Power of Prayer

You know those moments where life hit us by surprise? The moments we aren't expecting, the moments where life happens and we're left to figure what to do next. You feel like you need to do something but you don't know what. More often than not, there is nothing that you can do. Which makes it that much harder to deal with. There is nothing worse than the feeling of helplessness that comes with these moments. Yet, it is in these moment of helplessness that I find myself turning to God even more. 

Prayer is the one solace that I find in the difficult moments life throws at me. Mind you I feel a need to pray to God every day but in those moments prayer is the only way I can persevere. These are the prayers that come when pride and egos are been broken down. When all of our pretenses fall away and we are left standing there vulnerable to the world. But we don't have to despair. We don't have to wallow in our inability to change the events of the world. We have Jesus. He is the great healer, he is our savior. He is our hope. He offers his hands to us.  

"And whatever you ask in my name, I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything of me in my name, I will do it." John 14: 13-14.

We may be helpless but Jesus is not. And he listens to our prayers. Believe me when I tell you he listens. I know there are people who would say that I am making connections where I want to see them but I suppose this message is not for them. I am simply sharing my experiences with you where I have seen the power of prayer. The times when I could do nothing but watch events unfold around me. These moments when I prayed to God and he listened. 

Let me take this moment to say that I think the rosary is one of the most powerful forms of prayer. I can't explain it but there are plenty more resources out there that can help you understand the rosary better than I can. I only know that it is the prayer I use most often in these situations. 

The first time I can remember praying to God for his healing was when I was about seven or eight. My Father came to me one evening and told me that my friend had been shot and was in critical condition. Honestly, I was too young to realize what exactly was going on but I remember what we did after that. My Father had us kneel next to a picture of The Virgin Mary and we prayed the rosary. Again, I didn't really understand the purpose of what we were doing or why but I prayed with my Father and Brother anyways. And guess what? God heard our prayers. Jesus sent his healing hand upon him and he was healed. By God's grace he has become an amazing, kind and loving person. 

The Second moment that I want to share with you is when I found out that my friend's Father had been hit by a car. I was much older than the previous story and this moment took a lot for me to process. My friend and I had been good friends since our Freshman year of college and had grown in our faith together. This was one of the first times I think I truly experienced that sense of helplessness. I wanted to do something for my friend but she was miles away and I could do nothing even if I was there. I turned to God. I said the rosary for that entire week. Hoping and praying that God would send his healing down upon my friend's Father. We had been told that there was a build up of fluids in his brain and that he would most likely have permanent brain damage. Again, God answered our prayers. God cured my friend's Father. The swelling receded and he is back able to be the Father he was before. 

Lastly, and this one is not a story from my life but the story of someone very close to me. This person struggled and suffered from a severe case of anxiety. Anxiety that was crippling. This person spent many days bed ridden because of her anxiety. Even breathing was a struggle for her. It was a struggle for her family. There were many tears as the family tried to find a way to help her. Her Mother and her Grandmother prayed for her day and night. This went on for some time and one day her Mother and Grandmother decided to go on a trip. They went on a trip to see the shrine of the Virgin Mary. They prayed the rosary asking Mary to intercede on her behalf. Asking Mary to plead with God that he might heal her. And sure enough God listened. My friend will tell you that she has felt God's healing touch. She has felt God lift her up out of the darkness and into the light. Her families prayers were answered just as Jesus promises us. I can tell you from first hand experience that God's healing has transformed her. He has made her into a bright light of faith and love in this world.

Before I end this post I just want to acknowledge a something. I know not all of our prayers are answered the way we want them to and that can make prayer a bit more difficult. But know this, God is listening. God is there for you. Turn to him. Talk to him. Know that he loves you. Know that he is always with you. Find comfort in him. One day we will be united with God in Heaven. One day we will embrace Jesus in the kingdom of light. One day we will be reunited with all of our loved ones that have gone before us. I pray that this gives you some hope. Hope to go on with the next day. Hope to overcome the hardships of life.

"Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen" Hebrews 11:1

I will leave you with these words that have always stuck with me. 

"Have Faith And Believe, All Will Be Well"

-Be The Light