Was It You?

“Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.”

James 5:16

It was Thursday morning April 3, 2014 when I got to see the power of prayer with my own eyes like I had never seen it before! Standing next to my dads hospital bed I was holding his hand and asking him questions waiting for his response as he squeezed my hand to answer “yes”. I was rejoicing with every question I asked as literally hundreds if not thousands of prayers had just been answered.

Not only did my dad understand everything I was sharing with him he was able to perform every task I asked of him too. He opened his eyes when I asked him, he wiggled his toes and lifted his feet then his hands and his arms. There was no limitation on his ability to respond. He couldn’t verbally respond to me at the moment only because of the breathing tube but that would come out later in the day too making his recovery at that point nothing less than a miracle, and “miracle” was the word his doctor used to describe what had happened and doctors don’t often like to use that word to describe miraculous changes in medical conditions.

As I was on the phone with his doctor late the previous night following our mid-week bible study he was preparing me for the worse. He had been in my dads hospital room earlier in the morning that day and my dad had still not responded to much of anything. He had little to no reflex nor did he respond to pain when they would poke the bottom of his feet or his fingers looking for signs of feeling. My dads doctor was very sympathetic to my dads physical condition so when I said I understand all that you are saying doctor but you need to know since you left earlier that morning something happened to my dad as he was looking at me at that very moment as I spoke to the doctor by phone.

When I told the doctor all that my dad had done throughout the day his doctor joyfully stated, “well it appears your father is making a miraculous recovery once again” as he had been my dads doctor a year earlier when it appeared that my dad was going to succumb to his injuries and then just like he was doing again he suddenly and without explanation defied medical science.

As I stood there praying for my dad I had this wonderful thought come over me that not only brought me comfort and peace but with it much joy. I thought, “I wonder whose prayer it was that God had answered in healing my dad?” Was it the children in our churches Sunday school classes? Was it the youth who were praying for him? Was it the men from our Men’s mid-week bible study group that my dad enjoyed so much? Was it our Women’s ministry who had faithfully lifted him up? Was it our family or friends from all over the country or their respective churches or prayer chains that got through? Or was it a combination of them all? For all I know, it was you! No one knows and that is what makes prayer both powerful and exciting.

All I know thinking back to that day is prayer works and just know that no matter what you might be facing today the God of heaven hears and answers prayers. That’s important to remember in the times we live in today and all that is going on in the world. Prayer works as prayer really does change things. Know today that you and I can change the world through prayer! We are not powerless but powerful today. Pray alone, pray with others but most of all pray often then sit back and watch, watch God move heaven and earth as He goes about His work answering prayer! Today is a day of possibilities!


“For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.”

2 Chronicles 16:9(a)

I LOVE YOU!