But Prayer

". . .but prayer. . . " Acts 12:5

 

In our less than perfect world, we often overlook the power of the conjunction; it changes the context of the sentence--and our situation.  In its entirety, Acts 12: 5 reads, "So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church" (ESV).  Peter was in a bad spot; he was in prison; his hands were tied (in more ways than one); he was powerless on his own.  Then, the conjunction presents the turn--"but prayer"--Peter's situation was changed; he was supernaturally freed.  One can only speculate what would have happened if there had been no prayer.  Would Peter have remained in prison?  Would he have been killed?  The beginning of the chapter indicates that Herod had "laid violent hands on some who belonged to the church" (Acts 12:1, ESV). Certainly, Peter's fate didn't look promising.  Prayer was the key to changing his situation--earnest prayer.  The saints of the church were serious when they prayed.  Or were they?  When Peter shows up at their door, they don't believe Rhoda, the servant girl; they dismiss her as being delusional.  They were actually surprised to see Peter standing at the door!  Isn't that what they had been praying for?

 

I fear that too many believers today have the unbelieving mindset of those who prayed for Peter.  They prayed for Peter's release, but they didn't really believe he would be set free.  We pray, but do we really expect God to answer?  Are we surprised when He does?  It's easy to believe IN God, but it's much more difficult to actually BELIEVE God.  Far too often we limit God because we think we know what He can do.  Will He really heal a disease the doctors say is too far advanced?  Can He really reverse damage to an organ doctors say can't be reversed?  Psalms 103:  2--3 says, "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, and who heals all your diseases (ESV, emphasis mine).  It doesn't say He heals some of your diseases; it says all your diseases.  We should expect the unexpected; we should believe He can do more than we expect--He is The Great I AM.  Our prayers are God's opportunities; don't limit Him!

 

Admittedly, this is easier said than done.  I'm a perfect example.  My husband, Max, has been diagnosed with kidney failure; he's in Stage 3 according to the doctors.  His nephrologist is talking about dialysis--that's scary.  We were told kidney disease can't be reversed; dialysis is inevitable.  The easy thing to do is to accept the diagnosis; from a medical standpoint, my husband's situation won't get better.  But (there's that powerful conjunction again), I believe God can do the impossible.  I believe God has healed my husband's kidney disease. 

 

In August 2015, I was in a prayer service that I believed resulted in my Max's healing.  I believe prayer is powerful, and I'm determined not to limit God.  This determination also prompted me to step outside my comfort zone and declare my husband's healing.  It was easy to tell my friends who are also believers, but I felt I needed to speak this to others who don't believe.  This is not easy for me; I'm not one to speak out.  I'm plagued by thoughts of unbelief, but I couldn't shake the feeling that I needed to speak to others about Max's healing.  I began to speak words of life and healing; acknowledging the miracle I believe God had performed in Max's life.  One of those non-believers I felt I needed to speak to was Max's nephrologist.  I went with Max to an office visit several weeks after the prayer service, and we received an encouraging report--Max's blood work showed no increase.  While the numbers had not gone down; they were not higher (they had been progressively increasing).  I told his nephrologist to expect a miracle (he only looked at the chart).  I realized also that others are not required to believe; we're only expected to obey.  Additionally, if I expect a miracle, changes need to be made to line up with that expectation.  As a result, we've made dietary changes such as eliminating virtually all processed foods and reducing our salt usage.  We've actually switched to unrefined salt.  We've also stopped eating out at restaurants.  I believe God expects us to be good stewards of our bodies. 

 

While I don't know what's in our future, I believe that prayer changes things.  I believe God still heals, and I'm going to expect good reports from doctors.  May I, may we,  never limit what God can do through our unbelief.  May I, may we, "having done all, . . . stand firm" (Ephesians 6:13, ESV).