Prayer

We had a memorable night of prayer for Bright Eyes last week. 30 friends gathered in our home to share food and pray specifically for his healing. Glenys asked me to post my prayer on the blog, so here it is.

Dear God,

I’m here tonight, with all these people, with some very specific requests to make of you.

If Jesus was walking around somewhere in body form, I’d be one of the visiting mothers bringing her sick child to you. I would go around the world just to find you and ask you to heal my son because I know that you can.

These are the things I know about you: You are kind. You are compassionate. You take time for people. You are powerful. You can heal. You have healed. You heal people today. If you were standing here in the body, I’d be on my knees before you, holding out my child and saying, “Please, please heal his brain. Please heal his body.” In fact, I wouldn’t be asking, I’d be begging.

Lord, these are the things the autism does to him. He can’t cope with changes. He throws tantrums over small things. He bosses. He speaks in scripts. He obsesses over toys and tv shows. It is really hard for his brother and sister to relate to him. Unless he is healed he won’t be able to live independently. He won’t have any friends. He won’t be able to relate to people. Lord, his body can’t process food properly. He won’t eat properly. He lacks good nutrition.

Please – please heal his brain. Remove the autism. Create the connections in the brain that he needs. Take away his anxiety.

Lord, I know what you are teaching me through the autism. I know that you have been teaching me to love other people. I know that you have given me patience out of all of this. I know that you have given me an empathy with suffering people that I did not have before. I want to say thank you – a genuine thank you for these things. You have brought good out of evil. I know I still have a lot to learn, but I think I can now learn them without autism.

Now I’m asking you to heal him.

For his own sake. For the children’s sake too. You know how they are both suffering because of the autism and the anxiety. Please heal this child and give the other two a faith which can move mountains because of what you’ve done.

And please heal him for my sake. I’m tired. It’s only been three years really, but it’s been every day for three years where I just haven’t known what to do, or how to do it, or how to get on with him. It’s been a grind many many days. I do feel desperate so often.

And please heal him for the sake of all the people around him – the local community and his friends and teachers and contacts. I would love to say, “We prayed and God healed him in answer to our prayers. God is good!” What a testimony that would be. For your sake please heal this child.

I know you’re hearing me. I’m really asking you to do a big thing here – although it’s small for you. Please would you do it. And, I’m going to really stick my neck out here and ask you to do it fast. Make the change as big as possible in as short a time as possible. That’s what you did so often for the people who came to jesus.

Finally – Lord, I believe, help my unbelief.

I organised this meeting because of Jesus’ words: this kind can only come out by prayer.

Amen.