Two are better than one

The tie that binds two hearts together in love for God and with one another is prayer.

As one day passed into the next, the hope that the holes would close on their own was becoming less and less of a possibility.   After the feeding tubes had been removed the goal was for the holes that were left to heal from the inside out, but the progress was slow and had come to somewhat of a standstill.

At first glance the holes looked like they had healed internally, and that we were well on our way to complete closure.  Initially, we were very encouraged.  We could almost taste complete victory after 16 long years of chronic illness and tube feeding.  However, looks can be deceiving.  Upon careful examination it was clear that although they may have healed somewhat on the inside, they were far from being completely sealed shut on the outside.  To say the least, it was disappointing and somewhat discouraging.



"Why", "when", and "how"

Boxes upon boxes of gauze, rolls upon rolls of Coban, and loads upon loads of soiled t-shirts told the true story.  The leaking was constant and frustrating.  Our hopes seemed dashed with each drip of those wet, messy holes.  God had done such a huge, mind blowing, medically impossible, and undeniable healing miracle.  This part just didn't make sense.  Healing up the holes seemed like such a small, minor part of all this.  Why wouldn't they close?  Why was this seemingly minute detail left undone?

On my end, I was praying all over this and asking God all these "why" questions along with a few "when" and "how" questions too.  The thought of Christopher having another surgery, no matter how minor, was just not an idea I wanted to entertain, but it was really looking as if that was exactly where this was headed.  I asked God to help me to be accepting of HIS plans, methods, and timing for Christopher, but truth be told I felt like I was losing that battle.

I wasn't the only one praying about this.  Christopher was in direct talks with Jesus about this too.  I could see that Christopher's  patience was wearing thin.  He was becoming increasingly disheartened with each gauze, Coban, and t-shirt change that he had to do.  He even stopped eating wholeheartedly and enjoying the blessing that God had so mercifully given him.  He just didn't want to deal with the wet, leaking mess.  His weight began to suffer a little bit which raised my level of concern to even newer heights.

One night, I was praying about the whole situation, when God turned the tables and asked me a "why" question.  Why was I praying about this all alone?  It was an excellent question that I had no good answer for.  Why was I praying about this all alone?  Immediately I felt compelled to get up and go into my son's room.  Christopher was already in bed.  He wasn't asleep yet, so I began to explain to him that God had put it on my heart that we should be praying about this TOGETHER.  As we sat there together in his room that was dark except for the dim light shining in from the hallway, we began together to cover his holes with prayer.  Together we asked God for healing, and together we asked Him to help us to be accepting of His mighty plans, methods, and timing. 

Our nightly prayers became a routine.  I don't think either one of us could sleep soundly without making sure that we had covered his holes with prayer before closing our eyes and letting sleep take a foothold for the night.  One night melted into the next until the weeks began to pile up a multitude of healing prayers for Christopher's stubborn holes.  We were still praying, but the holes were still staying. 

About a month into our evening prayer routine, a question popped into my mind as I readied myself to go into Christopher's room for our nightly appeal to Jesus for healing.  As I made my way across the hall my soul appealed to God for mercy.  Christopher and I had been praying for at least a month now, night after night without fail, but his holes were no closer to being closed than when we had first started the nightly prayer requests.  The leaks were still flowing along with all that gauze and Coban.  Had God not heard us? 

It seemed as if the question had not even left my mind when God suddenly responded loud and clear with the exact words that I had just been wrestling with in my mind.  He reminded me that INDEED Christopher and I had been praying for at least a month now, night after night without fail.  His glorious answer hit me with the weight of a two ton truck.  The simplicity of God's point rang true in my soul as I realized His beautiful truth that my son and I had been praying TOGETHER.  It was so simple, and yet so profound. 


With this new understanding, the worries and concerns about the holes fell away.  Fear lost it's power, and true acceptance rose in its place.  God really did have a plan.  He really did have a method to carry out those plans, and His timing would be perfect.  I was sure of that now, but God in His compassion had put the "icing on the cake".   Christopher and I had learned to become "prayer warriors" together.  In such a sweet and simple way God had united a mother and son in prayer, and strengthened the ties that bind. God showed us that two were definitely better than one, and that the true tie that binds two hearts together in love for God and with one another is without a doubt prayer.


If you have never accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you can pray like this:

More tomorrow...