A Picture of Prayer
“This, then, is how you should pray:
‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.’”
Matthew 6:9-10, NIV
My grandfather passed away two months ago, and I could not fall asleep the night I heard the news. I tossed and turned for a few hours; images of my favorite moments with him kept going through my mind. I had a tough time even wanting to pray that night. Instead, these images of him kept rolling through my mind. Sadness and joy kept moving back and forth in my mind like the ocean’s waves.
And then, a new image came to my mind. It is probably the closest thing I have ever had to a vision. It was like seeing the top of a grand painting and slowly moving down to see the whole picture. At the very top were the hosts of heaven in bright gold and yellow. Light and more light that signified the glory of heaven and all who were there. It was overwhelming.
I saw that the glory was surrounding Jesus who was on His knees, bending down. He was pulling someone up with both of His arms, like pulling a child out of the pool. The body He was holding in His arms was lifeless, but it appeared with Jesus’ touch, the man’s eyes were just about to open. Life was about to surge through his body once again. I realized that the man was my grandfather.
The picture opened up even more as I looked further down this grand painting. There I was, my body hovering in the air, one hand outstretched towards Jesus, my fingertips having just let go of my grandfather as Jesus picked him up. My body was stretched as I looked toward Jesus, but I realized I wasn’t alone. Below me was a group of people standing in a circle with their arms outstretched towards me. I knew all of them, they were family and friends, church members and old acquaintances.
And then I realized this was a picture of prayer. When we pray for someone, we come before Jesus and entrust them to His merciful care. We must let go so that our Lord can bring them into His glorious kingdom with saints and angels, and all those who have gone before us.
He is the Good Shepherd and He will care for His sheep in heaven and on earth, but we are not alone. There is the community of prayer that lifts us in our time of sorrow. The prayers encircle us as we go before the Lord, and hand over the ones we love but can no longer see. The community is the church on Earth, which, through this sacred action, connects us to the church in heaven.
And so, my brothers and sisters, pray without ceasing.
