If you’ve been watching the news these past couple weeks, no doubt you will have heard about the cardiac arrest that 24-year-old Damar Hamlin of the Buffalo Bills football team suffered after receiving a blow to the chest by a team member of the Cincinnati Bengals. Aware that a serious injury had occurred, a group of players and staff knelt in prayer around Damar as medics worked with him until an ambulance arrived to transport him to a nearby hospital.
As Hamlin lay in a coma, the world watched as sports fans and people around the globe prayed for his recovery. The media announced that staff and students at Pittsburgh’s Catholic High School, from where Hamlin graduated in 2016, prayed throughout those early days. An evening prayer vigil was held at the school as the medical crisis unfolded.
““If we didn’t believe that prayer (works), we wouldn’t ask this of you, God,” Orlovsky said in the prayer. “I believe in prayer. We believe in prayer. We lift up Damar Hamlin’s name in Your name.””
'God Using Me in a Different Way': Damar Hamlin Tweets His Faith as Entire NFL Teams Bow in Prayer
As the days passed, more and more people joined their hearts and voices in prayer as Damar began his slow but remarkable recovery. The now famous footballer, a man of faith, was loud in his praise and thanksgiving to God, the attentive doctors, and medical staff for helping him to stay alive. Newspapers even reported on the healing power of prayer and faith.
Now, as Hamlin continues his recovery, our society is beginning to reflect on the power of prayer in healing. This was evidenced in the faith of Damar, his family, friends, teachers, and countless others placing their trust in God’s love. Many people already experience the gift of faith in their lives and the power of prayer to uplift and sustain, especially in times of crisis. At this time in history, with global fanaticism about sports, Hamlin’s cardiac arrest caused citizens to pause and witness faith-filled athletes and people turn en masse at the encouragement of Damar himself, and storm heaven for divine assistance.
“There is power in prayer.”
God’s grace and help are with us at every moment. All we need to do is acknowledge it and lean on each other for support. I’m sure that’s why the phone in our home rings often with people requesting our prayers for various needs. There is power in prayer, especially where two or three are gathered. Go Bills!
-Sister Jean Moylan, CSJ