Front Porch Stories: Continued Prayers
By KATHY BOHANNON, Special to The Coweta Shopper
I recently shared an article about prayer. I suppose I could write a book about my prayer life and how God has heard and answered, as well as how He has led me to accept His will and not my own.
Prayer doesn’t always have to be the quiet-time-on-your-knees version; it can be an open-eyed- waiting-on-the-light-to-change version. It can be the glimpse of someone in need, like just a prayer of provision for that person and that they would desire to know God more than whatever they are going through.
Probably the most precious prayer I have, or will ever witness is that of my Grandlittle Wren when she was going through chemo for a genetic mutation neuroblastoma cancer. She was just 16 months old when her journey started (she is nine years old now, and in remission, praise God!)
During chemo, we made it a point to pray each time they connected the lines to her port. Joining us in prayer were either the pastor of her parent’s church or a deacon, either in person or over the phone.
“Please, God,” the prayers would begin, asking that God’s hand would be in every aspect of her experience, and also thanking Him for all he was doing.
One particular morning we stood by her bedside waiting on the pastor to answer the phone, just as we had done time after time. The call connected, and the nurse waited for the prayer to start. “Please, God…” the pastor began. The nurse then initiated the flow of chemo. As we listened to his prayer, we heard the tiniest voice plead to the Lord in a whisper.
“Bees, Dod.” It was the only way Wren could pronounce those words at such a young age. “Bees, Dod,” she said again and again, adding her whispered prayer. We believe that God heard that tiny voice, probably louder than any of the others raised in prayer that day.
We don’t know why some are healed here and others healed in Heaven, and we probably will never know. What we do know is that during the experience, lives were touched and we saw God’s blessings among our most difficult days.
Another prayer that is significant is the one my husband and I shared right after we said our vows. We prayed for God to be at the helm of our union, especially when we didn’t acknowledge Him in whatever situation might arise. For us, placing God first has been the absolute strength behind our nearly 48 years together.
We had our daughter four years after we married, and our son was born four years later. I prayed for my child’s life in both pregnancies, but I also prayed for their future spouses. I asked God to guide them to one another and to draw them near to Him. They are 43 and 39 years old now, and I believe God heard my prayers.
We were in France for my husband’s business, and I noticed how most people walked or rode bicycles throughout Paris. While charming it was to see, I realized the way our communities are laid out, most of the time when I see someone walking or on a bicycle it is because they need transportation. That takes me back to the first prayer in this article, one of provision and that they would know God in whatever they are going through.
It very well could be the only prayer lifted up for that person, and I’m thankful that God is listening.
Kathy Bohannon is a Christian humorist and inspirational speaker. She can be reached at
[email protected].
