When The Chips Are Down Everyone Is Open To Prayer

I did something today that I’ve done a number of times in the past.  I ended up praying with a complete stranger while I was visiting someone else I know, in the hospital.

I was visiting my friend Teresa in the hospital, this evening—the world famous Helene happened to be there visiting Teresa, too—and while we were talking, the woman in the bed next to Teresa’s joined in on some of the conversation with us and told us some of her story. It would be fair to say that she’s had a tough year.

[ *Some of you may be wondering: Who is the “world famous Helene?”  Helene is a woman in our church who seems to know someone everywhere she goes, friends, relatives, politicians, celebrities, Paris Hilton, Stallone, she knows them all. Therefore, I think she must be world famous. If you are reading this and you don’t know Helene then you need to subscribe to “PEOPLE” magazine and you’ve got to promise yourself that you’re going to start getting out more.]

Anyhow, back to the hospital room….

When it was time to go, I went to Teresa’s bedside and held her hand to pray with her. And I reached across to the other bed and held the hand of Teresa’s roommate and prayed for her, as well. And that’s the point I’m getting at. I’ve never offered to pray with someone at the hospital—even people I don’t know—and been turned down. It seems that, when the chips are down, as a patient in the hospital, everyone gets a little more open to the idea of prayer.

Oh, I know it could happen. At some point, someone could say, “No thanks, don’t pray for me, Bub! Leave me alone, I’m eating my delicious hospital food!”

I know everyone doesn’t believe in prayer. But, so far, I haven’t run into the person who’s not open to prayer….at least, while they’re laying in a hospital bed. Maybe it’s one of those responses where even if they don’t really believe in prayer they figure, “What the heck, it can’t hurt.”

So, like I said earlier, I’ve done it before and I did it again tonight. I held hands with a complete stranger and prayed with her.

And when I finished the prayer and said “Amen” I felt her gently squeeze my hand. It was a tender moment. And then I looked over and smiled at her and that’s when I noticed that with the other hand she was busily gobbling down hospital food.

Hey, at least she didn’t say, “Leave me alone, Bub!”