4 Weeks that Showed the True Meaning and Power of Prayer

During the past four weeks, my mother, Mary, experienced a series of life-threatening health scares. Four weeks of uncertainty about whether she would be able to pull through. 

Mary is an 87-year-old independent lady who lives by herself, drives, cooks, and is loved by so many. We lost my father about 11 years ago and they were married for 53 years. 

My mother’s four-week journey started with a severe reaction to medication she was taking for lung cancer. She arrived at the hospital just in time as she was going into shock and they saved her life.

She went through severe dehydration and recovered. She then went through kidney failure and recovered. Atrial fibrillation (Afib) and recovered. Blood clot and recovered. Pulmonary embolism and recovered. Intestinal bleeding and recovered.

All in four weeks.

To give you a sense of how bad it was, each morning, I would play “whack a mole,” going after the life-threatening condition of the day with her medical team at hospital. 

By the way, these are all direct, end-of-life conditions. Somehow, as I write this, mom is about to be taken to a rehab hospital for physical rehabilitation.

The doctors did an amazing job. My brother, two sisters, and I were all engaged through the entire four weeks. But I firmly believe that a strong family unit, never-ending daily encouragement, and prayer guided her through this journey.

If you believe in God, you know prayer is so much more than the “thoughts and prayers” you hear on the news after a tragedy. Prayer is a deeply personal, metaphysical experience.

Prayer isn’t just something you say. It’s something you feel and believe.

My wife, Stacy, and her prayer group of dozens of women were praying for my mother every day. My Bible study group of dozens of men were praying for my mother every day.

When I looked at my mother in her weakened condition, I simply said, “Mom, it’s not your time. You’re not going to lose this one. You’re too strong.”

I wasn’t prophesizing, and I would never give false hope based on my own hope that my mother would live. I just knew in my heart that she would survive each and every time. It was so clear to me. That’s what God placed in my heart through the power of prayer.

There have been times when my clinical knowledge, to put it mildly, assisted her medical team with identifying a condition with my mom and had a direct impact on the outcome.  I take zero credit in this case. I believe our gifts and talents come from God and He uses us for the needs of others. This is a message of hope, and HOPE only comes through God’s love for us. 

In my family, Thanksgiving is a time to give thanks to God for those we love and our blessings. This year, we are truly humbled and thankful to God for Mary Proodian’s continued recovery and blessed to have her in our lives. Mary is a 5-foot-1 warrior and, speaking selfishly, we need her back at the stove for Armenian Christmas foods!  

Most importantly, we are thankful for the power of prayer. I wish you a healthy and happy Thanksgiving.