A Chorus of Prayer

This is a look around.

Over the summer, I listened to my little brother pray, "God, please take Mommy's cancer away," each time he was asked to pray for the dinner. From the moment we learned of this disease that was killing our mom, everyone in the family prayed earnestly to the God we know to be bigger than any earthly pain or hurt. We all wanted the cancer to go away, we wanted a miracle, and we begged God for one.

I knew that cancer had already lost, eternally. I knew that cancer's best shot had already been beaten by Christ's death and resurrection. The worst that cancer could do was take my mother's life, but it couldn't take her soul.

But we were not alone in our prayers. Our words did not echo as a single sound in the midst of a hollow silence. Rather, innumerable prayers were added to ours by the body of Christ across the country.

This was a chorus.

A chorus of believers prayed that God would heal my mom, provide her with strength to fight, and peace to see God's grace throughout the pain.

Countless friends, professors, church members all told me that were praying for my mom for months. I have no doubt that these prayers were incredibly powerful. I always knew that prayer was a good thing, but I had never before been overwhelmed by the immensity, the volume of so many believers praying for something that was so personal to me.

It dawned on me that there was no possible way for me to let every person who was praying for my mom know that that the lyrics had now changed. God healed my mom. Cancer is gone. Petitions are now praise. I'm overwhelmed by the thought of all the people who deserve to know how about this mighty act of God. I am humbled by the smallness my own prayers in comparison to this entire chorus.

Prayer is a regular part of the fabric of my life, and I’m becoming increasingly more aware of the privilege it is to come before the Sovereign God and speak to Him. And to be a part of a chorus of believers all worshipping the same powerful and merciful God--that my friends, is breathtaking.

- Alyson Jennie