When I Prayed For God To Raise The Dead

I was 15 years old and in the bed when the phone rang.  My mother answered.  I could hear her side of the conversation and knew it was bad.  My dad rushed out.  I will never forget that night or what I overheard.  Two girls - who were also sisters - in our youth group were killed in an automobile accident.  We were in total shock.  My dad had rushed to be with the family.  A few days later he preached their funerals.

This was the first time that I had been personally affected by death and grief.  

You find out just how strong your faith is when something like that happens.  I was young and still trying to figure things out about my own relationship with God.  I knew church but I was still learning about God.

I prayed that God would raise the two girls from the dead.  I believed He could.  I earnestly prayed for the girls to come back.  I had heard many sermons about how God raised people from the dead so why not then?  I know it sounds silly but I was young and naive but I still believed. 

There was a lot I didn't understand about God then.  Could He have brought the girls back?  Sure He could have.  Did it change my faith?  It did.  I eventually learned that we can pray for things and believe God but that doesn't mean He will answer our prayers in the way we are expecting.  That's a difficult lesson to learn. 

I know how painful it is when you pray for something that you want but not get it the way you wanted it.  I have prayed for people to be healed but they still died.  Honestly you wonder sometimes if it really makes any difference to pray about anything.  Some pray like they are in a courtroom and trying to convince God to decide in their favor.  I have known many people who felt that the louder they prayed the better chances that their prayers would be answered.  Well, God is not swayed by convincing arguments and He's not deaf.  

So why pray?

Prayer is not a list of requests.  It is about communion with God.  He wants a relationship with us.  Would you want a friend that only wanted to ask you to do things for them?  I don't think that would be a good basis for a relationship.  

So should we ask God for things?  Yes, He wants us to ask but it has to be more than that.  It still isn't easy when He doesn't answer our prayers but we have to understand that our ways aren't always God's ways.  Sure, I believe in the impossible and that God can answer prayers but I also understand that it has to align with God's will.  We should pray and trust God - even raising the dead - and leave the results to Him.