Yesterday my oldest child, still a baby sometimes at 5 years old, got some major dental work. He is a somewhat timid child, not a big risk taker, often afraid of new experiences. Our dentists office is fantastic, both kids loved their first two checkups. This time Nathan needed three crowns, which involved conscious sedation and laughing gas. We didn’t tell him anything except that the dentist needed to “paint” his teeth. He was pretty cool with that, but I was not.
So I asked for prayer from my Facebook friends. I know that many many of them are serious prayer warriors, and took my request seriously. It was not an off-handed thing for me…not much makes me nervous, but this did, and I was quite serious about wanting prayer. Of course I prayed myself…a ton. But I do believe that the more people pray for someone, the more an invisible wall of protection is raised…the more a wave of comfort takes over. The book of James says “the prayer of a righteous man is fervent and effective.” In God’s mysterious way, even though the outcome is known and predestined, prayer changes things. It works, it is powerful, it is a weapon. One that ought to be wielded often.
I was nervous about leaving Nathan alone in the procedure room because I had to entertain Alex in the waiting room. I was afraid he would quickly figure out what was going down and start bawling and asking for me. But they offered him his choice of movie on a little TV anchored to the ceiling so he could watch it while they worked, and he even had headphones to hear it over the sound of the drill. That helped me worry less. The sedation sure seemed to work quickly. Alex was my biggest challenge, it being lunchtime and we had a long wait. But everything went well and Dr. James said Nathan was a great patient. I had to help him walk and feed him his ice cream lunch, but then he slept all afternoon. He’s not happy about the metal crowns, and is still a bit lethargic and emotional, but doing well.
Thank you, my Facebook friends, for your highly effective prayers to calm my nerves and bring Nathan safely through.
I would love to hear your stories of how prayer has worked for you in my comments!
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