Prayer gives me the inner strength to keep me going regardless of what is going on in my life. This inner strength waned in 1992 when I was diagnosed with Hoskins lymphoma. It was then that I began to doubt that God heard my prayers. Prayers ceased, and my heart became cold. The fire was gone.
In that silence, others were praying for me. Their prayers and support encouraged me to hope that I was not alone and that God’s promise of always being near me was true. This truth slowly erased doubt about God hearing my prayers. Prayer gave me strength as I continued moving forward through my cancer treatments until now.
Although prayer helps me trust God in every area of my life, that trust was again challenged when I needed cataract surgery last December. I became anxious about the surgery and its outcome. I confessed my anxiety to God, He reminded me of this verse.
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petitions, with thanksgiving, present your request to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4: 6-7)
Through prayer, I decided to take a leap of faith and trust God with my anxiety. So, when the day of surgery for my left eye arrived, I had a sense of peace. The operation was a success! For the first time since I was a little girl, I could see clearly.
Two weeks later, I faced surgery on my right eye and became anxious again, playing the ‘what if’ game. Once more, I prayed, remembering Philippians 4:6-7, and as I prayed a sense of peace come over me. I was still anxious, but I had peace, a peace that only God could give.
After the second operation, I could not see clearly and panicked. My right eye was blurry, so I contacted the doctor. I found out I had a tear in my cornea that made it difficult to place the lens in my eye. The doctor assured me that my vision would improve. Following the doctor’s orders and resting, my eyesight cleared as time went on. I praised God again for answering my prayer. Both experiences taught me to pray, trusting God for the outcome. I praise God that my vision has improved, and I continue to trust Him.
Over the past thirty years, Carol Ann has served as a deacon, superintendent, and Children’s Sunday School teacher at Swatara Church of God (ERC). Passionate about writing, she published a book entitled Reflections: A Journey from the Heart, a collection of poems and short devotions, in 2012.