The Power of Prayer

Yesterday was the culmination of many things.  It was the end of two very rigorous weeks at home trying to balance taking care of mom, doing odds and ends on the farm, and putting in about 10 hours of studying a day. It was the result of hundreds of hours sifting through review books, taking practice exams, making flashcards, and re-memorizing the most minute details. It was the culmination of the past three years of college, of time spent studying with many good friends and by myself, of staying up well past midnight pouring over notes for the hundredth time and then getting up at 6am to start all over again, of hours spent in Dr. Stoub’s office trying to make sense of Organic chemistry, and of getting so upset with physics that I felt like bashing my head into a brick wall.

 

And so, five 7 hour practice exams, one 1,500 page review book cover to cover, 4 four hundred page study books borrowed from the library, many Khan academy videos, countless note cards and review sheets, etc., etc., and finally 1 official MCAT (Medical College Admissions Test) later, all I can say is that I have done the best I can and the rest lies in the Lord’s hands now. 

 

But while this past Friday was the culmination of many things, it was also a reminder.

A reminder of how powerful prayer is.

I’ll admit that I was pretty stressed over this exam. For the past 10 years I’ve been dreaming about and working towards becoming a doctor. It is something that I have felt called to do and that I believe the Lord has gifted me to do. And while there are many, many things that stand between my current position and the fulfillment of that dream, I have given up so many other dreams and  put so much time, energy, and tears into this dream that it breaks my heart to think of it all coming crashing down right here.

But that is exactly what could happen. I have put hundreds of hours into preparing for the MCAT alone, but the truth is that if I did not do well enough on this exam, even with a good GPA, medical schools won’t even begin to look at the rest of my application. So you can expect then, that there is a certain amount of pressure to do well on this test. And I, being the princess of all worries (my mother is the queen 🙂 ), found this thought to be incredibly stressful and overwhelming.

 

So let me just throw this verse in here:

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and mind in Christ Jesus” (Phillipians 4:6-7)

That would be the appropriate thing to do at this point, right? Throw in a meaningful Bible Verse and then it’s all ok….

…..right?

But for years I have heard the words of Philippians 4:6-7 thrown around, and if I am honest the overuse of this verse had somehow made it not nearly as meaningful in my life. These words have become so clique and used out of context (just like “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength” and Jeremiah 29:11’s “’For I know the plans I have for you’ declares the Lord”) that soon this verse has lost the important meaning behind it.

 

But these past few days this verse has come to mean something very important to me. So let me rephrase it for you in the words of Mariellen:

You don’t need to worry! I’m not saying you won’t be stressed or that life won’t throw curveballs at you. There will be days when you might fail a big test, or you lose your job for no apparent reason, or everything simply seems to be falling apart piece by piece. Those days will come. You may be frustrated. You may be overwhelmed. But don’t worry because you have also been given a special gift: Despite all these trials, you have been given the ability to pray and to share these concerns with God. And when you do, those trials will still come and your dreams may still be crushed, but through it all you will continue to hold the peace of God, and you will know that despite what this life throws at you, you are held by the strong, caring arms of Our Father.

 

On Thursday evening I had so many people praying for me. Emails poured in from relatives all over the country with encouraging words and promises of prayer. There was a group text of encouragement from four other pre-med friends as we all rejoiced in the last day of studying. Abigael, who took the MCAT last year, sent me the most sincere note of encouragement reminding me to “celebrate” all I have learned, as Dr. Eppinga would say whenever we had a test. Texts from Mrs. West, Aunt Alice, Danika, Jerika, and Esther (who promised that someday soon we could eat our worries away with chocolate cake) all reminded me of God’s plan and enduring love. Grandpa and Grandma wrapped me in a giant hug and prayed over me for the Lord’s peace and His will. And on the night before the test, while Shannon was sitting in Sioux Falls over 1,000 miles away, and I on my bedroom floor here at home, together we prayed over the phone to the Lord, thanking Him for the blessed times he has given us studying together over the past three years and for His peace and clarity as we each took the MCAT the next morning.

 

This is the power of prayer! That so many people, many of whom are thousands of miles away from me, were praying for the Lord’s hand in this stressful situation.

This is the power of prayer! That on the day of the MCAT I found myself at peace, sitting in the testing center in front of computer, praying to the Lord right before I started my exam.

This is the power of prayer! That though the exam was not easy and I have no idea how I did or how the results of this exam will affect my future plans, that I can still be at peace with wherever the Lord guides me and that ultimately His will will be done.

 

This is the power of prayer! That days will come when you think you can’t hold on any longer and you want to give up. Everything will go wrong, and then the day will somehow get even worse. But even on those days, when everyone else is too busy and overwhelmed with life to listen to your worries, even then we have a great and merciful Father who will listen to your prayers.

 

 

What a good, good Father!

5/21/16