Shortly after I gave my heart to Christ, I began to pray for my family’s salvation. At first, I prayed with faith and enthusiasm. As the years went by sometimes my faith gave way to discouragement.
I can’t tell you how many times I invited my parents to come to see me in a play at church. I would envision that after the play was over there would be an altar call and that would be the evening my parents would get saved. Oh, how my hopes were dashed time and again.
Pity Party and No One Showed Up
When my hopes were dashed, I would initially respond by throwing myself a pity party of some sort. Have you ever had a pity party? You know that kind where you are the only one that shows up – and that makes it even more pitiful. Let’s see I need a table for one to make my pity party complete.
Thankfully, the pity party didn’t usually last long. After I stopped feeling sorry for myself, I would get back to the Bible and look for encouragement. I would start praying again with fervor knowing that my family’s salvation was of the utmost importance.
Many Ups and Downs
I prayed for about 25 years before my parents came to Christ. During that time, I had many ups and downs, but I learned the value of endurance. Here are a few of the scriptures I prayed over my family.
Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be
healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.
James 5:16 NLT
The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right,
and his ears are open to their prayers.
I Peter 3:12 NLT
The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think.
No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed,
but wants everyone to repent.
2 Peter 3:9 NLT
Those are just a few of the scriptures I prayed over my family. You may want to find some more scriptures and begin to pray those verses over your family. When we pray the Word of God, we know that we are praying God’s Will. As we pray His Word we grow in faith, maturity and endurance.
Endurance is usually not a celebrated word. But endurance is important. It’s essential to every believer. We can endure through every circumstance because He is with us and gives us the strength.
I hope that you don’t have to pray for your family’s salvation for 25 years like I did. But let me say this – I am glad I endured. I am thankful that even though I had ups and downs I persisted by faith.
It’s Never Too Late
As we start this New Year commit to regularly praying for your family. Even if they already know the Lord – we all need prayer. It’s never too late to believe God can make changes in your family. You may have lived with some circumstances and situations for a long time – but it’s never too late to pray and ask God bring change.
Today’s Secret from the Studio: It’s Never Too Late
