13. The power of prayer

Journeys > 13. The power of prayer

How did it come around so fast? With a little trepidation, today was round two of chemo. The good news is that everything went well. The bad news is that my blood count indicates cells have not recovered to the level required – in fact, they are so low, we were unsure if the chemo would be postponed. After extra tests, all went ahead as planned, with supplementary injections to give my bone marrow a boost.

I find it utterly incredible that this is the case. Just yesterday I ran a hilly 10k without missing a heartbeat or a single stride to my step. Over the past 2 weeks I have exercised with gusto, been ‘Mum’, worked as usual and savoured every day with minimal limitations and few extreme side effects. I say this not to boast, but to make a point; with this blood count, there is no way life should have been so consistently energetic and filled with such joy, were it not for one key thing. That one key thing, is the power of prayer.

On first hearing the news about this cancer, after going underground for a couple of days, my mum re-surfaced with a burning mission to get a million prayer hits to heaven. I am sure she must have succeeded. Engaging our immediate family, our church family, along with neighbours, friends and relative strangers alike, the message was the same - please pray without ceasing. What followed was an overwhelming response, as messages flooded in from both near and far flung places, with people who have committed to holding this situation up to the Big Guy. Often, with different perspectives, some as believers, some as agnostics and even some as atheists, people have told me how ‘even they’ are praying. It just goes to show doesn’t it? – that no matter where we are in our own beliefs, He still listens, hears and responds. He is the God of grace.

Some may counter this by saying – surely if He was really listening, the blood count would not be so low – that all markers would be fine? But if that were the case, how would we know it was as a result of those prayers? It’s a similar reflection to the initial few days after chemo, when with the first onset of nausea or dizziness, a simple prayer quickly had the same healing impact.  In doing things this way, we get to see the power of a sovereign God at work. We have need, we pray, He listens, then responds - and we get to see the answers  tangibly before us. This is The One who never fails. Whilst we may not always understand His way, what we can trust is this – He know’s what He’s doing. Just knowing this enables me to keep my own hands off the steering wheel. He’s got this covered and with the power of prayer, we are unlocking everything heaven is on standby just waiting to release.

Prayer warriors – you know who you are. From the bottom of my heart, thank you. Those prayers are really working.

‘For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. 24 Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.’

Mark 11:23-24 NKJV