As I have written recently, I have been going through a crazy, head-scratching time with illness. What I thought was flu was pneumonia which became septic shock, almost got me coded in the ER, put me in the ICU, extended itself in infection, 2 more ER visits, and another hospital admission. I am recuperating well and able to limp around better every day, and I feel much better. My experience of the Reading Hospital staff, from beginning to end, has been amazing! And while they still don’t completely understand how all of this happened, they are working on it. They, along with my wife’s wonderful care, have sustained me physically.
On the spiritual side, I have been truly grateful for all of you including me in your prayers. To be clear, I don’t believe in miraculous healing (except when Jesus did it), but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. I believe in science, even with its limitations, as a vehicle for God’s work. I also believe in the power of prayer. Prayer is public, private, and personal. Jesus prayed a lot, but He also told His disciples to pray in private, unlike the hypocrites who showed off in public. He, reluctantly, I think, taught His followers only on prayer, and only because they nagged Him, saying that John the Baptist did it for his followers. I don’t like saying grace in public but will pray at your bedside and in your home and in church and in the quiet of my home. The power of prayer, for me, is the way it makes me feel loved and supported. I would also never force prayer on anyone, which includes asking people I barely know if I can pray for them. I will pray for them, regardless, because I think there is power in the compassion of prayer. I just don’t want them to feel weird.
Studies have shown again and again that there is something about prayer that helps us to heal, even if that healing isn’t the total removal of our illness. Jesus often healed people twice; physically and spiritually. For those who do not find physical healing in prayer, I see you and mourn with you. Not everything gets fixed just because we ask God to fix it. Yet even in the midst of that sense of loss, we can find spiritual healing in prayer that can help us through the most difficult times. Keep praying for each other – and for me. Your prayers are full of support and soothing balm, and there is little else in life that can lift my spirits than knowing you care. That is what makes for a spiritual community that matters.
Prayer – Holy God, even though we don’t know how prayer works, we are encouraged to keep doing it. May our prayers be a source of comfort for those in pain. Amen.
Today’s art is “Praying” by Mihaela Ionescu.