The power of prayer

Prayer.

That's what this column is about.

I don't want to sound preachy, but prayer has been on my mind quite a bit.

Most of us have been praying as long as we can remember.

Now I lay me down to sleep ... .

God is great, God is good ... .

Many of us have turned to prayer in times of extreme need:

God, get me through this final exam with a passing grade, and I promise ... .

O, Lord, don't let that highway patrol car's flashing lights turn on ... .

And some of us have come to rely on the power of prayer, knowing that our prayers have been answered -- even if not the way we had hoped.

My extended family kicked up its prayers a notch after my younger brother was diagnosed with cancer a couple of years ago. "Pray for a miracle," our mother urged.

At first we thought "a miracle" would be a cure. Indeed, David managed two more years of teaching in spite of major surgeries, radiation treatments and chemotherapy.

When his doctors said he had less than six months to live, David was in Los Angeles but wanted to be close to family in Missouri when he died.

Our older son, David's nephew, volunteered to go to California for what he called "the extraction" -- cutting the ties there and getting David, who by now relied on a walker and wheelchair to get around, back to Missouri.

A retired Lutheran pastor opened doors to an assisted-living facility. Hospice provided support and a Baptist chaplain. A Roman Catholic priest taught David how to say the rosary. Caregivers provided much more than care. In December, surrounded by love and support, he died peacefully. He was 46.

My mother was the first to say it: "Our prayers were answered."

Here's another story about prayer, this one right here in the newsroom.

Our indispensable librarian, Sharon, has had many reasons to pray in recent months. In addition to losing her mother not too long ago, Sharon has had her own health problems to deal with. A few weeks ago, her sister's health indicated a serious situation.

You know the kind of dread the unknown creates. Doctors suspect this. Tests show that -- maybe.

Sharon let me know she would have to take some time off this week to accompany her sister for some tests and possible treatment of a still unknown illness. So when she came in after being gone only a short time, I could tell the news was good. Her smile told the whole story.

As it turned out, previous tests had been misleading for reasons that were now clear. There was nothing wrong. There was no need for treatment.

"Prayer!" I said. It seemed like the most likely non-medical explanation.

"All around the world!" Sharon replied with a huge grin.

Sometimes I wonder if we ask for too much when we pray. We ask for this and that when maybe we should leave the specifics up to God.

Here's a prayer that's been on my mind:

O God of power and wisdom: You have given us boundless love, but, in our human frailty, we have asked for our own desires to be fulfilled, not yours. We humbly ask for your continued blessings, whatever they may be, and we thank you for your endless mercy. Amen.

If you don't believe in the power of prayer, it's most likely because you haven't tried it.

R. Joe Sullivan is the editor of the Southeast Missourian.