Do you believe in the power of prayer? I do. But I will forever and always believe in the miracle of prayer after I prayed this:

Most of you know my Mom passed away in 2011, after suffering a stroke. For two months, she fought to stay with us. She knew who we were, but the stroke had left her unable to speak.

After she died, I grieved her terribly. My prayer for months became this: “Lord I wish I could see Mama just one more time. Just one more time Lord. I know that’s not possible, but I just want to see her. I miss her.” I never thought to ask if I could hear her voice. My brother had heard Mama speak to him the night she passed away. She told him “It’s more beautiful than you can imagine.”

I’ve always loved that he heard her talking. And, yes, I was a tad bit jealous. But it never occurred to me to pray that I would hear her. I knew she hadn’t been able to talk after the stroke, and being the practical person that I am, I knew better than to pray that prayer.

Of course, wanting to see someone who has passed away is a pretty impractical prayer, too. But isn’t that the way it is when a dear one passes? Don’t we wish for one more chance to sit with them? One more chance to see their face? I did.

One particular Sunday, almost a year after Mama died, John set up his camera to get an updated picture of the both of us – a cute couples shot! He’s a great photographer, but, like the dentist whose kids have cavities, he forgets to take our own picture. After church, when we were both dressed in our finest, we went outside and struck a few poses. It was a beautiful day, I had good hair – which was a miracle – AND my make-up looked good. The picture he took was wonderful. But there was more.

When he showed it to me, I kept staring at my face. I wasn’t staring because I looked so good. It wasn’t a self-indulgent stare. It was a stare because my impossible prayer had been answered: I saw my Mama. In my face. I looked at my face in the picture, and it was a reflection of her. I knew God had answered, as only He could.

For days I would stare at the picture in the frame. I gazed at it for minutes at a time. But only when no one was around. I didn’t want anyone to think I was conceited, you know? I could not stop looking at it. I couldn’t. I saw Mama. She was right there. In front of me. It was a miracle. And yet, it was exactly what I had prayed for.

In our humanness, we tend to limit our prayers to those things only WE could accomplish. Today, on this National Day of Prayer, let’s be bold with our petitions to God. Let’s ask Him for these seemingly impossible requests:

◆ For the end to the travesty of abortion: “Deliver those who are being taken away to death…” Proverbs 24:11
◆ For God to intervene on behalf of our country: “O let the evil of the wicked come to an end, but establish the righteous.” Psalm   7:9
◆ For a revival in this country the likes of which we haven’t seen since the Great Awakenings of the 18th and 19th centuries: “and if My people who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14

And always, let’s remember this:

But Jesus looked at them and said, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:26

Grace be with you,