THE POWER OF PRAYER

In my former life, I was a non-practicing Catholic. Meaning I believed that there is a God and that there once lived a man named Jesus and that He died for our sins. But I was not a regular churchgoer and was perfectly content with being able to catch up to at least the second half of the Mass.

I didn’t pray, even during the tough times because I didn’t believe in it. But I was not short of foul words to say to the Lord whenever life took a turn for the worst.

But one day, I received an invitation from my wife’s aunt to go to a Marriage Encounter Weekend in Antipolo City. Normally I would have given a vague answer like, “I’ll try” or “We’ll see.” But for some reason, I said, “Sure! We’ll go!”

Up to that point, my wife and I considered our relationship to be average. I didn’t stay out late on drinking sprees and she never nagged. Both if us thought that what we had was as good as it got. And that going to a Marriage Encounter weekend was the last thing we needed.

But still, up to the time that we were about to head for Antipolo and despite the sudden downpour that worsened the already entangled Friday night traffic, the thought of backing out never crossed our minds.

Needles to say, it was the best decision that we ever made.

During the M.E. Weekend, we heard from couples who went through various difficulties in life and survived literally on hope and prayer. There was one testimony where a wife learned that she contracted STD from her husband; another about a husband who flatly told his wife that he didn’t love her anymore because he fell head over heels with an office mate. There was this famous movie director who left his wife and family for a young movie star. And there was this case where the husband already had the gun cocked and was seconds away from committing suicide because of financial troubles.

These were horror stories straight from the pages of their lives. And yet, there they were, standing before us and very much in love with another. I couldn’t believe it! They just went through the most trying times in their lives. Why are they still together?

A lesser person would have just backed out and even pressed the trigger of the gun shoved against his temple.

But what healed them was prayer. At the lowest point of their lives, where they did the best that they could and still fell short, these troubled souls decided to seek God’s help and prayed together. They didn’t ask for a million pesos to miraculously appear on their doorsteps or that God strike dead the other woman. They just asked to be relieved of the burden that they were carrying. They prayed to have the strength to get through their ordeal. They prayed for God’s guidance in their everyday lives.

These people, who serve as testaments to the power of prayer, taught us that prayer is not only for the difficult times, but also for the abundant periods in our lives. We pray to thank the Lord for all the blessings. We pray to thank the Lord for staying with us through thick and thin.

Praying as a couple and as a family serves not only to strengthen our relationship with God but with each other as well.

Prayer has immensely improved my relationship with my wife. Though we are now experiencing a great trial in our lives, prayer has kept both of us positive and upbeat. We have learned to accept our misfortunes as part of God’s plan for us.

The fact that we are still able to eat three times a day and our children are still able to go to a good school is proof that our prayers are being answered.

Praying has made us see the many small miracles happening in our lives. We may not have won the jackpot prize at the lottery but still, much needed funds would come at the last minute from friends and family which God uses as His instruments.

We may despair in the midst of all our trials but prayer keeps us aware that God wouldn’t let us have a problem that we couldn’t solve.

Just as an athlete goes through a grueling training regimen to increase his chances of winning in a tournament, so does God makes us go through the tough challenges in life so that we can emerge stronger and more able to succeed in the great tournament of life.

Just always do the best that you can in everything you do. The rest, pray and leave it in God’s hands. He will not let you down.