Evelyn Dove-Coleman: Facing the Wall to Pray
Isaiah 38: 2-5 is a scripture I want to recommend to Joe and Jill Biden. Verse 5 in particular is instructive. In it, God says "I have heard thy prayer." That line resonates with me because we are not just throwing up our words into thin air when we pray. We are sending them to a listening ear. And that ear is connected to a caring heart that forgives and renders massive mercy.
In the above scripture about Hezekiah, God grants him an additional 15 years to live. Hezekiah had turned his face to the wall and pleaded his case when he learned of his announced fate. Rather than just accept it, he turned to blot out the world around him. He could bare his innermost feelings and yearnings that way.
I can relate to that. The week after my mother's funeral, my father was diagnosed with prostate cancer. When his test results came, I began talking to God with conviction saying you just cannot take him now. And I fervently prayed for his healing. Doctors recommended Hormone Treatments that proved successful. My father lived for another 15 years after that.
I share this to encourage others to have abiding faith that when you need an answer, trust that it will come. I sometimes pray facing the wall, like Hezekiah, expecting a miracle. Some people have a prayer closet or prayer chair. But I believe the key factor is faith. Have faith that we are not having a one-sided conversation.
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