Prayer. Period.

Prayer. Prayer is a powerful thing. Sometimes I can easily forget this though. But prayer can do huge things.

Today was one of those days, where even in my mist of doubting God, He is faithful and loving and shows me answered prayers in the most beautiful and comforting ways.

As many of you reading this probably know, I have a friend named Caleb who was involved in a ski accident on January 5th. He hit his head on a tree and suffered a large amount of bruising Initially it was uncertain if he would make it through surgery the night of his accident to relieve pressure on his brain. Over the last five months and 3 weeks we received news of Caleb has oxygen levels that are far to low, Caleb’s eyes aren’t open, Caleb has not begun to talk, Caleb may not walk, Caleb is struggling with separating his dreams from reality.

I can still distinctly remember hearing news of Caleb’s accident while I was in Atlanta. Later that night I was with two of my friends Kat and Shelby. It was then that I realized with these two, that all I could do was pray. No matter how much I wanted to be able to fix Caleb or take back what happened or allow him to survive his surgery that night, all I could do is pray.

But I have come to realize that I hate that phrase “All I Can Do is Pray” because in reality all we should ever do is pray in situations like that and many others. Our God is the creator of the universe. Our God gives us the breath of life and allows us to wake up every morning. Our God is the God who tells the wind which was to blown and the rain where to fall. Our God is Almighty, all powerful, and our God is in control of it all.

So in reality that night and in the months to follow, I COULD pray. I could pray and ask my Father in Heaven who has Caleb’s and all of our lives in his hands for complete healing.

I could pray. And pray I did. These last 5 months and three weeks have taught be more about prayer and grown my prayer life more than anything. I will admit that there were times when I certainly began to doubt if Caleb would ever wake up, ever talk, ever walk, ever remember. There were times when my faith began to dwindle. There were moments throughout these last five months and 3 weeks that I doubted that the Lord would heal Caleb.

Thankfully though, even in our doubts and dwindling hope, our God is faithful. It was been such an incredibly blessing to read progress of Caleb over the last months. To hear of his oxygen levels rise over night. On the 13th day for him to finally open his eyes. For him to be able to talk once his breathing tube was removed. In the last few weeks hearing stories from friends and his mom about him being able to separate dreams from reality.

And today, my friend Caleb, after 5 months and 3 weeks of a tough battle and truly because of the willingness and faithfulness of the Lord, walked out of Touchstone rehabilitation facility to go home and continue out patient therapy. Praise the Lord for He is good!

This afternoon after a morning of massage and music with the kids of the Miriam Center we had a staff prayer meeting after lunch. This prayer meeting held in the courtyard of the M.C. This meeting consisted of Haitian workers, translators, Autumn, Stephanie, and myself along with visitors from one of the American groups. This time of prayer was so beautiful and so great for my soul. It was such a blessing to see all of the staff: Haitian and American to come together as one unit to pray for the children, the staff, the building and movements forward in the future.

I left this time feeling uplifted and went up to my room to read Caleb’s Caring Bridge entry for the day that his parents post with updates. It was then that I had my true God moment of today. In this blog entry, Caleb’s mom had posted a verse, Jeremiah 31:13. “I will turn their mourning into joy. I will comfort them and exchange their sorrow for rejoicing.” If you have been following along on my blogs, this verse may be familiar to you.

This is because Jeremiah 31:13 is the verse painted on the walls of the Miriam Center. I have seen the Lord work in amazing ways these past few months in Caleb’s life and recovery. I have seen the power of prayer in the miracle He has done through my friend, but today was as though he were saying, “Look daughter, I can do miracles in all things, even here in Haiti.”

Our Lord is faithful. His love never fails. His will is for our good. He is the blesser and the Redeemer. The Beginning and the End. He will never abandon us, never harm us, never forsake us. Our God is faithful and true. Our God is powerful and protecting. Our God has us in his hands. Our God is healer and Father.

I can say that I have seen so many of these characteristics of our Lord in Caleb’s story. And it is my prayer that I will one day see these same qualities through what He has done here in Haiti and in the lives of the kids in the Miriam Center and special needs children all throughout the world. I hope that you will join me in this prayer.

Prayer is powerful. Just ask my friend Caleb.

”Never stop praying.” 1 Thessalonians 5:17