Praying For Others

 James 5:16- "... pray one for another, that ye may be healed."

My sister and her friend took their kids sledding.  They don't often get snow like the polar vortex dropped in the south this week, so they made the most of it.  

However, the sun was extraordinarily harsh in its reflecting on the snow and all of them, children and adults, ended up with painful sunburns.  But little Ryen ended up in the emergency room where they had to call in the burn team and he had to undergo a debridement procedure where they removed the damaged skin from his face. 

My sister texted me pleading for prayers and I offered to add him to the Worldwide Unified prayer page.  She immediately said yes, please, for prayers and also to warn other parents of the need for sunscreen even in winter. Even at that moment she wanted to spare other families from the trauma they were enduring. 

In the first minute more than 100 people were praying for him.  By the next day it was over 5,000 people. As I scrolled through the responses I was struck by the beauty of the praying hands in every possible color and multiple languages.  

In the midst of her guilt and agony and desire to take the pain from her son, my sister sent me this message:

"It may feel like the world is going to Hell in a hand basket, but there are still so many good people ❤️❤️❤️"

Later she sent this one:

"Thanks for checking on us and for all the prayers 🥰. Awesome to see so many unite together for my sweet baby.  Please tell them thank you."

In a beautiful teaching moment she had her little boy record a thank you video for me to post.  More than 2,000 people responded in the first few hours. 

Many left personal messages saying things like, "We love you, little man", "We are praying for you", and "Always remember the power of prayer."  

Strangers taking a momentary break from their own troubles to lift up this precious boy and his parents.  Because my sister isn't on Facebook, I took screenshots and sent them to her.  

This was her reply: 

"Ryen gets very quiet and emotional when I read him these... he can feel the Spirit 🥰🥰

So special!"

When the Apostle James said that when we prayed for one another we would be healed, I believe he meant not just the sick but those uniting in prayer.  It helps us move beyond our own pain and difficulties.  It allows us to share our faith.  It lets us use our best traits even when we have many failings. 

What this world needs is to be reminded of all that goodness, and to have strangers saying "I love you and am praying for you."  While I would never in a million years want this suffering to come to anyone, I am humbled and amazed at the love and beauty that has come in response.  

Thanks Ryen, for sharing your light and helping us all gather round it.