Sorry this post is kind of Long!
Prayer is such a powerful tool that God has given us. We don't understand what power God has given us in prayer. Prayer doesn't change God's mind, it changes us!
5 years ago my sister had breast cancer, I called her and told her that I was praying for her. She said, "Don't pray for me, God don't want me and the devil is afraid of me!" She was making a joke, but I told her, "Well, I'm going to pray for you anyway!" She has always been really independent and she has NEVER been interested in God. Well we all kept praying for her and after having surgery and chemo, etc. she is cancer free. Now skipping forward to October of this year...
My 2 year old grandson was diagnosed with a brain tumor which devastated us, but we cried out to God and hundreds of people prayed for him. His tumor was removed and it was benign. His little story is really amazing! BUT Here is something that resulted from that, my big bad sister with the breast cancer tells me every time I talk to her "Thank God that his tumor wasn't cancer!" Now it is December and another of my sisters was diagnosed with lung cancer, now the breast cancer surviving sister sent my 11 year old grandson an email and here is the exchange first with what my grandson wrote to her and then her reply to him:
Dear Aunt Lola (the breast cancer survivor), I am praying for all of my family, I love you.
Love, Justin
the reply..
Dear Justin, thank you, please pray for Aunt Mary (lung cancer sister), I have faith in your prayers.
Love, Aunt Lola
If you knew my sister (Lola) you would really be amazed at that simple sentence, I have faith in your prayers. Then on Wed of this last week my sister with the lung cancer (Mary) had surgery and it was a huge tumor they removed the lower right lobe of her lung and then the doctor said, "No need for chemo or radiation." he said there was no involvement in any other tissues or lymph nodes so at this time as far as he can tell the cancer is gone. My sister Lola, in the meantime is marveling that this has happened! How far does God have to go to draw us to Him? Why do things happen the way they do? If we knew it all we would be dumbfounded by our amazing God!
So I truly believe that God ultimately uses everything that happens to us to make us realize that without Him we are nothing..He uses prayer to let us know our frailties because when we pray and call out to him we are learning that He is the One who gives life and He is in control of all things. I am thankful to Him for planting in us the desire to cry out to Him in prayer. It is His way of directing our thoughts toward Him, that is His will for us. Like Ray says, when we pray for His will to be done our prayers are always answered, even if we think they are not! Keep praying for the sick because we are told that the prayer of faith will heal the sick and God will lift him up! We may not know exactly WHAT that means, but we know that God is faithful! God is absolutely trustworthy! All of our questions will be answered one day.
Keep praying!
Kathy