Recently I’ve been praying for a little boy with heart problems. The only option for medical treatment is a
heart transplant.
As I was praying for this little fellow I felt impelled to pray for the
family of the potential donor, too.
It may seem obvious to you, but in my past prayers I hadn’t connected
the dots. Suddenly it became clear. In order for this little fellow to receive
his heart, another child would give up theirs.
The answer to this prayer would come through the selfless sacrifice of parents
signing a donor card on behalf of their child.
In the midst of dealing with the death of their own child they would
make the choice to save someone else’s.
The prayer stuck in my throat and tears of compassion overflowed. How do you pray in that situation? A scenario with death and mourning on one
side but joy on the other.
I asked God for guidance.
The parallel to Jesus’ sacrifice came to mind. Didn’t Jesus sacrifice His life so we could
live? Wasn’t there death on one side of
the cross, but resurrection and joy on the other?
Knowing His death is imminent, how does Jesus pray?
“Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of
suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.” Luke
22:42 (NLT) (I've added the emphasis.)
Jesus chooses to give up His life and saves ours
eternally. A family faces the imminent
death of their child and chooses to save the life of another through organ
donation.
A life ends and life is given.
I realized that only God knows what's best in this situation. So I prayed Jesus’ prayer.
I prayed for the family and the sick little boy waiting
for a heart. I prayed for the unknown
family and their child, and the difficult decision they would face. And I prayed that God would take a tragic
situation and redeem it in His own special way.
THINGS TO THINK
ABOUT
Are there prayer
requests you struggle with? How do you
respond in these situations?
Share your thoughts by clicking on "comments" below.
2 comments:
Carol, we will dutifully pray in agreement with you for the little boy with heart problems. Hopefully a transplant will not remain necessary, but if it is, we'll pray with you that he gets the heart he needs.
Thank you for your prayer support for this little boy and his family. God bless.
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