Praying for more time is one of the most honest prayers a person with cancer can pray. My friend David Carpenter prayed it, too. And this week on the podcast, he told us how that prayer changed.
Let Me Be at the Wedding
In the middle of brain surgery, radiation and immunotherapy, David's daughter got engaged. So his first prayer was simple. Lord, let me be at the wedding. He was. Next, it became, let me meet a grandchild. Today he has two grandsons, with a third on the way.
I know that prayer well. When my mother-in-law had cancer and wasn't given much time, she asked God for one thing. She wanted to make it to our daughter's wedding.
God gave her that gift. In fact, she didn't just make it to the wedding. She danced. She danced. About a month later she passed away, but her prayer had been answered.
Praying for More Time Isn't a Lack of Faith
Some people feel guilty praying for more time, as if it means they don't trust God. Please don't carry that. Even Jesus, the night before the cross, asked His Father if the cup could pass from Him.
Asking is not doubting. Rather, it's exactly what a child does with a father he trusts. So keep praying for more time, boldly, and ask for exactly what you want.
The Prayer That Comes Next
Here's what struck me about David, though. Near the end of our conversation, I asked what he'd say if Jesus were sitting right next to him. He didn't ask for more years. Instead, he asked, "What's next? Where do you want me to go? Who do you want me to see?"
His prayers went from asking God for more time to asking God what the time is for. And that's a very old prayer. Isaiah prayed it thousands of years ago:
"Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, 'Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?' And I said, 'Here am I. Send me!'" - Isaiah 6:8
I've come to believe something about this. God doesn't take us through the darkness for nothing. He walks us through it so we know the w.y out, when He sends us back in for someone else.
When Praying for More Time Doesn't Bring More Time
Now I need to be honest with you. Not every prayer for more time is answered the way we ask. My mother-in-law got her dance, and then she went home to Jesus a month later. Both of those things are true.
So if you've prayed for more time and didn't get it, for yourself or for someone you love, you didn't pray wrong. Time on earth is a gift, but it was never the whole story. With Jesus, the story doesn't end. It goes home.
You Are Never Alone
Whether you're praying for more time today or already asking what's next, Jesus hears every word. And if He's given you today, He has something for you to do with it. Your story might be the very thing someone else needs to hear.
If you don't have that relationship with Jesus, or if yours has grown stale or weak, or you're just plain angry with Him right now, please visit our Accepting Jesus page. Nothing else on this site matters as much.
No matter what you're facing on your journey with cancer or in life, remember: you are NEVER ALONE. Jesus and the Holy Spirit are always with you and ready to help. All you have to do is ask, then give it all to Jesus and let Him go to work.
Listen to the Podcast - David's Story, Part Two: What's Next?