How do we respond to our prayers?

​Last week, a friend of mine reached out and asked me to pray for her. She was concerned that her cancer had returned.

I've always thought, the most evil part of that disease has to be the reality that it never just visits you. It shows up and moves in and becomes a permanent part of who you are. Oh, if you're lucky, someone can help you kick it out of the house. But some part of you is always staring out the front window. You stand there staring, wondering, will this be the day it walks back up the sidewalk and knocks at the front door.

With every lump or headache or tired day - you wonder if you'll hear that knock.

So as she made her rounds to the doctor, I prayed for her.

I did something else too. Something that in my world was probably an even bigger influence on my faith. I watched her.

While she was waiting for a doctor to say yes or no to the return of cancer, I watched her post pictures of herself hanging out with her family, doing her exercise program, and sharing her infectious smile - a smile the size of earth. While she was waiting to hear what was happening in her life, she was using her heart and voice to offer life to those around her. Including me.

Just like she always does.

I told the story not long ago of the man who asked Jesus to heal his kid. Before requesting this of Jesus, he told Jesus he'd already gone through the disciples but they couldn't quite pull it off. So Jesus healed the kid, then basically told the disciples, "you know, if you all believed in your prayers as much as you want me to believe in them, you'd be a lot better off."

I think I've been guilty in the past of measuring the success of my prayer life by God's response.

I prayed today, but I don't feel a new sense of purpose, so prayer must not work.

I prayed today, but I didn't get the job, so prayer must not work.

I prayed today, but the relationship didn't mend, so prayer must not work.

Watching my friend last week, I realized we should probably measure the success of our prayer life more on how we respond to our prayers than on how God responds to them.

Long before my friend had the results that she had her friends praying over, she told me "I'm calm and feel at peace - he's got me."

My friend showed me what it looks like to believe in the power of prayer well before you know if the prayer gets answered or not.

And by the way - she didn't have to hear that knock at the front door. The cancer had not returned.

“The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace.”