The Power of Your Prayers

Getting back into blogging might be causing my classes to take a hit, but I can’t help it, talking about how amazing God is and what He is doing in my life is so much more exciting than my coursework! Oh how I wish you could be in my mind right now and understand everything the Lord is doing in my heart.  I am so encouraged and it is because of you!  Yes, you. 

Prayer works and God has heard yours.  Thank you so much for calling out to Him on my behalf.  I have been so blessed to hear and see first hand so many people who are praying for me. 

I had a friend tell me that on Tuesday AIR 1 called asking her if she knew anyone that needed prayer and they added me to their prayer chain.  I started responding to treatment on Wednesday.  Not a coincidence. Friends have shared my blog posts and asked their churches to be praying for me.  I have received messages from so many of you sharing your support.  It is amazing the power that words hold.  A simple text at the right time can make all the difference between having the best day and the worst day. 

I cannot believe that I have been here almost 7 days, but at the same time, these last few have gone by and so much has happened that I am almost in shock of just how swiftly God hears and answers prayers. 

Monday I received the news that I was already dreading.  I knew I was rejecting my transplant, but I didn’t want to know just how severe it was.  When the doctor comes in and one of the first things they tell you is, this could be it.  Your liver could just have given up; it can only take so much.  Its strange, the first feeling I had was acceptance, maybe even relief, and there was some slight shock.  I didn’t realize just how quickly it could all end.  I know that my body is delicate, but my track record shows that God has made me a fighter.  The realization that my whole life could change in the matter of 5 days was a humble reminder of how out of control of my circumstances I am. 

When the final results rang in and they reported that my liver is showing signs of chronic rejection, acute rejection, and possibly even an autoimmune hepatitis, it was an answer to prayer.  Who prays for rejection?  This girl right here! At first it felt funny to thank God for answering my prayers.  I would have taken complete healing, but I did still get what I asked for. 

Monday night I started having trouble breathing and my heart rate sky rocketed to a resting rate of 160.  My dad and I had gone for a walk that afternoon and I had to stop at one point because my chest hurt and I couldn’t catch my breath.  I waited out through the afternoon hoping my heart would calm down and that it was just a sign of over exhaustion, but it didn’t stop.  I began to get chills and then started struggling to breathe.  My blood pressure dropped and a fever of 102 spiked.  It wasn’t long until the on-call had me moving to the ICU.  It all felt like an overreaction, but sometimes you just can’t fight the doctor’s recommendations. 

Not only was I not feeling well, it appeared my situation was becoming worse.  Now on top of the rejection and the pulmonary infection they were worried I had contracted something else.  The source of this new infection could have been anywhere. My body had also not responded to the first round of treatment with steroids for my rejection.  

Soon the word was out and prayers were being said on my behalf.  Within the next 24 hours there was a complete turn around.  My heart rate came down, the fever broke and never returned, and my body started responding to the steroids.  I know that this was not a matter of medicine healing me; God had His hand in it. 

As you know, after I got sent to the ICU I had quite the time getting out of there.  In a sense it was a frustration.  Then I realized, the reason I was in there was because there were no empty beds and it wasn’t just me who was being inconvenienced. The realization hit me, there are so many people who are sick, so many people who need prayer, so many people who are hurting, and I have been blessed with the support and love from you. 

I guess what I am saying is that we all have struggles, we all have hurt, we all have pain, and we all have the same God who loves us.  Watching Him intercede on my behalf, bringing wisdom amongst the chaos, peace amongst the unknown, and the joy amongst the broken dreams, that same God, He isn’t just interceding on my behalf, He is there for you too.  This same God who is healing me has the power to heal the world.  Satan often tries to use the circumstances of our sinful world to hurt us and cause us to turn our back on God, feeding us lies that He doesn’t exist and He doesn’t love us as He has claimed, but the truth is, God is the creator of all good things and He wants nothing more for us.