Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see.

Hebrews 11:1

Dear God, there have been a few people I’ve prayed for over the last week regarding physical ailments. The mother-in-law of a coworker. The great nephew of another one. A patient at the clinic where I work suffering from alcoholism. But what kind of faith am I exhibiting in these prayers. What do I ask for, what do I hope for, and what do I expect?

I used to go to a church in Waco that was a little more charismatic and taught to have high expectations in terms of what miracles you can perform when it comes to healing. I remember feeling at the time that my faith was very inadequate. I had a hard time believing you would (not could, but would) intervene at that level. But I saw miraculous things happen. My best example is a woman with cancerous tumors in her back. Our small group prayed for her and laid hands on her in our living room, and when the doctors went to operate the tumors were gone and there was nothing for them to remove. It was a true miracle. I remember telling my wife at the time that we had evidence that the Holy Spirit was in our home in at least that miraculous moment.

Over time my attitude has morphed. I’m not the kind to go in and make a display of your miraculous power, but I am thoughtful about how I pray about something. So when I’m praying for someone, as I think about it now, there are specific parts to the prayer.

1. I acknowledge your power and your right to answer my prayer however you want regardless of the outcome I desire.
2. I pray about the situation and the answer that I would like to see happen.
3. I pray for those around the person or situation, that you would comfort and strengthen them. I also pray that you would use this painful time to heal and grow everyone involved.
4. If you say yes to the prayer, I pray that you will help all of us to live up to the responsibility we now have because you granted our request for a reason.
5. I pray that, above all, your will be done.

Father, sometimes I don’t have enough faith that you will heal in every situation, but I do have enough faith that you will heal for your purposes and for your plan. I also have faith that you will use stressful situations to guide all of us into your overall plan of purifying our hearts so that we might become closer to you. Thank you for being a God who cares, who listens, who loves, and to whom I can pray to, even on a morning like this.

In Jesus’ name I pray,

Amen