Something happened the other day. Something ironic.

There are days when the only thing that will suffice a serious appetite is a 2 AM 7-11 run. Who's with me? But on this particular night, I witnessed something not unfamiliar to the 7-11 franchise.  Theft. But not any kind of theft.

This 15 year old still pre-pubescent punk walks into the store.... goes to the "beer cave".... and walks right out the front door while maintaining eye-contact with the man behind the register - as if to say, "just try to stop me." I'm there at the counter, paying for my moon pies, as any good participating citizen would. The man at the register just shook his head, defeated. I looked at him - then to the kid - back to the man, and thought "I need to run after him and stop him." I walked out. The acne laced thief just kept walking. And nothing. What was I going to do? The 7-11 dude told me not to go after him - that the last gentleman that did was, and I quote, "knifed". 

I just spent 4 days speaking in Alaska but instead of enjoying God’s beautiful country, I was trying to survive a severe case of the flu, trip to the ER and a red-eye flight home while sick.  I’m finally feeling better but the experience got me thinking about prayer.  

During the trip, the church I was working with was praying fervently for my health.  Family and friends back home were praying.  There were probably 100, maybe even 200 people praying for my short-term health, so I could complete my ministry work.  Did God answer their prayers?  I have two reflections:

(1) Our knowledge of how God answers prayer is very limited.  Did God heal me completely?  No.  It’s taken me an entire week to largely recover.  Did God answer (in the affirmative) the prayers whatsoever?  I don’t know.  How could I?  Maybe God kept me from getting any sicker.  Maybe he ensured that I would have enough strength to make it through the teaching times.  Maybe he wanted me to struggle physically for a short while.  I don’t know.  That God hears and answers prayers is clear (Matt. 7:7-11, 21:22; Mark 11:24; John 14:13-14, etc.).  How He does so is not.  

(2) Prayer is not merely a means to an end but an end in itself.  Even if God granted no grace to me physically, were all the prayers in vain?  I don’t think so.  Implicit in the act of prayer is an admission of dependence.  Prayer says, "I can't do this without you."  The more one prays, the more one gets in touch with the truth of our utter need for God.  I’m reminded of Jesus’ prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane:  “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”  For Jesus, an affirmative answer to his request is not the final end.  Rather, it’s submission to God’s will.  And prayer seems to be part and parcel of that process.  Ultimately, voluntary submission requires trust.  I will only submit to whom I trust.  So then, prayer is an act of trust in God and is an end in itself.  And no prayer is in vain.