Yesterday, Gage had a procedure with his neurologist—Botox injections to loosen up his muscles. It was our first attempt doing it without sedation. I was nervous about it and relied on friends, family and Facebook for prayers. And you all came through in a big way. I know that we were covered in prayer as Gage bravely sat through 14 different pokes! He was so tough, tensed up in my lap and only cried out once, near the end.
To rely on our support system for prayers during things like this is such a comfort to me. I truly feel like it makes a big difference in my own peace of mind. I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the power of prayer and what exactly that means. Are the outcomes of Gage’s procedure any different than they would have been if I hadn’t publicly asked for prayers beforehand? I don’t know. But what I do believe is by sharing our requests, not only am I comforted by an outpouring of support, those praying for us are able to see God’s faithfulness at work.
When I jotted down “power of prayer” as an idea for post, I had recently witnessed two friends receive incredible news on their adoption journeys. One of these friends, just one day prior, had confessed feeling heartbroken in the face of feeling stuck, and pleaded for prayers more than once in a Facebook post. She also acknowledged that God was expanding their peace in the midst of pain. I cried as I read her update, because in her own words, she had no good news to share and my heart ached for her. The very next day, things seemed to be on the fast track of bringing her daughter home, with step after step falling into place. I was overjoyed for their family, and just watching their story unfold the way it did was a wonderful reminder of how powerful prayer can be. But perhaps that power, the real benefit, lies not in altered outcomes, but in reminders and affirmation of God working things together for good.
Of course, there are times when things we pray for don’t turn out the way we hope. And no amount of waiting changes the outcome. While it’s much harder to proclaim how powerful prayer is in those moments, I still believe there is peace to be found, in the midst of pain. And that we can still tap into the power and peace of a God who loves us unconditionally, even when life is hard.
Although I wanted to share my thoughts on prayer for a few weeks now, what inspired me to go for it are the words of my 11-year-old niece. For a school assignment, she was asked to select a write about her word of the year. She chose “praying.” When I read her resolution paper, I was moved by her words and oh-so-proud. I’m so glad she gave me permission to share her words with you. Those are what I’ll leave you with today.
