A simple word of hope for all of us praying a long time for non-believing loved ones

Jim Waldenmeyer handed out copies of this at our Wednesday evening prayer meeting. It was encouraging to me, and I thought it would be encouraging to many in our church family.

By Chuck Lawless

Just a simple thought today. At this time three years ago, I and others had been praying for my mom’s salvation for more than 46 years. As I recall, nothing in those days suggested that mom was ready to
follow Christ. She knew the facts of the gospel, but head knowledge alone is not life-transforming.

Within just a month back then, though, my mom had turned to Christ. It did not happen in a church worship service. It didn’t take place in a church building. No other believers were immediately with her when she became a believer. Rather, she simply cried out to Jesus the best way she knew how, God heard, and she reported to us what had happened. Her life was so dramatically changed for the six months she lived following her conversion that we could not doubt her faith was real.

▪ God knew how He was working in her heart, but we did not fully grasp that.

▪ He knew His timing. We did not.

▪ He was not surprised by her commitment, but we were—gratefully so, but still caught by surprise after praying so long for her.

Frankly, we even at first wondered how genuine her faith was, but God made that clear, too.

In the latter part of February 2021, we were still praying and hoping. By the end of March of that year, though, God had moved mightily in Mom’s life. In February, we were just weeks away from a miracle we were too little expecting; in March, we could only rejoice in gratitude.

Perhaps your loved one for whom you’ve been praying a long time is only a month or less away from turning to Christ, even if you don’t recognize that movement today. Who knows—perhaps a display of the life-changing power of the grace of God is just around the corner.

May God let it be for you and your loved one!