On asking for prayers

For the past year, my dad has been living with cancer, and this week, decisions were finally made regarding what to do about it. On Wednesday, he learned that today he'll be having a five-hour surgery to remove the cancer. Then comes a week to ten days recovery in hospital, and a few months of going gently after that. And then we hope it will be gone!

Yesterday, I went through my email list and invited 70 folks that might or might not hear about the surgery otherwise to say a wee prayer for my dad. I felt a little funny doing it, but this morning, I am overwhelmed with gratitude for my friends' response, a definite tsunami of prayers, as one friend called it. If prayer alone can save a person, my dad has it made. The bonus is that he's in God's loving hands, of course.

My lesson? Never be afraid to ask for prayers. Friends are only too happy to bring each other's needs to God, and nothing raises the spirits like knowing they've asked the best for you or your loved ones. Prayer may or may not change the outcome of what's happening, but it fills everyone involved with hope. And personally, I think that changes outcomes right there, even if we don't get exactly what we've been praying for!

God bless you, my friends. Please say a wee prayer for my dad...