Answered Prayer is a Treasure

An elderly member of our church appears to be in the final days of his life, something that has saddened many of our hearts.

Years ago he escaped death in an accident, spending a month in the intensive care unit. A few years later he developed complications from the incident and wound up back in the hospital, followed by a stay in a rehab center.

When we visited him there, he told us of sharing his faith with other patients and staff members, commenting, “God’s not done with me yet.”

Recently our pastor’s wife, who is also the worship leader, spoke at church about wanting to pray for him. Since he is fond of children, she asked if one of the youngsters there wanted to come up and lead a prayer for him.

Several children ages four or five responded. When our pastor’s wife handed one girl the microphone, she said, “God, I want him to be better. Amen.”

Direct Request

That says it in a nutshell, doesn’t it? Direct and to the point. No flowery requests ensconced in King James English, just a childlike request and the faith that the Lord would answer.

It’s the kind of faith we need, a childlike trust in a God who exists and will answer our prayers. After all, Jesus loved children, welcoming them when His disciples wanted to shoo them away. In Matthew 18:3, He said unless we become converted and become as little children, then we won’t be able to enter heaven.

If there’s one flaw modern rationalistic America has developed, it’s a belief in manmade solutions and intellectual superiority. There’s no problem too big that we can’t solve—or at least so the proponents of Artificial Intelligence would have you believe.

Yet, when you come face to face with things beyond your control, it’s wonderful to know that you worship a God who is greater than any man who ever lived.

Moment of Crisis

I saw that recently on a trip to the emergency room, when my wife was suffering from a strange malady that shot pain throughout her body. Three hours after they gave her a pain shot, it hadn’t taken effect. Two appeals for something else or more of what they had administered went unanswered.

In addition, red splotches covered her body and she moaned about her feet freezing and then burning up. At one point, I prayed with her and asked that relief would come. I literally wondered if this night would be her final one on earth.

Then, at the peak of my concern, I felt it. It was so strong it overwhelmed me. Waves of peace washed over me, relieving my stress and letting me know that God was aware of what was going on.

After telling my wife about it, I added, “Somebody must be praying.”

Tangible Reminders

This wasn’t the first time this has happened. More than 20 years ago when my wife was battling cancer, in the space of 24 hours I went from being drained, tense and on edge to enthusiasm and peace. I knew that all those emails I had sent informing people about our situation had resulted in prayer.

Nevertheless, it’s always good to receive a tangible reminder in a moment of crisis. As the writer of Hebrews said: “Let your lives be without love of money, and be content with the things you have. For He has said: ‘I will never leave you, nor forsake you’” (Hebrews 13:5 MEV).

In this world, finding Someone who will never leave or forsake us is a priceless treasure.