The Amputee’s Prayer

What would an amputee pray about? What would be their major prayer requests?

A new leg? That the limb or limbs would miraculously grow back? I don’t know what it was supposed to be. But I do know I have never said a prayer for a new leg before.

My niece was reading the story of the Shunamite woman of 2Kings Chapter 4 to me few days ago. It was the story of the woman who took pity on Elisha the prophet and made a chamber for him in their house, so he could rest whenever he comes around.

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Elisha in turn asked what could be done for her for her generosity. So he prophesied to her that by the following season she would embrace a son. And it was so.

Then the child died.

The prophet sent his servant Gehazi to lay his staff on the child’s face, but the Shunamite woman refused. She would not leave unless the man of God came with her.

The woman took him to the Prophet’s chamber and laid him on his bed. And then she went in search of the man of God. When she found him, she took hold of his feet and asked why he would give her a child and then take him away.

He did. He went in to the child, prayed to the Lord and did his prophet thing. The child sneezed seven times and opened his eyes.

Before that, there is the story of the poor widow and his two sons whom the man of God saved from her creditors. And after it, there was the account of dearth in Gil-gal and how the man of God made the poisonous pottage safe for the sons of the prophets. He also fed hundred men with twenty loaves of barley.

“There are no more miracles,”my niece said simply at the end of the chapter. They don’t exist anymore like in the Bible. I opened my eyes, looked at her and closed them again, hoping she would close the Bible and say the morning prayer.

They don’t happen anymore, even when you believe they would. I sighed, I could feel my hope dissipating in the heat.

I prayed for you. I pray for you every day but God didn’t answer my prayer. I opened my eyes again and stared at the ceiling. I watched as my hope that she would let go of the dearth and death of miracle ascended into it.

I didn’t have to ask what the prayer was. I knew it. And then I wondered why I never asked for it myself.

Maybe my faith was not strong enough. Maybe I don’t believe it was possible. Or I was just contented with walking unaided with my legs in my dreams. I don’t know that too. But one thing was sure; I have to give the young lady an answer.

She must have been troubled about this for a while. Wondering so much why the Lord who did all the wonderful things she had read about has refused to answer her prayer.

So, I told her a story about how God answered my prayer.

I told her of the biggest miracle that lives with her everyday, me. That I am alive, breathing, walking is a miracle that God still answers prayer.

Everybody on the road that day thought I was dead. So they left me to pursue the driver. Nobody wanted to come close, nobody cared about the dead girl until the Lord sent someone who was not there when it happened.

He was there by chance. He was in trouble because of the woman who forgot her bag in his cab, so he was was going to the police station.

He became curious about the dead girl and wanted to see. And just then I moved. He took me to the hospital. He told me how the traffic was controlled by a man in white riding a motorcycle. He disappeared as soon as we got to the gate of the hospital

The doctors didn’t know I would make it. I did. They didn’t know why I made it. They called me Strong Woman and Our VIP Patient.

If that was not a miracle, I don’t know what it is.

I had prayed for so many things. And some of those prayers were answered. I have cried for a lot of things as well but not for the leg to grow back.
Instead, I prayed for the strength, courage and the grace to live this life. You need a lot of that as an amputee.

I asked to be able to bear the pain, to smile through it. I asked to never be hungry or lack anything good. That the Lord would bless me with all I need to sustain my new life. That I would never have any reason to cry again. I asked Him to take care of my family, my love ones, that I wouldn’t have to run because of them, as He knows that I cant run.

I asked that whenever they need me but I cant be there, He stands in my place. I told Him, since He has taken my leg, He would have to be my legs and go all the place I wouldn’t be able to go. He would walk it for me and with me.

He heard my prayer and answered.

Sometimes, when I wonder how I’m able to bear it. I remember I had asked Him to give me the grace to.
A man once asked me after staring at me for a very uncomfortable several minutes. How do you endure it? I really can’t imagine, how you cope, your daily activities, work, everything?

I said, You find new ways of doing old things. It seems uncomfortable or strange at first, and then it becomes you.

“But what about the ones you cant do, what about in the future?”
I take it one day at a time. I leave the next day and the next step to Him. He handles them.

He takes care of me today and prepares me for tomorrow. Whatever it brings He is there to guide and walk me through it.

Those are my prayers every day.

There are miracles everywhere, everyday, I explained to her further. Sleeping yesterday and waking up this morning is a miracle. You are always scared of the ants, but none of them has crawled into your nose while you are sleeping yet.

Walking, living, travelling here and there, even eating, they are all miracles.
We only sometimes think our prayers are not answered because we didn’t get what we thought we needed.