”If You Believe God Answers Our Prayers, Say AMEN!” Advent Devotion for December 27, 2021

If You Believe God Answers Our Prayers, Say AMEN!

Writtten by Dan VandeKolk, Welcome Center Host

Read by Bill Anciaux

 

This is the confidence we have in approaching God:

that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 

And if we know that he hears us-whatever we ask-

we know that we have what we ask of him. 

--1 John 5:14-15

 

For several years my daughter Pam had periodic issues of SVT; episodes of an abnormally fast heart rhythm. There are options available to someone with this condition. One is a surgical procedure known as Ablation Therapy. Another is to treat the tachycardia with medication. After trial and error with the medication, rapid heart rate issues were controlled most of the time. But, after time, the medication was no longer effective, and the Ablation was performed.  While the ablation was successful for treating the SVT, Pam started experiencing Atrial Fibrillation (AFib) following the ablation surgery. AFib is another form of irregular heart rhythm, as I understand it.

 

A year or so later she experienced another episode of AFib with a rapid heart rate and she was transported to the hospital. The medical team tried different medications to get the heart rate back to normal without success. All the while, Pam had been praying for the AFib to stop. Finally, the doctor said she was going to have to perform an electrical cardioversion (electric shock). Pam was scared and hesitant to have the procedure done but after reassurance from the medical team she agreed. While being prepped for the procedure, Pam prayed a different prayer. She prayed “Be with me through this.” Her heart rate immediately went back to normal rhythm. While being prepared to be released, the nurse asked her what she had been doing when her heart rate returned to normal after all those hours. She replied, “I was praying.”

Pam believes the prayer she needed to pray was to accept God’s will and pray for His Presence- “Be with me, be by my side” instead of “make this stop,” was really the difference in her prayer being heard and ANSWERED!

 

During this season of Advent, I wonder what prayers were being said by Joseph and Mary many years ago. I believe their prayers may have been very similar.

“Be with us, be by our side” History shows us that God answered their prayers than and continues to answer our prayer requests centuries later. 

I say AMEN!