When Prayers Meet a Miracle

“What?! Oh no, not him! Lord, please,” I quickly muttered a prayer, overwhelmed with fear and disbelief.

“Yes, Ma’am. The fall was severe,” said one of the delegates from our district, relaying the news about Jared’s accident during a basketball game.

Jared was representing our basketball team from Borongan, Samar, at the federation of churches event held in Calbayog.

“The impact of the collision was strong, and his small size worked against him,” the youth added.

I could vividly imagine the chaos in my mind—the people screaming and rushing towards Jared in the middle of the court. If I had been there, I would have bolted from my seat and rushed to the scene.

“Lord, please save Jared!” I kept reciting the prayer silently while my knees trembled, and my heart thundered in my ears.

We hurried to Adventist Hospital Calbayog, where the members of our church had taken Jared for medical care. There he was, lying helplessly on a hospital bed, groaning in pain.

“No…” my mind repeatedly protested. “This can’t be happening.”

Jared had just recently been baptized, along with his father and sister-in-law. They were still new in their faith, still learning to walk with Christ. My heart sank as fear gripped me—not just for Jared’s condition, but for the spiritual struggles his family might face. Would this accident cause them to question God? Would they lose their trust in Him?

We were in Calbayog, Samar, together with the thirty young delegates from our church, excluding the adults. We attended the federation of churches, and our days there swelled with joy, fellowship, and excitement.

What thrilled us was that God provided for us in ways that amazed us all. We had prayed for ₱30,000 to cover our expenses, but the Lord touched the hearts of our brethren, who gave even more than we had asked for.

The thought of these provisions assured us that God had blessed us on this trip, and nothing excited me more than the idea of the newly baptized experiencing the joy of great fellowship. Yet now, all that joy seemed overshadowed by this sudden tragedy.

A few minutes later, the doctor examined him, pointing to swelling near his spine. Jared winced in pain at the slightest touch and could not move his legs. Worse still, the doctor feared a possible spinal cord injury.

The X-ray results then confirmed a dislocated pelvic bone. Jared needed an orthopedic specialist. The initial plan was to transfer him to Borongan, closer to his home. However, the brethren, concerned about the severity of his case, urged us to bring him instead to Tacloban, where better facilities were available.

The next morning, the doctor requested to see Jared’s parents. His words cut deep: Jared might be permanently disabled.

I could hardly breathe. Jared was too young, too full of life, to face such a fate—especially now, just after his father and sister-in-law had surrendered their lives to Christ. My heart wrestled with the questions: How will Jared and his family accept this? How will they see God now?

I asked one of the church elders to gather the youth for a prayer vigil. We clasped hands, tears streaming down our faces as we prayed earnestly.

We pleaded for a miracle. Was He not the same God who healed the sick when He walked on earth? Does He not invite us to cast our burdens at His feet?

The atmosphere changed that day. What What cowas once filled with laughter and cheers turned into silence and sorrow. While the other districts continued their games, the Boronggan group lost all desire to play. Even the children withdrew, choosing to sit quietly in sympathy with Jared.

That evening, while listening to the sermon, I added Jared’s name to my list of prayer requests. With a heavy heart, I pleaded, “Father, You created the universe. Nothing is too hard for You. Please, Lord, heal Jared.”

Over and over, I whispered the same lines, unable to find other words because of the weight of grief. I reflected on the wrongs I had committed and prayed for forgiveness for each one. I feared that my unforgiven sin was preventing God from answering my prayer.

Then the Holy Spirit nudged me to open my Bible. It fell open to Deuteronomy 28:1–2: “If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. All these blessings will come on you and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God.”

I fell asleep with peace in my heart, but was startled awake when my husband unexpectedly entered our tent around two in the morning. He had been with Jared at the hospital as his companion.

“Why are you here?” I asked, worried because I thought he had left Jared alone at the hospital.

But he smiled. “Jared is going home tomorrow. He’s doing well now—just as you prayed.”

At those words, tears flooded my eyes.

My husband, the district leader, informed me that the swelling on Jared’s back had disappeared. The doctor showed him the CT scan results—what had been dislocated was corrected, and his previously uneven bones were now perfectly aligned.

I dropped to my knees in awe, overwhelmed with gratitude. “Lord, it is you! How can I ever thank You enough?”

I no longer questioned what had suddenly changed in the diagnosis or whether there had been an error in interpreting the diagnostic procedures. Seeing Jared in excruciating pain, along with his immobility, was enough to convince me that he indeed had multiple physical injuries.

Beyond any logic and medical arguments, I knew our Great Healer very well. He performs miracles. He heals.

He is more powerful than we can imagine and greater than all our problems. And I knew it was Him who made Jared well.

Jared still struggled to stand straight for many days, but his spirit overflowed with joy. He was eager to return to church and excited to share the testimony of God’s miraculous healing.

For him, along with those newly baptized, and for all of us who witnessed it, this experience became one of the most unforgettable moments of our lives.

By Janine Capangpangan / Samar Mission of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church