A Prayer for Someone in Need

Someone very important to us is in need of prayer. Without getting into too much detail and sharing private information, let’s just say that I was compelled to write about this issue and share some of my experiences with prayer in general. I had this all planned out to do in person, but arctic weather had other plans. Fair warning, this will be a long post.

Throughout my life experiences, I have ran the gamut of religious identity. I have cursed God for my unfavorable experiences and proclaimed his might during periods of joy. Throughout my adolescence I ranged on the negative; in the past four years I have truly become a changed man solely because of my experiences.

Our dog Koda was diagnosed with immune mediated hemolytic anemia (IMHA) when she was five. That diagnosis simply means that, for whatever reason, her body was destroying its own white blood cells. In essence, her body was killing her. She was given a less than 20% survival rate.

This devastation lead to a new practice of mine – prayer. The doctors simply did not know what else could be done as there is no firm cause for the disease. Koda was given different medications and treatments, but her prognosis remained. All that we could do was pray – and we did.

An act of desperation began a foundational change within me. Because it wasn’t just that we prayed, we prayed hard. Bre and I would lay ourselves upon Koda and hold our hands upon her. We would pray for healing, for patience, for strengh and for wisdom. Not just for ourselves, but for Koda and the doctors treating her.

Remarkably, Koda improved. Over the next few months we cautiously tempered our optimism as her health became invigorated. What came next felt like a slap in the face.

A few months after her initial diagnosis, Koda became very sick. Jaundiced, lethargic, edematic – sick. We immediately brought her back in with a new diagnosis of gallbladder blockage. The vets gave us two options, put her down or drive to another emergency hospital three hours away. We drove.

There, the vets informed us that Koda had an unknown blockage causing potential gallbladder rupture. Again, she was given a less than 20% survival rate. We paid the (inordinate) fee and had her gallbladder removed. Again, we laid our hands upon her and prayed. The vets told use that if she made it through surgery she would have a 50% chance of surviving.

We stayed at the hospital for 4 days, and each day brought improvement as her medications decreased and my little girl came back to us. We could only spend so much time with her as she needed to rest, but every single time we would lay our hands upon her and pray. After the fourth day, we could go home.

At this point, Koda still needed round the clock care to ensure her recovery from the surgery. Bre and I would take turns so that someone was awake with her every single hour of the day in order to record her vitals and determine if anything was becoming emergent. That never happened.

Just last summer, Koda again became ill. This time she was diagnosed with thrombocytopenia, or where her body destroys its own platelets. While this disease is not nearly as deadly as her previous two, it can cause extreme complications due to the body not being able to clot wounds. Again, we prayed and her numbers returned to normal.

This is my firsthand account of Koda dealing with three life threatening complications. Every single time we would lay our hands upon her and pray, and all three times she made a full recovery. Considering that on two separate incidents she was given less than a 20% chance of surviving I would consider that nothing short of a miracle.

Throughout that whole time, many other people were praying for us and Koda. My mother even bought me a daily devotional like this (Thank you mom, I read it at work before every shift). That said, I have never experienced a more awe inspiring reaction such as we experienced with our prayer.

Back to the Current Matter

Someone very dear to us is ill. He is scheduled to undergo surgery soon. While Bre was able to make the trip, I had to stay home at the last minute due to the heat going out in our house. For several nights I have stayed up rehearsing my prayer that I was going to offer. Having witnessed the healing power of prayer firsthand, I thought it pertinent to provide.

As a preface, let me just say that I am not the most open book. As Shrek would say, I’m like an onion with many layers. I am introverted, introspective, and I enjoy thinking. I don’t often discuss or debate my thoughts, but I wanted to take this opportunity to provide the help I have experienced.

Since I cannot physically be with our loved one, I wanted to offer my prayer here in spite of our physical limitations:

Father, before us is our lover, father, mentor, spiritual confidant and vision – quest guide. Above all of that, he is your son. Please bless him in this time of need. Steel his convictions and ease any burdens of doubt. Shower him in your glory and healing.

Please bless the doctors with your wisdom to treat and heal. Let them be the instruments of your design in that they may remove any calamity and provide hope and healing.

Please remind your son that there is a difference between perseverance and stubborness, and to heed the directions of the doctors.

Please bless us all with patience, so that we may provide hope and courage to your son. Please remind us not to fret or burden your son as his needs will change.

Please show your son that the way is through you, and remind him that if he needs anything – all he has to do is ask. Most importantly, Father, please bless your son with a speedy and full recovery.  Amen.

A Final Thought

My favorite quote of all time goes something like this:

Adversity elicits talents which, in otherwise fortuitous situations, would have remained dormant – Horace

I think of that phrase often. I face a lot of (perceived) challenges. I tend to think that the adversity I have faced has made me the man that I am (for better or worse). Every single time I face a hard situation there is a solitary moment where I contemplate quitting, and then this quote comes to me.

It’s like my personal reminder to persevere. Bre says that I’m stubborn, but I like to call it perseverance. Nothing good in this life comes easy, and without perseverance we cannot reach the results.

To you:

This will change you. I am here for you. So is everyone else. Do not question that. My hope is that this adversity will encourage you to become the man you want to be. Not that you were lacking in that capacity, but that’s just how I see the result of challenge – an opportunity to grow. While it may seem odd to say, make the most of this experience and you shall truly benefit. We all love you dearly, and we hope for the speediest of recoveries.

For everyone else, if you feel compelled to add your own prayer to the comments below I would sincerely appreciate it.