Hello ,
Bill Hybels tells about an interesting experience after a baptism service in their church. He writes: "I bumped into a
woman in the stairwell who was crying. I thought this was a little odd, since the service was so joyful. I asked her if she was all right. She said, 'No, I'm struggling.'
She said, 'My mom was baptized today. I prayed for her every day for almost 20 years. The reason I'm crying is because I came this close to giving up on her. At the
5-year mark I said, "Who needs this? God isn't listening." At the 10-year mark I said, "Why am I wasting my breath?" At the 15-year mark I said, "This is absurd." At the 19-year mark I said, "I'm just a fool." But I just kept trying, kept praying. Even with weak faith I kept praying. Then she gave here life to Christ, and she was baptized today. I will never doubt the power of prayer again."
"This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us." 1 John 5:14
Sometimes when we pray and pray, we feel like we are experiencing the law of diminished returns -- so we stop praying. We correspondingly
diminish our desires and dreams. We stop believing that God cares and that he will act -- that he is indeed a God who wants us to ask. I hope that you will trust God's love and concern for you, and his ability as well. I hope that you will continue to be persistent in prayer, no matter how discouraging it may seem at times. God is listening.
Have
a great day and God bless!
