I literally said, Lord, we pray that the doctors will mark the time — that we're in this room praying right now is the time he begins recovering.”
“It said, upon arrival, patient, and underneath it was one word: dead. And that's when it became all really real to me. Because I didn't even realize — again, they had me medicated and things were going pretty bad, so it never made sense to me until I read that. And I looked back at it and I was like, man, God has a crazy plan for me.”
“The reason it's the toe — it's the only place left to stand. It's the only place left to hold onto when there's nothing else you can do.”
What's Discussed
Pastor John Matson of The Church at War Hill in Dawsonville, Georgia, suffered a massive heart attack and was clinically dead for 45 minutes before his heart restarted. His senior pastor, Dr. Don Allen, arrived at the hospital expecting to notify the family of John's passing — instead, he received word of a heartbeat. Over the following 24 hours, despite worsening signs of brain damage, the congregation prayed in unified faith. Dr. Allen physically grabbed John's foot and prayed, declaring God would 'mark the time.' By Sunday afternoon, John was fully responsive, asking for a cheeseburger. Dr. Allen's book Mark the Time, available at donallen.org, documents this and multiple other medically verified healings through specific, time-stamped prayer.
- Don Allen Introduces Mark the Time
- Concrete Saw Miracle and the Toe Prayer Origin
- The Phone Call That Started It All
- John Matson Dies for 45 Minutes
- Signs of Brain Damage and Congregation's Faith
- Full Restoration in 24 Hours
- John Matson Shares His Own Account
- Cascade of Healings at War Hill Church
Scripture in this episode
Episode Transcript
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Intro
Philip:Hello, my dear friend. I'm so glad you're with us today. My name is Philip Cameron and this is Daily Faith. We have got a tremendous program for you today. Dr. Don Allen is a great man. I got a great friend of mine, one of those guys. I've been traveling and speaking in this kind of ministry for 53 years.
Philip:And once in a while you meet someone that you think you've known all your life and you click with them, not just spiritually, but just as a friend. And we went to have a breakfast or a lunch — I forget which one it was — in a little town in North Georgia. And the moment we met, I felt I'd known him all my life.
Philip:And it's been that way ever since. And I'm just so excited to have him on the program. And with us also is a friend of his from the church, John Matson. And you're going to hear the story of how God raised Pastor John Matson from the dead. It's crazy, because I was part of this in a small way, because Pastor Don called me from outside the hospital when all of this tremendous drama was taking place.
Philip:So you are going to be blessed today. Stay tuned. Call your pastor, call your friends. You're going to meet a man who literally was dead and is alive today to share with us. So I'm just so excited. I just got a video. For those that don't know, we have a mission work in Moldova, in Ukraine, and most recently in Turkey. And our kids — orphans — have become missionaries.
Philip:We take them in from the orphanage to save them from being trafficked. They become sons and daughters, then they become missionaries. And they sent us a video the other day of them in Ukraine, in the war zone, around whole villages that have been bombed to smithereens by the Russians. And our kids — where there's no water and no fuel and no heat — our orphan kids, now grown, go in there and share the gospel.
Philip:And they sent me this video. They made the video, they recorded the audio. Go watch what kids can do. They're being redeemed from destruction. Watch this.
Despaired, lived one day at a time. Takes an eternity as we hear, live our blessed life. Can you imagine leaving an existence that threatens to kill you every second, every minute, every hour, every day? The wails of sirens, warning of missiles all through the night, causes every nerve in your body to scream.
There is no water, no power, no heat. The village as you remember it no longer exists. The streets and homes only survive in your mind.
The menfolk are all gone — alive or dead, you don't know. Fear is your neighbor, the guest at every meal, your bedfellow. Every night the young men and women from Moldova have come.
They tell us there are new codes and other things. Why do they care? Why have they come to hell? We'll go and see if what we heard is true.
Grace is waiting, kindness and love. A moment to smile. The strangeness of a hug. It's true. They are here, waiting for us in the middle of darkness.
The love of God meets the broken and hope is born again.
Philip:The love of God meets the broken and hope is born. A bunch of orphans that no one else wanted, helped by our ministry, living in our homes, put back in school, given an education — and they are going into Ukraine. They're going back again this next week to bring hope and healing to broken people. We've given over 15,000 new coats.
Philip:And we're astonished at what God is doing. This morning, before I'm sitting here on this program, we loaded our fourth container. We worked this morning — there's a photograph of it being loaded — and that is now on its way again to Ukraine. We are looking for miracles every day. We need you to help us. This is bigger than our ministry. And you could help us by giving any gift of any amount, and your loving kindness through the orphans' hands is going right to the point, right to the front lines.
Philip:I got a phone call the other night when they were there the last time. And one of our young ladies, Kathleen, on FaceTime called me and she says, Dad, listen. And she put the phone outside her window and I could hear the sirens warning of attacks. And I said, aren't you afraid, Kathleen? And she says, no, God's on our side. God will keep us safe. And I said, you've got more faith than I do.
Philip:Your help, your gift — you can write to us today: the Orphans' Hands, P.O. Box 25, Clinton, Tennessee 37716. Very simple: P.O. Box 25, Clinton, Tennessee 37716. You can go online at www.dailyfaith.tv, or you can call us at 1-833-Daily-Faith. And your gift can help make a tremendous difference in people's lives.
Philip:I am delighted to be joined today by my friend Dr. Don Allen. He is a great man of God, pastors a fabulous church — the Church at War Hill. What a great name for a church, boy. And I had no idea when I met him a year or so ago that I had just found a close friend who has been with me and has helped us, has brought things to go to Ukraine, and has been partnering with us in that part of the world.
Philip:Something happened incredibly in his church and in his ministry. One of the pastors there, John Matson, had a medical event that turned deadly. And Don and John, I am delighted to have you on Daily Faith today. Thank you for being with us. Set it up — tell us what happened, Don — and give us an idea of the miracle that took place for John just a few months ago.
Dr. Don Allen:Yeah. First off, let me say thanks. It's great to be back with you guys. You know, it's like being with family. Sometimes you have different memories of different folks, but y'all, it's like doing life together, you know? It's just active and current, and so we're so thankful for that.
Don Allen Introduces Mark the Time
Dr. Don Allen:I just wanted to share, and I appreciate the invitation and thank you for letting me bring Pastor John on with me. Let me catch you up to where we are in this. I actually brought a little book that I did — it's called Mark the Time. I did it a few years ago. And this book actually needs to be expanded by about 10 to 15 chapters, because this is about miracles that we've seen when we learned to ask God very specifically at a very specific time.
Dr. Don Allen:And somebody said, you ought to call it the power of praying toe prayers. And I was like, what is a toe prayer? And they reminded me of my own words. But the reason that I shared that with you is several years ago we had a man who had been cutting concrete. And when he put the blade down, the blade exploded. And it literally separated the hemispheres of his brain.
Concrete Saw Miracle and the Toe Prayer Origin
Dr. Don Allen:And so they called me to pray that kind of prayer of passing over him. And when I got there, his mother says, you're not gonna pray that kind of prayer. You're gonna pray that God's gonna heal him. And so I walk into the room — there's tubes going everywhere, there's so much swelling that there's nowhere to even touch him because his skin would've popped open. And so I'm trying to figure out how to pray for this guy. And she's like, you're gonna lay hands on him and pray for him.
Dr. Don Allen:The only place I could find was I reached out and grabbed hold of his big toe. And I began to pray. And while I was praying, the Spirit of God spoke to me and said, mark the time you pray. And so I literally said, Lord, we pray that the doctors will mark the time — that we're in this room praying right now is the time he begins recovering.
Dr. Don Allen:Well, the next morning, about seven o'clock in the morning, my phone went off and my first thought was, well, he passed away in the evening. But as I answered the phone, his mother was on the phone — she was yelling. They marked the time. They marked the time. They marked the time. And I said, what are you talking about? And she said, Pastor, you prayed they would mark the time you were in the room, that he would begin to recover.
Dr. Don Allen:And I said, yeah. And she said, well, he's recovering. And I said, he survived? And she said, no, he's recovering. And so I said, well, I'll be there. Jumped in my car, drove about an hour to the hospital down in downtown Atlanta. Get there, walk in, and he's no longer in the ICU. And I thought, well, he's in the morgue — something happened. And they said, no, no, no, he's been moved to a regular room in one day's time.
Dr. Don Allen:I walk in — from the man that was dying — in one day's time he's sitting up in the bed and greets me by name when I come in. And he's sitting there planning to go to Bible college. And I was like, wow. So that's kind of the gist of how the prayer went. But how long ago was it now, John, that this all occurred?
The Phone Call That Started It All
John Matson:Just two months and a day.
Dr. Don Allen:Two months and a day. John knows — John counts his days. Yes, sir. I felt led to call John on the way home from work, just to tell him I love him. And it was kind of a weird moment. And he was like, well, I love you too, Pastor. I said, well, I didn't see you today and I just want you to know I love you. And it was just the strangest — just compelled to call him and say that. And so that's about four o'clock, probably 3:30, 4 o'clock.
John Matson Dies for 45 Minutes
Dr. Don Allen:And that night I'm on the phone ministering up in Kentucky with a group. And all of a sudden people start interrupting me and they're like, you gotta get off the phone now. And I'm like, well, what's going on? And John has died at home — has literally died sitting in his chair, had a massive heart attack. And for 45 minutes, no heartbeat. He's dead for 45 minutes.
Dr. Don Allen:And so I get to the hospital — actually beat him to the hospital, because he's coming in the ambulance. I get to the hospital and we're sitting there, and they take me to the room where you tell the family, okay, he's gone, and now we're going to process for the funeral. I mean, I've been working in this community for 30-something years. So I go to this room, I'm all getting ready.
Dr. Don Allen:And before I can start the process, in walks one of the men from our church that happens to work there, and he says, Pastor, hold on. He said, they just got a heartbeat. And so after 45 minutes, they get a heartbeat. They rush him into emergency surgery. They don't give us very much of a chance at all that he'll survive the surgery.
Dr. Don Allen:He comes out, and over the next few days, unfortunately — and John has heard parts of this — the signs of brain damage are only getting worse and worse. Because 45 minutes with no oxygen, that's a long time. And so we walk in.
Dr. Don Allen:It's a Saturday night. My wife is in medicine. She says, Don, and she points out different things. His arms have done a thing called posturing. His tongue's swelled out of his mouth. His eyes are rolled back up in his head. He is not there. But his wife is standing on the promises of God. And so we agree together, and he is starting to swell. And really the only place I can pray for him is I grab hold of his foot.
Signs of Brain Damage and Congregation's Faith
Dr. Don Allen:So I grab hold of that toe again — that toe — and we start praying. And as we start praying, we pray, God, mark the time. That's on Saturday. He's totally laying there, trying to respond, unable to completely respond, showing massive brain damage. By Sunday afternoon — and I'll say this last bit and then I'm gonna let him pick up the story — by Sunday afternoon, our worship team is there singing worship over him. He is completely responsive, greets them, gets up, goes and sits down in the chair in the hospital room.
Full Restoration in 24 Hours
Dr. Don Allen:And says, somebody bring me a cheeseburger. In 24 hours, God completely turned it, and God marked the time. So John, now 24 hours later, you start remembering things. How did that go?
John Matson:It was very interesting for me. I remember the first thing I said to my wife when I woke up is like, why am I in the hospital, and did I die?
John Matson:And she has been the strongest and greatest trooper through this whole thing. Like, when strong believers were reading the reports and things and they were kind of like, well, we need to make some plans for the inevitable, she's like, no, no, no, no. There's no inevitable. He's coming out of this and he's gonna be fine.
John Matson:And I was like, wow. Hearing these stories after — I was totally amazed that she had no doubt that I was gonna be fine. And not just fine, but not handicapped, not paralyzed, no brain damage. She was just standing on the Word of God. And one of the things that her and I have talked about a lot through this whole thing is in James, it says the fervent prayer of a righteous person avails much.
John Matson Shares His Own Account
John Matson:And the beauty of War Hill Church is that the level of prayer and belief that goes on through the congregation at this church is so ridiculously amazing that they were all just in agreement that I was gonna be fine. Like, they weren't super concerned — they were just like, no, he's gonna be great. I had friends and people that we've only known for probably six or eight months and they were sending letters and all of these things. And it was just amazing that their prayers — because I wish I could say that I was praying during this time, but I wasn't really.
Dr. Don Allen:As Pastor Don mentioned, he wasn't even really here. He still thought that Ronald Reagan was president. He was in a good place in time.
Philip:Back when the country was a little bit more stable.
John Matson:But it was just amazing to hear these people over and over again, and none of them had a doubt. But it all kind of came to be real for me a little bit later, because during this time of course I had no idea what was really going on, and everybody around me was probably more stressed out than I was, just because they were dealing with me and I wasn't dealing with anything.
John Matson:But it was so surreal months later when I went and read the doctor's reports and the EMT report from the person in the ambulance. It kind of went down the litany list of the things that they have to go through. And then the section that hit me and my wife — it said, upon arrival, patient, and underneath it was one word: dead.
John Matson:And that's when it became all really real to me. Because I didn't even realize — again, they had me medicated and things were going pretty bad, so it never made sense to me until I read that. And I looked back at it and I was like, man, God has a crazy plan for me.
John Matson:Absolutely. And for my wife, and for what Pastor Don is doing here. And the way that the Holy Spirit moves in this place can't ever be overstated. And the fact that nobody — like I said — nobody had a doubt that I was gonna be fine.
Philip:Well, that is unexplainable based on the conditions. What blows my mind is Don called me outside the hospital — I mean literally with the hospital in the background — and he said, I need you to pray. One of our men has had a massive heart attack. He's deceased and we're fighting, we're believing God for him. And I began to pray, just a tiny part of this huge miracle. I mean, this is massive stuff. This is what the Bible is full of. I mean, this is the same kind of stuff. And because it's today, we don't see it.
Philip:But when you spoke, Pastor Don, something sprung up in my spirit. There are people watching us right now that God wants them to mark the time. And I want you to go on the comments or call the phone number on the screen and mark a time — say today, whatever time it is that you're watching this thing — I want you to reach out in faith to God and mark the time. If it's six in the morning, 12 o'clock at night, if you're in Africa or India or Pakistan or Europe or America, whatever you are.
Philip:I want you to get online on the comments space, and if you're watching this on social media, do something in faith today. As Don said, mark the time and say, God, I'm believing God for healing of my body, household salvation, a miracle of finances. And I'm going to mark the time as my statement of faith, believing God for a miracle.
Philip:And if you do that today, I believe that there's an anointing on this thing right now, that God wants you to stand up in your circumstance. And instead of being the victim, stand up and say, I am more than an overcomer in the name of Jesus. I'm going to have Pastor Don and Philip and John and all the folks at Daily Faith praying with me for a miracle. And if you'll move by faith, God will move towards you. He is a miracle-working God, and I am marking the time.
Philip:Two things: I'm going to mark the time, and if ever I need healing, I'm going to come and ask you to pray for my toe, because I think that may be a part of this thing.
Dr. Don Allen:It actually gets even funnier than that. I leave the hospital with him, go across to another neighboring city — so I'll go from a city called Cumming, Georgia to Gainesville, Georgia — to another hospital. Walk in. There's a 40-year-old man who's had a stroke. He's paralyzed and they're trying to figure out what his mobility and his vocal skills are going to be.
Dr. Don Allen:I walk in. His mother is sitting there with him and she starts uncovering his feet. And I'm like, what are you doing? She said, you're gonna grab hold of his toe and pray for him. And so I said, okay. And so we grabbed hold of his toe and prayed. We marked the time and God healed him, completely healed him.
Philip:If someone wants to get that book?
Cascade of Healings at War Hill Church
Dr. Don Allen:DonAllen.org. If you go to DonAllen.org — so simple — just say, I want that book, Mark the Time.
Dr. Don Allen:And something I just sense so strongly in my spirit — there's a resurrection coming in your life. Something that you think is dead. It may be a relationship. I don't know what it is, but I'm speaking life over your circumstance. I'm reaching your toe by faith, the lowest part of your body, and I'm saying we speak life and hope and health and healing and restoration and renewal in your circumstance. In the name of Jesus, in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Philip:Get that book now. Amen. You need to rewrite — you need to add these stories to this book. This needs to be a series one, series two, series three, because there's gonna be more chapters. I walk into a room where a woman has had major brain surgeries. She was supposed to have woken up within a certain amount of hours after her surgery — it's been seven days.
Dr. Don Allen:And I failed to tell them the story of Mark the Time. We pray over her the same way. And I walk out of the hospital, get all the way to my car, my phone goes off. And I thought maybe I'd upset the family. Somehow they had me come back into the hospital room. She is awake and talking and responding.
Dr. Don Allen:And the doctors are all freaking out because they said, what we didn't tell you is we had her sedated on purpose because there were complications. And God not only brought her out from under the sedation, but healed her in that moment, just touched her miraculously. And so just miracle after miracle after miracle has happened that way. Since this time we've actually had one of our board members healed of cancer. Just one after another, miracles are happening.
Dr. Don Allen:We've been sitting for five years at the North Georgia waters and God's just continuing.
Philip:We've got three minutes left. Could you pray? Could you grab hold of our toe today in faith and believe God for a miracle for those watching us right now?
Dr. Don Allen:And what I think that means is the reason it's the toe — it's the only place left to stand. It's the only place left to hold onto when there's nothing else you can do. So right now, in the name of Jesus Christ, and in the name of Jesus, the power of the Holy Spirit, Lord, we thank you that you are moving. God, you're moving on people who are going to take a step of faith. And they're going to believe for a supernatural miracle right now. God, we're calling healing from cancer. We're calling deliverance from heart problems.
Dr. Don Allen:We're believing that there are people who are going to get ahold of this word, and they don't even know what they're going to face tomorrow. But Lord, when they do, they are going to look down at their watches and they're going to say, Lord, we're believing and marking the time. Mark the time, Lord. It's not the time that's significant, but it's the fact that we are specific with you. That we don't just be general, but we are specific for what we need you to do.
Dr. Don Allen:Lord, we know this is not of us and it's not a gimmick, Lord. It is simply — as we were discussing earlier — it is simply that when one person learns to touch God, other people will follow. Right now, by faith, we believe that others are going to follow. And when they get specific, there's going to be specific answers to their cries. In Jesus' name, amen.
Philip:Amen. Amen. Wow, listen to me. I want you to go — if you're watching this, type in the time. Say, I'm believing God for my family to get saved. I'm believing God for my prodigal to come home. I'm believing God for a financial breakthrough in my life. But mark the time. Whatever time it is, wherever you are watching this just now, God has set up a divine appointment with you and us. Stir your faith.
Philip:Jesus said to Peter, go catch a fish when he needed tax money. Dumbest thing I've ever heard in my life. And he picks up a fish and there's gold in his mouth. Do you know how heavy gold is? And do you know how light fish are? And if the fish had taken that under normal circumstances, it would've been sitting like this with his nose to the ground. But when Jesus is in it and Jesus commands you to do something — whether it is bathing in the unclean waters, whatever it is — do it.
Philip:And that simple act of faith is what God uses to break through in your circumstance. I want you to get in contact with my friend Don Allen at DonAllen.org. And if you need a miracle from God, write him and say, I'm marking the time. I heard you on Daily Faith, and I'm believing God for this. Order that book today. Because by reading these stories, faith comes by hearing and reading. And by doing so, you are absolutely going to set yourself in place for God to do something spectacular. Mark the time. What an amazing thing, Pastor Don.
Philip:Thank you again, John. Thank you for sharing your story with us. If you are anywhere in North Georgia, you need to go to the Church at War Hill in Dawsonville, Georgia. It is a powerhouse. You're hearing it. These people won't quit praying.
Philip:And let me tell you something — I've learned something today. If I need prayers done, I've got your personal number and I'm going to be giving you a call. Thank you. Being with us today, we love you guys so much. We love you, bro. Thank you for watching Daily Faith. We'll see you again real soon. God bless you today. Bye-bye.
For over 25 years, the Cameron family has been changing the lives of orphans in Romania and Moldova — from providing running water, flushing toilets, and clean wells, to coal for heat, new windows, as well as food and clothing.
They champion the physical needs of the orphans in these broken and desolate countries. Many of Moldova's orphans are saved from the horrors of trafficking through homes founded by the Camerons. And in the process, orphans become daughters and sons.
They come to know their heavenly Father and are forever changed by the love of Jesus. God helped the Camerons lift these amazing young men and women out of darkness — now no longer orphans. They want to return and invade that very same darkness with the light of Jesus Christ.
The Orphans' Hands equips these daughters and sons to become missionaries. Your monthly gift of $31 will allow us to rescue and take in more girls and boys, saving them from the hell of human trafficking.
Your monthly partnership will allow us to care for those in the Orphans' Hands homes in Moldova and Ukraine. If you want to join Philip and Chrissy in taking care of these precious young people, please contact us today by calling 1-833-Daily-Faith. You can also give by going online to www.dailyfaith.tv, or by writing to Post Office Box 25, Clinton, Tennessee 37716.
So many lives depend on what we do. Thank you for loving the lost.
Common questions
What is the 'Mark the Time' prayer concept that Dr. Don Allen talks about?
Dr. Don Allen describes it as praying very specifically at a very specific moment and asking God to mark that exact time as the point when a miracle begins. He says the key is being specific with God rather than general — noting the precise moment you're believing for a breakthrough, so that when the answer comes, there's a clear marker tied to the prayer.
What happened to John Matson and how long was he without a heartbeat?
John Matson suffered a massive heart attack at home and had no heartbeat for 45 minutes — he was clinically dead. A heartbeat was restored after emergency responders worked on him, and he later read the official EMT report, which listed his condition upon arrival as simply 'dead.' He made a full recovery with no brain damage within roughly 24 hours of Dr. Allen praying over him.
Why does Dr. Don Allen pray by grabbing someone's toe?
It started practically — when he prayed over a man whose brain had been severely injured in a concrete-cutting accident, the man was so swollen that the only place Dr. Allen could safely touch him was his big toe. Over time, Dr. Allen came to see the toe as symbolic: it's the lowest place left to stand, the last thing to hold onto when there's nothing else you can do.
How did John Matson's wife respond while doctors were warning the family to prepare for the worst?
John says his wife never wavered — even when other strong believers were quietly making plans for 'the inevitable,' she flatly refused, insisting he was going to come out of it completely fine, with no paralysis, no handicap, and no brain damage. John credits her unwavering stand on the Word of God as a central part of what happened.
Where can I get Dr. Don Allen's book 'Mark the Time'?
Dr. Don Allen says you can request the book by visiting DonAllen.org and simply letting him know you want it. He also mentioned the book needs to be expanded by 10 to 15 chapters to include all the new miracles that have happened since it was first written.
Topics
don allenjohn matsonmiracle healingresurrection testimonymark the timeprayer of faithwar hill church