Words Fail, But Prayer Does Not

I’m an editor, a preacher, a teacher, a speaker, and a writer. I make my living by crafting words. I am called by God to fashion words. So it is a rare moment that words fail me. But over the past week, words have undoubtedly failed me, because in this moment, they simply are not enough.

One week ago today my son was rushed by ambulance to the local ER where he was put on a breathing machine immediately. He had suffered from two back-to-back seizures, and the second one lasted for 30 minutes or more. He was unstable. After stabilizing him locally, he was rushed by ambulance to the nearest children’s hospital and was placed in ICU where he stayed for four days. He spent that evening and the next day on the respirator, drugged into a partial coma, and underwent several tests. It was the scariest few days of our lives.

Even after weaning him off the respirator, we were frightened. There was a fear that a possible lack of oxygen during the seizures could have caused brain damage. So we waited prayerfully for our son to return to his full cognitive ability. The heavy medication he was on took longer than usual to wear off. It all started Wednesday, and we did not get a glimpse of our fully functioning son until Saturday evening. But what a great evening that was as we rejoiced in God’s miraculous work!

Jake 1 (1)

Jake, not long after being pulled off the respirator (and still heavily drugged, obviously!)

Now, a week later, he is lying next to me in bed as I type and he is fully functional and back to his normal 8-year-old self (watching Over The Hedge for the third time in less than 24 hours)! God has been working, and continues to work, a miracle in his young life!

His little sisters tackled him when he got home.

His little sisters tackled him when he got home.

But through all this, people have been praying. We’ve openly shared every detail, because we wanted as many as possible to pray for Jake. And pray they (you) did. I cannot begin to share how much every response and every Facebook “like” meant to us as we continually requested prayer. Thousands were praying, literally around the world, and even around the clock, for Jake. And it made all the difference for him, and for us. Kristi and I continually checked Facebook, email, texts, and Twitter because those simple responses assuring us of the prayers going up brought comfort, hope, and increased faith in such a trying moment. My Dad was miraculously healed of cancer when I was younger, and he often shared this simple truth: “Prayer works.”

So with this post, all I can say is a tear-filled “Thank you.” I don’t know what might have happened if you hadn’t prayed, but I know what happened because you did pray—JESUS TOOK CARE OF MY SON!!!! And there are no words to express our deep gratitude for such a miraculous outcome. Thank you for praying for Jake, and thank you for continuing to pray for Jake. Prayer works.

When my words kick in again, I’ll share more of the miraculous hand of God we’ve seen at work over the past week. But until then, tearfully, we simply say “Thank you.” To God be the glory, great things HE. HAS. DONE!

If you’re struggling with something today, know that prayer works. And by all means, if at all possible, share your struggles. we’re in this together. Prayer works, but if no one’s praying, how can it work?

To all who have prayed, here’s a special message from Jake!

[youtube=http://youtu.be/TESG8mBIHFU]

 
 There’s more to this story. Check out part two:
Did God Lie To Me?
 
Jake’s Grandfather also has a powerful testimony of healing. Check it out:
 It’s Okay To Trust In God: a testimony of faith and healing
 

5 Replies to “Words Fail, But Prayer Does Not”

  1. Wonderful. The key as you said is in sharing the need so that others in His great family can share in petitions and praise to the One who holds the whole world in His hands and still cares for us individually He only says, “Ask.”

  2. I was fine until I scrolled down and looked at the picture of Jake with his sisters and the sweet smile that was on his face brought tears to my eyes. I knew his grandpa and what he went through, but it was always with that same sweet smile even in the toughest of times. Love to you all and God’s greatest blessings.

  3. I cried when I watched your video with Jake the other day, and I cried again today. Growing up, I almost felt an “invincible” faith in God and over the years have become slightly jaded when things didn’t always go the way I thought they should. When you posted your first facebook post about Jake last week I felt an incredible burden for him. I prayed all that day. I texted every Christian friend I had and also posted on facebook asking for prayer. “Conveniently” my newborn was up all night with coughing and a cold and since I was up, I continued to pray. Darren, I can honestly say I haven’t prayed that hard for anything in years. Perhaps more than a decade. I say all that to say: God was doing a work. Not just a work in Jake’s life, not just a work in your family’s life. God was doing a work in many many other lives. I have a renewed faith and closeness to God because of those days spent talking to Him about Jake. We talked about other stuff too 🙂 God works ALL things to the good of those who love Him – I had stopped believing that verse for awhile. Not any more 🙂

    So excited to see the work God has in store for Jake. Clearly there is a special calling on your entire family – Jake won’t be any different 🙂

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