“You know what, Anita? I have seven friends, including you, who are going through challenging times,” a friend shared. “And, I…I feel so helpless...” Her voice trailed off over the phone.

“Well, you can pray for us.” I winced as I said that knowing she would be praying.

“You know I am. It’s just that I wish there was something more I could do.”

I understood how she felt. When I hear about my friend’s 15-year-old whose liver transplant isn’t going well, or the young kids who lost a mother to cancer, I pray for comfort and grace. But I also ache for them and want to reach beyond the realm of prayer--to do something tangible to help.

Yet shouldn’t prayer be enough? After all, in prayer one is communing with our all-powerful Creator and Sustainer...

Today, I went to church for prayer for healing. Was I healed? Not yet. Will I be healed? I don’t know--that's in His hands. But I left with a peace, knowing that God is in control and I can rest in Him even through the storms. Prayer, I’ve found, changes me. When I’m on my knees, I’m more willing to surrender what I want to see happen and my timetable to His.

Over the last few months, as my symptoms have worsened, I’ve experienced another side to prayer. When we lift each other up to God, there’s a deeper awareness of ways in which we can extend a hand of help. How else could the friend from whom I hadn’t heard in a while have sent me an e-mail assuring me of her prayers on the very day that was hard physically and emotionally? Or how could a family that insisted on bringing a meal for us one evening have known that week was a trying one? What about the cards or the phone calls that come at just the right time to reassure me of friends’ continued prayer and offers to help? Just to know that someone mentions my  name to our Heavenly Father, and that He cares enough to prompt someone to write or call or come over, helps me see the sliver of light through the storm clouds…and many times prayer is all we have.

What do you think: Is prayer enough?

Praying hands Image: nuchylee / FreeDigitalPhotos.net