The Power Of Prayer

My son, Bradley, is an electrician. Recently he was injured on the job when a pipe he was holding hit a switch box which exploded. Bradley was facing the explosion so his eyes were badly burned and his hearing in his left ear was damaged as well.

My purpose for telling you of this incident is to illustrate the power of prayer and just as importantly…faith. For the first few days following the accident we didn’t know if our son would ever see again or how badly his hearing had been damaged. The thought of blindness was so frightening that most of us close to him sort of refused to even consider the thought. Consciously or unconsciously, we all seemed to just not go there. So, we determined to stay in the present and deal with the reality of the moment and not what may or may not be in Bradley’s future. We could do that because God had already proven to us his faithfulness to His promises...

As soon as we received word of his accident we placed him on our church’s prayer chain. My sister placed him on hers as well. In fact, I learned later that Bradley was on many prayer chains. It was comforting to know that prayers were being said on his behalf immediately, by many believers. On the drive to the hospital my husband, James, and my foster children Dan and Susan, joined me in our own prayer for Bradley. My faith in God’s goodness and Mercy is strong. Still, I questioned whether or not it was God’s will that Bradley’s eyesight be restored. Perhaps God intended for this to be a life lesson for my son or for others. God’s purpose is not always revealed to me but I do know that He has a purpose in all things and that he can turn the bad in our lives to the good…according to His purpose as promised in Romans 8:28.

So, I prayed fervently for God’s mercy…that Bradley would see again. I prayed as well…if this was not to be…then God’s will be done, and for strength to accept whatever was to come. I had been doing my Bible study that morning and felt that God had been preparing me for this emergency through scripture. When James came home to tell me of the accident and take me to my son, I instinctively grabbed my Bible as I ran for the car. He was taken to Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas...close to a three hour drive for us. As we started out the only information we had of his condition was that he was alive. As the miles stretched out before us, keeping me from my son’s bedside, I trembled with fear and anxiety as I continued to pray. I entreated God…”Please, God, hear my prayers. Hear all those who love You... who are praying for my son, Dear Lord! Please, hear our prayers!”

I lifted my Bible from the seat beside me and hugged it to my chest. As I did so a small slip of blue paper fell out of my Bible and onto the floorboard. I bent to pick it up and noticed it was Susan’s from Sunday School weeks back. One side had a picture she had drawn and colored. The other side had two scriptures written out by Susan’s teacher. The first was Psalm 66:19. But verily God hath heard me; he hath attended to the voice of my prayer. The teacher had written for Susan: God hears me when I talk to Him. (pray) The second verse was Psalm 55:16 The teacher had written: I can talk to God. I opened my Bible and read the next two verses…vs.17: Evening and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and He shall hear my voice. Vs 18: He hath delivered my soul in peace from the battle that was against me: for there were many with me.

Wow! Goosebumps covered me. God was telling me that He was hearing my prayers and not only that…He was hearing the prayers of many! Immediately, I was engulfed in peace. The panic and fear for my son was gone and God’s peace filled my soul. What an awesome God I have. Not only does He hear my prayers…he reaches down from His place on high and gives me physical proof through the use of a child’s long forgotten Sunday School lesson and His Word. How loved I am and how very spoiled as well…by my Heavenly Father. I feel so humbled and undeserving of such unconditional love. It is now two years later and my son not only sees...he is back at work and the talk of the town. His coworkers say it's a miracle for him to be alive and they call him Superman... because Bradley always wears a cap with a Superman emblem on the front to work, and because his injuries were so minimal. When he returned to work they had enshrined his Superman cap and tool box with a sign reading: Superman Brad! My son's answer to this was: "There's only one Superman that I know of and that's Jesus Christ...not me!"

I couldn't have said it better myself! And as for me...This I know and can testify to...

When God’s people talk to Him…He listens!

Christine M. Smith iluvmyfamilyxxx000@yahoo.com