When Mother prays, things happen
The photo you see below is precious to me. This son of mine is the one you will read about below. After years of selfish living, what pours out of him now is humble service. It will never fail to move me, seeing this, for it is proof that prayer brings change…
During the holidays just recently passed, I heard him say it again. The “him” of whom I speak is my tall, muscular, oldest son who’d been lost in the world of drugs and addiction for far too long. Clean and sober for over two blessed years now, his mind is clearing. With his feet firmly on the path of redemption and life, his eyesight is clearing, too, and much-needed clarity is returning.
It was in conversation after church one day while he was home that this precious nugget came from his lips. “There were times when I thought I had everything in place.” (Here, I knew he was referring to an underhanded scheme or enterprise, for he told me once that, “I worked awfully hard at not working,” and I understood what he was saying.)
“I thought that I had things in place, but all of a sudden something would just–go wrong.” It would fall through, there’d be a block, and at once he knew in his spirit that someone–meaning Mother–was praying.
“I even called her once.” My son is still talking there in that country church. “I asked her if she was praying against me.” He’s grinning now, but I knew he hadn’t been grinning back then. He’d been angry with me, feeling thwarted by my prayers and their power. But now–oh, blessed now, he was grateful.
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I share this with you today to remind you of the power that is found in prayer. For months and years as I prayed for my son, I had no way to see if my prayers were working, or how they were working, or if they were doing anything more than crashing up against a cast-iron sky to fall back down at my feet. I could not see, I did not know, but I know now.
In that nightmare season of praying sight unseen, God did not miss a single one. Even when I wasn’t actually praying, my prayers were working, and God was on the move. Every moment of every day and every awful night, His eye was on my son, and His angels were attending. He blocked what needed blocking, He redirected errant feet, He exposed what needed exposing, and every single piece came right on time.
This, my friend, is the essence of faith–to pray, holding uncertainty in one hand and a mustard seed in the other. As this mother has learned, it is enough to move the hand of God. It is the truth.
- Even when I can’t see a thing
- Even when I can’t hear a thing
- Even when my faith is weak
- Even after months and years
- Even when it looks like things are going in the opposite direction
As I told my husband over and over when Despair came calling. “There isn’t any actual reason for despair. It only feels like it.” It only looks like it, sounds like it, seems like it. There is no actual reason for despair.
Keep praying, my friend, then rest in between. I learned this valuable lesson, too. I did not have to be praying to utter exhaustion around the clock, for God, I found, had heard my every prayer. At last, I found a faith that rests. When stirred, it prays again, then returns to its rest, knowing that God is doing His work.
He can do this for you as He’s done it for me. I believe it.
Dear Rhonda,
This is so dear, a labor of love from a faithful mother. God definitely sees and Hears our prayers, even when we have a hard time believing.
I and Sharon (Knepp) Wittmer. I was in Maranatha Bible School with you around 1985.
This is a beautiful post!
God bless you!
I remember you! Thank you so much. It is good to hear from you, Sharon.
I needed this today. Confirmation that rest is a part of the faith required; hope that holds on instead of giving up. Still believing when mother prays, things happen.
Sometimes it’s the greater faith that can rest.
Thanks again, such powerful truths lived out in your families story.So inspiring to me.. hope , life in Jesus Christ…
Prayers of a mother!! I will keep fighting on my knees
“There’s no actual reason for despair.” 😊
Interesting read . Sometimes I feel like prayers are said , prayers are heard , but where is the Father …does He care …where is His hand that can reach out and save my son whom tries so hard to stay clean from addictions …who relapses and tries again …a 10 year battle …I know deep within my heart God has him…..but oh the pain to see him struggle and relapse 💔….the boy with the most tender heart is so precious when he’s clean and feels good about himself , when he crashes he crumbles within , the journey starts again …this mama longs for the day of complete victory …🙏🏾
❤️❤️❤️❤️
your 2nd to last paragraph…💣💥🧨! pray, then rest and when it stirs again, pray…then rest! I find myself getting “stirred” so I start to pray and then i get overwhelmed and “bombarded” in my head of “well, you prayed for one, so don’t forget to pray for them all.” so I start down the list and then “fizzle”. and then guilt gets involved and oh dear🫠. anyway, thank you for changing my perspective on this today. I wrote this down in my Journaling to reflect further on this. I love the nuggets of life I have gleaned from your writings!
That took me years to learn. Now it’s a shortcut for you! ❤️❤️
It will bring a lot of peace and relief. I’d love to see you again.
Thanks so much for sharing! I can relate and this gives me courage to keep on and also take some rest for myself…
Good! I’m glad.
Thank you! I needed this reminder. Things here are looking and feeling like none of my prayers for my youngest son are working. But still I will pray because I believe.
Pray, but then rest and know that He’s working without having to be reminded. He knows you’re tired. XO!
I love that last paragraph! Pray, rest and then pray again when prompted. That certainly gives peace for those situations that are the “long haul”. Thanks for your encouragement.
It brings a lot of relief into your life, I can tell you.
I just asked God to show me how he wants me to do this…..I want to keep praying and I get tired and overwhelmed. I’ve been hearing Him say to rest but how can I with such precious burdens…..this makes so much sense, again. I’ve heard you say it before. Pray and and then rest. Letting the Holy Spirit stir me when He wants me to pray….
Believing that God is working even when I can’t see it. Even when it might look like it’s getting worse. Remembering he can use anything and anyone for his purposes.
Like everything, it takes practice. Not “getting it right” immediately doesn’t mean you’re failing. 🙂
Thank you for sharing this piece of your and your son’s story. It gave me an umph to keep on. To keep praying… I’m in the stage of my prayers seeming to hit the black sky and reverberate through the skies. I will keep on…
I got to a point where I just boiled down my requests to two. “Past that,” I told God, “I trust You.” I did not even pray my two requests every day, just when it came to me to do it. Then I would look up at the sky and say, “My two.” And that was all.
God heard and honored those prayers.