Alma 31:38 “And the Lord provided for them that they should hunger not, neither should they thirst; yea, and he also gave them strength, that they should suffer no manner of afflictions, save it were swallowed up in the joy of Christ. Now this was according to the prayer of Alma; and this because he prayed in faith.”
Why do we pray for others? Because we care for them, of course. And sometimes it is the only thing we can do for others who are suffering or struggling and there is nothing physically we can do for them. However, we care about them so much we expend spiritual and emotional energy in praying for them.
Do our prayers make a difference? No one can definitely “prove” that prayers can heal, or help anyone you pray for although many scientific experiments have shown that those “prayed” about heal faster and recover quicker than those in groups who do not have people praying for them. But someone without faith will never accept such ephemeral proof, and those with faith don’t need such proof.
I know that prayers for others make a difference both for them and for us. I know that prayers can soften hearts, heal pain and hearts, bring comfort and illumination from afar.
We were living in Hilo, Hawaii, when my doctor found a lump in my breast and sent me to Honolulu for a biopsy. My mother and several of my aunts had had breast cancer at a very early age, so I was frightened that I might also have the same disease. I had prayed for comfort and had contacted my family on the mainland, but I was so discouraged that nothing anyone said or did cheered me up.
After my husband settled me in the hospital in Honolulu, he returned home to care for our four children. Medical procedures and tests kept me occupied most of the day, but they were completed by afternoon. I walked out to a balcony overlooking Pearl Harbor and struck up a conversation with a fellow patient.
The tropical sun shone on the shimmering waters as we watched the ships, but I was engulfed with fear and worry, so I saw none of the beauty. Then as I sat there, something wonderful happened to me. It seemed as if the black clouds of gloom parted and an immense shaft of sunlight coursed through me. I was filled with warmth and peace and something more—an assurance that my fears were groundless.
I spoke to the other woman on the balcony and announced, “I don’t have cancer!” She looked at me, startled. I couldn’t find the words to explain, so I said again, “I know I don’t have cancer!”
I was so relieved and happy that I slept soundly for the first time in days. The next day when the biopsy showed no cancer, I was the only one not surprised.
I called my family to tell them the good news. That’s when I learned that my entire extended family had fasted the day before, then gathered for a special prayer. Their prayer for me ended at the same time I’d felt the light break through my darkness and fill me with assurance. I am grateful that my despairing spirit was restored to peace by the power of prayer and that the Lord comforted me because of the united prayers of my family, who were gathered together so many miles away.
That was just one instance when I was the recipient of prayers in my behalf. There have been numerous other times when my pains have been lessoned and I have been healed, not just by my faith, but by the prayers and faith of others.
This past month has been another time when prayers of others have comforted and uplifted me far beyond my own capacity to understand. Since Ed was selected to become a lung transplant recipient, we have been thrilled, but our life has been in complete turmoil. Trying to get ready to move our whole “household” in a car; how to get things straightened out in the house for us to leave; how to leave Bryan at the mature age of 23 years old alone to take care of our house; how to contemplate the risks of Ed getting lung transplant; how to uproot my life and go to a new city and find a place to live—all those uncertainties threatened to overwhelm me.
But the prayers of all those family members and friends who care about us have sustained me, upheld me and given me such comfort that I didn’t stress. I didn’t question “what would happen,” or whether we would find a place to live, etc. I knew things would work out. And it has. And it will.
Do our prayers make a difference? Far more than most people know. Far more than most people can imagine. But people with faith know. I know that the prayers of others make all the difference in the world.
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