Like millions of viewers, I was riveted by the scene on the field during the Bills-Bengals game.  As it became clear that this was no ordinary injury, I felt the apprehension that spread from the field to the stands, to homes across the country.

As the teams gathered, first in horrified astonishment, and then taking a knee in prayer, millions of us whispered a prayer for Damar Hamlin.

As I write this, the reports are coming in that Damar has regained consciousness and is on his way to what we all hope will be a full recovery.  People are talking about it as a miracle.  Maybe Damar’s recovery is miraculous; maybe it is the result of great medical care.  One doesn’t rule out the other.

Prayers are not magic, and they are not like currency.  The number of them is not what makes them more effective.

The beauty of prayer lies in its power to transform us.

The miracle I witnessed came before any of us knew if Damar Hamlin would live or die, before he even left the field.

What struck me as I watched Bengals and Bills huddled around the fallen player, was the evident connection that these men had with one of their own, whether he was a teammate or an opponent during game time.

In Luke 6:36, Jesus says, “Be compassionate just as your Father is compassionate.”

That’s the miracle we witnessed.  Those men, and those of us who watched, were drawn into compassion for this stranger lying on a football field in Cincinnati.

Whatever the Incarnation means, I am sure it is not less than this: the Incarnation is the compassion of God.  God, in Christ, took the whole human experience into the Godhead, even suffering and death.

God became one with us so that we might be at one with God and with each other.

When we pray for each other, we act as Christ did, uniting ourselves to those for whom we pray.  This is why prayer is so powerful and so scary – because it leads us off our knees and into the places of pain and need.

Prayer: Warm the coldness of my heart, the walls of ice I have erected to keep me safe from my sisters and brothers in their need, so I can truly pray with them and for them. Amen.