Prayer Changes Things
Near the front door of my paternal grandmother’s house, (Elizabeth, The Wild Rose of Lancaster) this plaque hung on the wall where all who entered and left the house could read the words. At that time, Elizabeth was running a boarding house and as a child, it was this house that I remember. After I was grown and Elizabeth died, this same plaque hung by the front door of the farmhouse where I grew up. I saw it a hundred times; a thousand times, and the words, silent and profound, are forever etched in my memory.
When my family was preparing to move far from home, my mother asked if I would like the plaque in memory of Elizabeth. Nothing could have pleased me more. This was a treasure. Those words, “Prayer Changes Things,” hang near my door and have traveled with me throughout my life. They are more than mere words on a decorative plaque. They are reality, proven to be true time and time again, reminding me always that there is nothing to hard for God to resolve, no circumstance in life that He cannot change if we pray and He wills it so.
This April morning was cool in the south and my husband made a fire in the fireplace. I removed the plaque from the wall and placed it on the tea table. I had several prayers that awaited an answer. I needed to read those words again, to remember Elizabeth, my mother, to remind myself how God had answered prayer for them, how this silent witness had spoken to all who came and went. Through the years, I have seen the eyes of my guests scan the words as they leave my home, those changeless words that plant faith, remind us that God still hears, still cares, and still changes things for our good.
When I pray, I say to Him, “I know, Lord, you always hear my prayer…and you will change this thing that I have no power or might to change…”
©2012 Ruth Carmichael Ellinger
"The effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." Jas 5:16
"And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up.” Jas 5:15
"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." Php. 4:6-7
