What happens when we pray? I know that we pray, we grow in faith, God hears us, and answers our prayers, sometimes in ways we want, sometimes in ways we don’t want. But on a cosmic level, what really happens? I ask because I have been privileged to see BIG answers to prayer lately in the lives of people around me, or people who used to be around me.
Example 1. A former elder of my church in Atlanta has been fighting cancer for 15 or so years. He and his precious family were told a few weeks ago that the end was near and he had mere days to live. So people prayed. I mean, prayed. All across the state of Georgia, and elsewhere in the country, people who know this man and people who don’t all got down on their knees and cried out to God for a miracle. Death retreated, and he’s still fighting, one of Christ’s great warriors on this earth, I know.
Example 2. A couple in India whom I’ve never met adopted an infant boy born with several disabilities, who was unwanted by his mother and would otherwise have been left to die. They brought him to Chapel Hill for desperately needed surgery, only to find out that they needed $100,000 to actually pay for the surgeries. So people prayed. And gave. And $100,000 was raised in one week. ONE WEEK. I get chills just thinking about it. This beautiful child still has a hard journey ahead of him. This isn’t over. But God is working.
So I wonder, what happens when we pray? Are the powers of God unleashed upon this earth? Are His warriors sent out to do His bidding and to answer the pleas of His people? Are the forces of Satan pushed back as the sons and daughters of the Creator raise their voices? When our hearts are in anguish, does He sing over us words of comfort and healing?
I think yes. I know in this lifetime, I will never know what that looks like in the spiritual realm, but oh, what joy it will be to gaze upon the face of my Savior and see how His mighty hand is outstretched over this earth.
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