The Reach Of Our Prayers

We are getting work done at our house.
We have lived in this house for almost twenty-five years.
My husband maintains our home well.
The things we are doing now are mostly aesthetic  things.

I have always wanted better lighting in our family room.
With vaulted ceilings, I knew that recessed lights were the only solution.
We hired a remodeling company to do the work for us.
The new lighting in the family room was going to be done first.

The men came the end of last week to put in the new lights.
It was the same day our granddaughter was coming for the weekend.
They came at 8:30 in the morning and were finished by 12:30 in the afternoon.
What a difference the lighting makes!

When the owner came in, he was followed by the electrician that would do the job.
The electrician had men with him as well.
I knew right away, the electrician, was experiencing back pain.
He was a tall man, yet he was bending over a bit; a posture I recognized.

I noticed that he had a Velcro brace around him to support his back.
The other men were in the attic, while he worked on the tall ladder downstairs.
When he came in the kitchen, I asked him about his back.
He told me the story of his surgery to remove a tumor near his spine.

The surgery was successful.
The tumor was completely removed.
Discs were fused.
He has had pain since the surgery.

I know that walk, I said to him.
I don’t have the strongest back, I continued.
He asked where we went to church.
He told me what church he and his family attends.

I have a dear friend who goes to that church with her husband and children.
I said her name and the electrician knew her well.
As he continued with his story, it was as if a light bulb switched on in my mind.
Oh…We prayed for you! I said astounded.

He searched my face to see what I possibly meant by my remark.
The dear friend, who goes to his church, also came to my home for Bible study.
She asked all the women to pray for a man at church who was having surgery to remove a tumor.
We prayed for him before, during, and after his surgery.

We didn’t know who this man was; we didn’t need to know.
We asked about him after she asked us to pray.
We followed up with his progress.
The man, that none of us knew personally at the time, was now standing in my kitchen.

Only God could orchestrate all the pieces so perfectly.
The electrician was moved.
Isn’t God amazing? I remember him saying.
God is truly amazing.

We are also getting a new deck.
All the old boards were removed.
New boards and a new railing system will be installed.
Finish work is also being done on our back walkway.

We had no idea that our deck work would begin so quickly.
Our little granddaughter was here on the day they began the work.
I didn’t even think about how the construction noise might frighten her.
Being almost two, I should have surmised.

She was afraid of the loud sounds.
She could not understand why men were walking on Grandma’s deck.
She clung to me for dear life.
She turned her body as far away from the windows as she possibly could.

There was nowhere in the house where we get away from the sound.
The grandchild bedroom, where the play kitchen is located, was directly over the deck.
The noise was the loudest there.
Downstairs, there were too many windows with a clear view of the workmen.

Only the basement was far enough away.
I got out toys from the toy closet.
We stayed down there for a while.
I decided that we could come upstairs and watch, Little Bear together.

Our TV is in an armoire, but the windows are all around.
My little granddaughter would not sit in her favorite spot.
Instead, she stood behind Grandma’s chair.
She watched Little Bear from behind my chair, in the space between my chair and a table.

A quote from Malcolm Guite came to mind.
I have often noticed how interesting footpaths and bridleways start just beyond the brambles at the end of tarmacked roads marked ‘dead end’. And it seems to me that this is very often where prayer starts too.

A man we didn’t know had serious back surgery.
A group of women prayed for him.
That same man stood in my kitchen years later.
He had no idea that he was prayed for in that very kitchen.

My little granddaughter doesn’t know that construction sounds are loud but not dangerous.
She clung to me as tightly as she could and turned her body away from what made her afraid.
Brambles at the end of roads marked, dead end.
Nothing is impossible with God.

Jesus, looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26)

With God, all things are possible.
The reach of our prayer reaches far.
The electrician knows that truth.
We, who prayed for him, were encouraged in our faith.

My granddaughter is too young to know that a dead ends is exactly the place God begins.
Things that seem impossible, loud, dangerous, and much too close to us, are no match for God.
We all have hard things in our life, causing us to cling, with a white knuckle grasp, to our Father.
We want to turn our body away from the danger, the offense, the noise, and the confusion.

Nothing is impossible with God.
God is weaving our prayers for our good and His glory.
God’s arm reaches far beyond our reach.
Cling tightly to Him.

2 responses to “The Reach Of Our Prayers”

1. Thank you for sharing this. I would like to start keeping better track of answers to prayer as it’s such an encouragement

   Reply

   • Paula,
     I think we all would benefit from keeping track of answered prayers.
     It is such a boost to our faith.
     Blessings,
     Gina

     Reply