Prayer and Faith uncovered

Without faith there can be no prayer, no matter how great our helplessness may be. Helplessness united with faith produces prayer. Without faith our helplessness would only be a vain cry of distress in the night. Ole Kristian O. Hallesby
As I rake the leaves from the smaller maples they are endless, yellow, brown and tinged with red, clinging now to the grass with a tenacity that surprises. They have fallen dying in the empty ground with just the green grass surrounding them. Now I want to move them to the garden beds to cover the lilies and raspberry and tayberry canes, the rhododendrons and azaleas. Sticking to the blades of grass they resist my efforts, but they are dead or at least dying. Stuck from the night before frost, wet from the rain, the effort required is causing me to break into a sweat. I will move you, I will change your position, I will load you into the wheelbarrow and put you where I want you to go. How can  dead things have so  much resistance, I wonder and then I see myself standing dead in my sins resisting all efforts of a loving God to save me, change me, transform me.
I am helpless to change myself no matter how hard I work at it. I believe that God will do His work through me, in me and use me. My faith is to pursue this God who shows me daily that He loves me. To keep raking the dead things up from my life into His hands that are like a giant wheelbarrow, who knows what I need and where I should go. Surrender to the will of the One who has plans for me each and every day. Who has planned the good works He wants me to do, to give up my rights to myself and to serve the King of Kings.
I cannot change my dear heart and help him understand the consequences of unsafe behaviour, his understanding is dying and the logical consequences are removed from his comprehension. His sweetness is still there, the gentle look, the yes of course I will do it. And then no redirection of the behaviour. No change, just the sweet agreement to do as he was asked and nothing. The helplessness as he eats so quickly, choking and swallowing with difficulty. My fear rushes to my throat, and I try again to calmly suggest he have a drink and slow down. Of course he agrees and continues to bolt his meal. What is the good work in this I ask the Lord, how can I continue to rake and rake the dead and dying leaves.
Waiting for the surgeon's appointment next month, praying that the surgery will be done and more importantly be successful this time. Already two surgeons have said they cannot repair his throat. This third one will be the final answer, who knows what that will be. So I wait helpless and praying with faith.
Ephesians 2:8-10 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— ⁹ not by works, so that no one can boast. ¹⁰ For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.