When my friend Sherry was in the hospital, broken, nonresponsive, the doctor’s words didn’t contain much hope. She’d stopped breathing. There was certain to be brain damage. The list of concerns went on and on. We didn’t know whether to pray for healing—and the long road it might be, with the potential for more pain—or for release from it all, which brings a different kind of pain to the ones who are left here.

All we could do—literally all there was left to do—was pray.

And God gave us the miracle we asked for. Even if some of us didn’t fully believe He would. Even if some of us weren’t sure what to say. Even if we couldn’t fathom the how of it. Even though all of us might not have fully expected this answer.

I wonder, does God shake his head in exasperation or watch eagerly to see our expressions of surprise?

I don’t know. But I do know that Sherry is a miracle. Hours after we started praying, her body fought the ventilator, determined to breathe on her own. She woke up, talking, understanding, moving. A few days later, she’s back home. It’s not over. She still needs prayer. She still depends on God for complete healing. But God has already brought her past what seemed to be an impossible barrier. If you didn’t hear the details as they happened, it would be hard to believe it’s really as amazing as it sounds. But it really is.

People wonder why they should pray. Will it change the outcome? Will it mean anything? Will it simply set them up for disappointment?

We may all have different opinions. But this is what I know. It could have been just Sherry’s miracle. But because you paused to send up a prayer, you own this miracle, too. God answered both the quick-thought-tossed-towards-the-sky “please,” and the down-on-your-face-on-the-floor pleas.

This answer is one more sturdy block in the wall of faith we’re building. A stronghold. In one fell swoop, in an extended moment, a burst of healing, God restored something we thought might be permanently broken. And now, we all rise to our feet in celebration. We see a new facet of our God. We acknowledge His ability, His active hand.

And we realize that He really is listening. He is.

Thank you, friends, for your prayers.

And thank You, Sweet and Gracious and Loving God, for unexpected answers.