A Sign of Weakness / A Personal Story

Luke 6:12 (KJV) Says, "And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God."  John 17:1 (KJV) Says, "These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come, glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee."

The above scripture gives us a couple of examples where Jesus himself went to God in prayer. In the scripture taken from Luke, not only did Jesus go to God in prayer, but he prayed all night long. We, and I mean every one of us, believers and non-believers alike, are afforded this same privilege, and what a privilege it is. Take a moment to consider that Almighty God, creator of all, will take the time to listen to us, anytime we choose to go to him in prayer. What a tremendous blessing that is.

With that said, instead of looking at it as the great privilege it is, some view going to God in prayer as a weakness. Some are ashamed to admit they pray, and some simply don't do it. To be given the blessing  of an open line of communication with our heavenly father twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, and being embarrassed to admit we take advantage of it, or failing to utilize it, is to deny ourselves so much that it would be impossible to list it all here. Many people think that if they admit they pray, or express their love for the Lord openly, it would harm their tough, cool, swag-like image,  making them appear vulnerable, and causing them to seem weak in some way. That could not be further from the truth. There is nothing that could make an individual stronger than forming a close personal relationship with God through prayer and the knowledge of his word.

I'll share a personal story with you that demonstrates God's mighty power, as well as the miracles, blessings, and strength he can pour out on us, if we will seek him in prayer. My brother, who is a couple of years younger than I am, is a 6'4"  210 lb. man who is not in the least bit weak. He is a hard working man who prays when things are going well in his life, and prays when he's facing struggles. My brother, and his wife have one child, a daughter, my niece, who became involved in barrel racing a few years back, and she grew quite skilled at it, winning a few competitions at the state level. For those of you who are not familiar with barrel racing, it is an event where one at a time the participants race around barrels on horseback with the winner being the one who finishes with the fastest time.

One Saturday, I attended one of my niece's competitions, and watched her compete in several races throughout the day. She had one race left, and it was going to be a while before that race was set to take place. It was getting late and I still had to cook dinner, so I left the competition and headed home. I prepared dinner and had just sat down at the table, when a 911 message scrolled across my pager. My niece's horse had slipped and fell during her last ride. The impact of the blow to my niece's head secondary to speed, and the weight of the horse as they hit the ground resulted in my niece sustaining a serious head injury. She was being rushed to the local emergency room via rescue. I love my niece tremendously, and I was visibly shaken by the message I had received so a friend offered to drive me to the hospital. I took her up on her offer, and we headed out right away. Upon our arrival, we were given the news that an emergency CT scan was done, which revealed a large bleed on my niece's brain.  The doctor confirmed to my brother and sister-n-law that my niece's injury was serious, and most definitely could be life threatening. It was ordered that my niece be life flighted to the children's hospital immediately, where she would be met by a physician who specialized in pediatric neurology. My brother pleaded for permission to fly in the med vac helicopter with my niece, but space would not allow it. He followed the gurney onto the heliport pad, and stood there until the helicopter lifted. The next second my 6'4" brother dropped to his knees on that heliport pad weeping, praying, and pleading with God not to take his daughter. He then mustered the strength to stand up, he and my sister-n-law ran to my younger brother's truck, and my younger brother drove them to the next hospital. For any of you who are of the opinion that praying makes you appear weak, let me tell you that's not the case. As I watched  my brother pray that day while doctors, nurses and many others looked on he had never appeared stronger. He and his wife displayed a strength so great that day it could only have come from God.

All family members headed to the children's hospital, each one of us praying all the way. My younger sister and my brother-in-law had been at my nephews baseball game, and they had my niece, my nephew, and two or three of the other baseball players from the team with them in their vehicle. Without instruction from anyone those children joined hands, and prayed also. Everyone knew we needed to pray. Having worked for a neurologist myself for several years I was aware that my niece could face brain swelling, seizures, she could require drainage tubes, surgery, and that there were many complications which could arise secondary to her head injury. My mind raced through them all.

Upon arrival at the children's hospital, my niece was given a complete evaluation, and placed in intensive care to be closely  monitored.  We were each allowed just a moment to visit with her, and then directed to a waiting room outside the unit where our prayers continued. Over the next few days my niece's condition began to improve, and did so day after day, month after month,  without one surgery, and without one complication. She suffered a bit of memory loss that slowly returned, and the road to a full recovery was a long one, but she got there. Praise God!! Let me also say for any who are wondering about the horse, that my niece is a huge animal lover, and as soon as she was able she was asking if her horse was injured. We were glad to report to her that her horse had suffered no injuries, and was perfectly healthy. She still had concerns that the horse was injured and she was being protected from the news, so as soon as  she was released from the hospital my brother brought the horse in a horse trailer to the house so she could see with her own eyes that it was indeed unharmed.

 I saw my niece's CT scan with my own eyes the day she was injured,  and the bleed on her brain was a large one. I witnessed her make a full recovery which required only time, and for me there is no doubt whatsoever that God answered our prayers. He performed a miracle, blessed us with strength, and sustained each of us throughout this horrific ordeal. So you see, I know firsthand that praying in no way demonstrates weakness, but rather quite the opposite is true. There is not an ounce of weakness found in prayer only power, strength, miracles, and blessings, from Almighty God.

If you have a prayer request and would like me to pray for you, leave me a message and I will be more than happy to do so. May God bless you.