"Intercede until God intervenes."
My friend and worship pastor had put that quote on her Instagram and when I saw it, it rocked me. I read that quote in a time that I really needed to be challenged in my prayer life. I turned that sentence over and over again in my head, and to this day, I've let it stick with me.
Let me explain:
If you have been following my blog for some time, you might have read my "Dear Brother" post. If not, I'll post the link at the end of this blog. Let me sum it up real quick: My oldest brother expressed in his own blog some deep struggles he was dealing with and I responded in the best way I could. My heart broke for my brother. I called my sister crying and we both brainstormed on what we could do to fix the "problem". Quickly I realized it was not up to me to be the savior. My words would do little to nothing, so I prayed. Every time I called out to God, whether it was every day or every other day, my older brother was at the top of my prayer list. Also at the top of my prayer list was my younger brother.
My younger brother wasn't going off the deep end, spiraling down into a wasteland of a life, but I knew he was stopped at a crossroads and I feared the direction he would take, so I prayed.
I can't give an exact amount of prayers I said or a number of months I prayed or for how long, but I do know that as much as I could be consistent, they were never forgotten from my prayers. Though I prayed, I had strong moments of doubt. Some prayers I feared were just a waste of my breath and this was just the destiny for my family.
But, I interceded until God intervened.
Then, one day I woke up to a text in our family group message from my older brother. He was declaring to us the undeniable joy he had in his heart. He was sharing how he woke up, knowing God's love for him was real. A week later my older brother got baptized and I cried as I watched the Facebook live video.
Shortly after, my older sister called me and told me how my younger brother had rededicated his life to Christ. Then, his youth pastor told me how my younger brother carries his Bible around his high school campus, openly reading and studying it in hopes of having an opportunity to minister to someone. And when people ask my younger brother what he wants to do after graduation, he responds confidently with, "Whatever God wants me to do."
I share about my brothers because, even though I prayed, it wasn't me who restored their faith, it was God. It wasn't my words or actions, but it was God taking over their heart. While they doubted, I prayed, and when I prayed, God heard and God allowed for something so amazing to happen in both of their lives. God did so much more than I ever prayed for.
1 John 5:14-15 "And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him. And since we know he hears us when we make our requests, we also know that he will give us what we ask for."
If you take anything from this post please take these few thoughts:
My friend and worship pastor had put that quote on her Instagram and when I saw it, it rocked me. I read that quote in a time that I really needed to be challenged in my prayer life. I turned that sentence over and over again in my head, and to this day, I've let it stick with me.
Let me explain:
If you have been following my blog for some time, you might have read my "Dear Brother" post. If not, I'll post the link at the end of this blog. Let me sum it up real quick: My oldest brother expressed in his own blog some deep struggles he was dealing with and I responded in the best way I could. My heart broke for my brother. I called my sister crying and we both brainstormed on what we could do to fix the "problem". Quickly I realized it was not up to me to be the savior. My words would do little to nothing, so I prayed. Every time I called out to God, whether it was every day or every other day, my older brother was at the top of my prayer list. Also at the top of my prayer list was my younger brother.
My younger brother wasn't going off the deep end, spiraling down into a wasteland of a life, but I knew he was stopped at a crossroads and I feared the direction he would take, so I prayed.
I can't give an exact amount of prayers I said or a number of months I prayed or for how long, but I do know that as much as I could be consistent, they were never forgotten from my prayers. Though I prayed, I had strong moments of doubt. Some prayers I feared were just a waste of my breath and this was just the destiny for my family.
But, I interceded until God intervened.
Then, one day I woke up to a text in our family group message from my older brother. He was declaring to us the undeniable joy he had in his heart. He was sharing how he woke up, knowing God's love for him was real. A week later my older brother got baptized and I cried as I watched the Facebook live video.
Shortly after, my older sister called me and told me how my younger brother had rededicated his life to Christ. Then, his youth pastor told me how my younger brother carries his Bible around his high school campus, openly reading and studying it in hopes of having an opportunity to minister to someone. And when people ask my younger brother what he wants to do after graduation, he responds confidently with, "Whatever God wants me to do."
I share about my brothers because, even though I prayed, it wasn't me who restored their faith, it was God. It wasn't my words or actions, but it was God taking over their heart. While they doubted, I prayed, and when I prayed, God heard and God allowed for something so amazing to happen in both of their lives. God did so much more than I ever prayed for.
1 John 5:14-15 "And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him. And since we know he hears us when we make our requests, we also know that he will give us what we ask for."
If you take anything from this post please take these few thoughts:
- No person or situation is a lost cause
- God hears your cries and your pleas
- Intercede until God intervenes.
1 Thessalonians 5:17 "Never stop praying."
So,
Dear brothers,
I love you both. You both have inspired, encouraged, and challenged me more than you will ever know. I will never stop praying for you and I will never stop believing in you both. Continue to walk in all God has for you. You both are going to do AMAZING things.
Love,
Your sister.
Dear Brother: http://princessjessnicole.blogspot.com/2016/10/dear-brother.html
And here is my oldest brothers newest blog in which he shares his story:
http://jdlair.blogspot.com/2017/03/when-god-dies.html?spref=fb
Dear Brother: http://princessjessnicole.blogspot.com/2016/10/dear-brother.html
And here is my oldest brothers newest blog in which he shares his story:
http://jdlair.blogspot.com/2017/03/when-god-dies.html?spref=fb
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