power of prayer

i received a phone call about 2 hours ago from one of my dearest friends. i hadn't talked to her in months, and the reason for her call was very urgent. one of her friends entered the hospital today, with stroke-like symptoms, only to find that he had a brain tumor and started hemorrhaging. in the blink of an eye, he was admitted into emergency surgery, surgery that he is still in at this moment.

i've never met this guy, but my friend call with an urgent plea for prayers. she is a deeply spiritual person, but in the midst of her anxiety and grief, she found that she could not pray. so she called, asking me to pray...

i'm so thankful she called because prayer is a powerful thing. her phone call, though, was also a reminder to me that i haven't been as reflective and meaningful in my prayer life, in my spiritual life. sometimes, i find that i've forgotten how to pray. i pray for superficial things without thinking about what i'm saying. so with her sad yet significant reminder, i'm focusing on prayer, most especially during this Advent season.

so i ask that even though you don't know courtney or her friend, rudy, that you keep both of them in your thoughts and prayers. i am amazed that in courtney's time of anxious grief, she was able to reach out and ask for help in prayers, when she felt that she couldn't (even though i know she is very capable of it). many of you who read this blog (via blogger.com or facebook) were extremely formative in my spirituality. without your spiritual guidance and love of God, i wouldn't have learned how to ask the questions, how to struggle with the unanswered, how to embrace and appreciate challenges, how to bask in God's glory, how to dance in the rain with my arms wide open, how to cry tears of sadness and joy, how to write a well-crafted palanca, how to be humble and cry in the arms of Christ, how to be in deep love with God...

so i'm asking you to extend your thoughts and prayers for rudy that he may pull through this surgery and recover; and for courtney, that she may have the strength to meditate, to believe that Higher Power, to be strong for rudy and his family, and to have courage to hold fast to faith.

many thanks in advance. i'll give you an update as soon as i receive it.