• pigduck
• May 10,2007
• In: Spiritual Affairs

Strengthening Faith

A few months ago, I posted up some videos of Anderson Cooper’s “What is a Christian?” segment. What I didn’t know then was that he did a series of specials on this topic. I caught a glimpse of another special entitled, “What is a Christian? God, Faith & Hard Science” awhile later but was unable to catch the whole story. Until today.

I had the privilege to catch a good portion of this special today. The transcripts are on the CNN website - Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees: What is a Christian? God, Faith & Hard Science.

I have to say the timing is impeccable. God’s timing for sure and not mine. I started watching from Dr. Francis S. Collins’ segment. He is the director of the Human Genome Project and has a book out, “The Language of God: A Scientist Presents Evidence for Belief“. He wrote a commentary for CNN - Collins: Why this Scientist Believes in God. Anderson Cooper’s blog posted Dr. Collins’ commentary for people to comment .

It was so apt. The whole special was so appropriate. Dr Collins was so passionate about his faith. Later on in the special, Anderson Cooper questions prayer and how it works in medicine. Does prayer work? There is no hard evidence to suggest that prayer does or does not work. However, the commentator, Dr. Sanjay Gupta did affirm that Christians who do pray are more calm, more peaceful and are healthier. 

We have heard of God healing the sick. We saw Jesus Christ laying hands on the sick and healing them…we saw Jesus’s disciples doing the same later on in the bible. Even in present time, we have heard testimonies of God using ordinary people to heal others…

Does prayer work? I say, “yes!”

I was discouraged for a few weeks, a few months even. I felt scared that my faith was slipping… and so I asked people to pray with me. Thank God there were some who were willing to do so. Even though I did not express my doubt, my dwindling faith, my restlessness to them… I knew I had to continue praying… I prayed to God alone too, asking Him why I felt so helpless, so hollow, so empty? I pleaded to God but I was also uncertain. Maybe you can say, I was half-hearted and not focused. I couldn’t feel Him by our side… I didn’t know if He was with us… He felt so distant… I felt alone and I am sure it was not just me but my family.

I still tried to apply bible verses to our situations but I will admit that although it sounded so true, to believe in it was so difficult.

This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.
- Joshua 1:9 (NLT)

It really applied to the circumstance but some times, we think our problems are too big for God. We think, what can He do? I secretly thought that.

I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.
- Romans 15:13

I will admit that hope was hard to grasp during this time. Therefore, if I felt no hope or trust, how was I to feel the joy and peace of God?

The last week or two were darker. When things became hard to handle last week and we had to rush to the hospital in the middle of the night, we came back feeling so weak, tired, helpless and hopeless. I suggested prayer and maybe it showed that I still had that little faith left…and I believed that God could still empower us or calm us. Yet, I was met with resistance, with distrust, with negativity. It didn’t help that with each passing day, things looked worse. I became scared and fearful.

When a friend of mine called me up after the weekend to enquire how things were and I suggested prayer, she readily agreed and I have a feeling she was sent by God since she hardly calls me, if ever. So we arranged a prayer date the next day. Who knew that my mother also arranged a prayer date with someone on the same day. Maybe God knew NOW was the time to pray.

However, our prayer dates were not meant to be. We got a call from the hospital early morning of the 8th informing us that things were not looking good. When we arrived at the hospital, things were still critical. We talked to the doctors and were given grave news. After that, there were only tears, hopelessness and despair and it lasted for a good part of the day. From the family members to the pastors, it seemed like we were letting go of the little hope that we had left.

That night, an emergency clan prayer meeting was called. I am so grateful to those who called for it because it showed that although they felt so helpless, they believed in God… that they were not giving up their faith in Him. I mean for me, I will admit that it was a dark day and it was hard to even think, “God can change situations”. I received various text messages of people praying for us and it made me even sadder. I had so many questions.

However, never doubt the importance of prayer.

At the emergency clan prayer meeting that was held for my father, we knelt on our knees and asked God for His mercy, for His grace, for His compassion. We cried out to the Lord in our distress.

“Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble,and he rescued them from their distress.
- Psalms 107:6 (NLT) 

Thank you God for bringing the 2 pastors into our lives and for breathing life, hope and faith back into our lives. Into my life anyway… I can only speak for myself. I thank you for their words of wisdom, for their words of light in this time of darkness… I thank you Lord that my trust in you has not dissolved… I thank you for affirming Your love and Your power in my life. Thank you Father that you have built me up…I stand firm in Your promises and I know you will deliver. I try not to think of what may happen but I know You are an all-powerful God… a mighty God who hears and can change situations around and perform miracles. I truly believe that You are a God who heals, a God who cares, a God who loves. I thank you that You love us. I thank you that You are still watching over us. I believe in miracles and I believe You are a God of miracles. I really do. You have delivered us many times, I have seen Your mighty hand at work and I do not doubt the power of the Holy Spirit and the power of Jesus’s work on the cross. I believe in the redeeming blood of Jesus Christ… I believe now that only when You say it’s time, it is. Why should we listen to what the devil may whisper or want us to believe? LORD, YOU ARE OUR GOD… OUR STRONGHOLD… OUR AUTHOR OF OUR LIVES… HOLY SPIRIT, CONTINUE TO DWELL IN US NOW… help us to exude our confidence in You. Help us to proclaim Your power… help us to see Your healing hands at work. We thank you that we can cry to you in times of distress and that you hear and pick us up. I continue Lord to pray for healing, for peace, for your strength that you have faithfully poured on us over the last few days. I am glad that despair and doubt has disappeared. Lord, I thank you for allowing me to stand in the gap… I thank you that we can claim this victory and I believe we have more to claim …I pray You will keep us above the waters… keep us safe, Father… we ask for Your angels to watch over us. Lord, YOU ARE THE PEACE THAT GUARDS OUR HEART, OUR HELP IN TIMES OF NEED. LORD, YOU ARE THE HOPE THAT LEADS US ON, FOR YOU DESERVE ALL THE GLORY. I thank you for the vast improvements in my father’s health. I ask you Lord to reign sovereign over everything in my household Lord… YOU ARE OUR SUPREME KING… please continue to reveal your power and your glory… Thank you, Father. In Jesus’s name, AMEN.

I give God all the glory for my father’s current state of mind and state of health. We have seen great improvements since the time I attended the emergency clan prayer meeting. He’s better and he’s more stable. He is out of the emergency and critical zone. Is that not something we should praise God for?

I prayed with that friend of mine and my cousins yesterday and I believe as my friend said that it was Spirit led. All the questions I had earlier, have disappeared! I have no more doubt… God saves!!!

In fact, it seems like everybody in my household is better now too. I believe God has not left us and He will not leave us or forsake us. Not now and not ever. I also believe that God can work through us. We are after all His apparatus, His instruments, His pawns, His servants.   

I feel so much joy, so much empowerment… so much faith. I truly feel that mountains can be moved. God is glorious, amazing and beautiful. It is so great to focus on Him. Thank you Father for this privilege!

God is the best and He is the One who is going to redeem us.