The power of prayer

The power of prayer is a mystery and yet a powerful spiritual tool. Let me share a story from my past. Can I explain what happened? No. Do I understand why the prayer “worked” this time and then didn’t “work” a thousand other times? No. Just because we cannot explain the mystery of prayer or do not see the results that we expect to see shouldn’t mean that we reject it as a spiritual discipline.

Here’s the story: “Bill,” not his real name, was very sick when I became his pastor. He had been on kidney dialysis for years. By the time I came into the picture he was receiving the dialysis every other day. Bill hadn’t been able to get out of his singlewide trailer, except to go to the doctors and/or dialysis, for the last five years. He was a very sick man. I was told by his family and friends that I should be planning his funeral because they just didn’t know how much longer he would be alive.

Over that first year I visited Bill in the hospital numerous times and so this particular visit was really no different than the past. I sat, we talked, he shared the various medical procedures he was enduring this time around and then I stood to have a prayer. As is my custom I took Bill’s hand and laid my free hand on his forehead, as I have done in the past, and offered up my prayer on behalf of Bill. Nothing special, nothing different, nothing unique … just a simple bedside prayer that a thousand pastors have offered on other occasions. And I left the room expecting to receive a call at anytime that Bill had passed away. This was on Thursday.

Sunday I entered the sanctuary to prepare for worship and whom should I find sitting in a pew but Bill. I was surprised … no actually I was shocked and exclaimed, “What are you doing here?” Bill hadn’t been in worship in over 5 years. He smiled and said, “You mean you don’t know what happened? When you prayed for me you didn’t feel anything?” “Well, no,” I said. “Well,” he continued, “as you prayed a strong electrical current went through my body. I’m not sure just what happened and I’m not totally cured, but I was able to come off dialysis, at least for a while. One of my kidneys has decided to start to work again … ever since you prayed!” Bill lived another 3 years. He lived a much healthier during those years. He didn’t have to go back into the hospital except on rare occasions.

Why did the intercessory prayer help on this one occasion and not at other times such as when my son was dying of leukemia when literally thousands of people all over the world were praying for Tim’s healing? I don’t know. I cannot explain it. I wish I could. I simply accepted it at face value. Tim’s passing didn’t cause me to stop believing in intercessory prayer nor the power of prayer itself and Bill’s healing did not get me to believe any stronger in intercessory prayer nor my abilities to bring healing to someone else. Has Bill’s experience been duplicated in other people’s lives under my ministry? I don’t know … nobody has ever shared anything.

Prayer continues to be a mystery to me … just beyond explanation … just beyond any rational understanding on my part. I agree with the person who stated, “More things are wrought by prayer than by anything else.” Besides the Bible does give us the instruction that we are to “prayer for each other.” There must be a reason for that instruction … even if we do not see or realize the results that we expect.

More on this subject tomorrow.

Quote for today: The only way to pray is to pray, and the way to pray well is to pray much.- Anonymous