When prayers are answered: a baby from Arkansas

One day last week I received four requests for prayer……all of them urgent and desperate situations. All came on the same day and all from folks that I know personally. When a prayer request is serious I get on my knees and pray as diligently as I can. In simple words I ask that God reach down and touch this person with His healing power.

Many of you do this also. I do it not only because I have been asked, but also because there will be a time when I will want folks to pray for me.

Many times we pray like this, with as much faith as we can muster, but the situation does not change and we feel disappointed. However, sometimes an answer appears that we can identify, and occasionally it is a miracle of God.

Below appears to be one case like this, and it is actually an answer to one of those four prayer requests which I received. When this happens our faith is reinforced, and our hope in God is raised to another level. Right now, I feel like the local folks must have felt when Jesus passed by…….

Just to clarify…….my little prayer was only one of many, many prayers that like a stream, or maybe a river, were flowing up to heaven. When a river of prayer lifts up someone, in this case a baby, this is what can happen…….

My step-daughter Staci had told me how critical was baby Evan (just two weeks old) with a heart dysfunction, and that he might need a heart transplant. Evan is Staci’s nephew, and was born in Bentonville, Arkansas just three weeks ago. Evan’s mother Katrin has journaled the ordeal in her blog-site, and I have excerpted some of her own heartfelt words below.

“What a difference two weeks can make. Two weeks ago the Angel One helicopter life-flighted Evan from Bentonville to Little Rock. We are so thankful to the doctor that made this decision…..we believe that doctor saved his life!

At Little Rock, the doctor intubated Evan and they were talking about the possibility of ECMO (life support) and a potential heart transplant. Thank you again for the continued prayers and positive thoughts. We still need them. We are still praying for a full recovery and complete healing.

“They still don’t know what caused the heart muscle to get so weak. They do believe the blood clot caused the kidney damage, but since that has dissolved the blood flow to the kidneys is much better and hopefully the kidneys can recover fully.

We are also still really nervous about his heart function, but his vitals have been good and there is no rush to repeat the echo at this point. He has not been eating well enough and has lost some weight. If he doesn’t do better over the next few feedings they will have to re-insert a feeding tube.

“Tonight we are talking about taking Evan home soon. He has made a huge turnaround. I do believe he is a little miracle. He is such a little fighter and we are so proud of him. I have lost track of time since we have been down here. I have not watched the news (or any TV for that matter) or read a newspaper.

My whole perspective on life has changed. I know more about what matters most. Life is so precious and fragile. I am so thankful for our families and friends. I would not have been able to stay this strong for Evan without you. I am so thankful for my husband Scott who has been a rock for me and our daughter Hannah throughout this. I know this has made our marriage stronger.

“Last night his nurse said that in her 18 years in the CVICU she has never seen a baby turn around so fast after being so critically ill. I remember writing a few weeks ago that we need a miracle. I believe we got one. We are so thankful for all of the answered prayers, and of course the doctors and nurses that cared for him during our stay”.

You can read the full story of this baby-Evan miracle in this link to Katrin’s blog-site.

I hope this example is encouraging to you, and that you will take the opportunity to share an experience of answered prayer in the Comment box below. You never know how your own words may help other people.

The Gray Nomad.
Probing the practice of Christian believers……

“But Jesus……took a little child and put him at his side, and told them, Whoever receives and accepts and welcomes this child in My name and for My sake receives Me; and whoever so receives Me also receives Him who sent Me; for he who is least among you all, he is the one who is truly great” [Luke, chapter 9].

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