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Faith Filled Friday & 17 Years Paid Off

9/27/2012

21 Comments

 
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When I gave my life to Christ I was 11 and was pretty much one of the only believers in my family. Just me and my mom. I started praying for my dad and my step dad and cousins and aunts and uncles. Many of whom I still pray for today to know Christ, 24 years later. But I stopped praying for my dad's salvation after 17 years. Why? Because I got to see the Lord answer that prayer! Austin seized the opportunity to share the gospel with my dad and he put his trust in Christ! 

We all went to the lake last weekend (that's where the picture is taken) and out of the blue my dad asked to pray for me. So he took my hands and prayed. I get teary-eyed thinking about it. The man I prayed for to know Jesus for 17 years now on his own initiative prays for me! He is a wonderful man and I am so grateful that we have all eternity to spend together. (And side note, a handful of other family members have come to know Christ since then too. Woohoo!)

The same feeling of amazement I have of what God can do and how He can change lives must have been what the guys in Mark 2 must have felt.

"A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. So many gathered that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. Some men came, bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four of them. Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven." Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, "Why does this fellow talk like that? He's blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?" Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, "Why are you thinking these things? Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up, take your mat and walk'? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins . . ." He said to the paralytic, "I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home." He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, "We have never seen anything like this!"  Mark 2:1-12

Have you been praying for a friend or family member for a long time? Don't give up. Jesus blessed and healed this paralyzed man because of his incredible friends who were willing to lay him at Jesus' feet. Persevere in laying your sweet one at Jesus' feet for who knows what incredible story the Lord has in store. 

These men had to get down on their knees and get their hands dirty, literally. It wasn't just a simple walk in the park. They had to persevere through some major road blocks. Imagine bringing your friend all that way on a cot, only to find you can't get in to talk to Jesus about your friend (because there are so many people. You know what it's like being in a crowded area...) But instead of giving up, they persevered for their friend. They pressed on.

Will you press on for the person you've been praying for? Be encouraged by these guys. At times I'm sure they felt it was a lost cause, but found out in the end it wasn't. All your energy spent praying for them is not in vain dear friend. Keep praying. One day you will be glad you did.
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More in this series
A Glimpse of the Wow-ing God 1:1-8
I was Ruined for Anything Else 1:16-18 
Amazed and wanting to throw off a cliff. 1:21-28
When the need and your calling don't match. 1:29-39 


I'm linked up with the beautiful ladies at Fellowship Fridays, Nebraska Graceful, Reflection of Him,Spiritual Sunday, Heart Reflected, The Better Mom, Create with Joy.    

Faith Filled Friday Blog Hop Link Up

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W e exist to glorify God, to display His heart and character. And I just love how we are all uniquely built to do that. So every Friday I want to give you, uniquely designed by God, an opportunity to link up your thoughts on God, art, baking, photography, parenting, marriage, homeschooling, writing or blogging and more if they tie into or display the the Lord somehow. 

So go ahead and link up below by clicking the link below and following the prompts. Please just let your readers know by including a link at the bottom of your post (or somewhere on your side bar) or put my button code (found on my side bar or the Faith Filled Friday Tab) so they can find these other great people glorifying God and we can continue to grow as a community.Thanks! 

And in effort to encourage others in their writing by faith, please take a minute to comment on the two posts linked up before you. 
21 Comments
Rina Peru link
9/27/2012 02:56:12 pm

Beautiful photo of the family, Laura, with your Dad. How wonderful that your Dad has finally received the Lord Jesus! Yes, I, too, pray unrelentingly for unsaved loved ones, and I find great joy in praying for unsaved friends.

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Laura
9/27/2012 03:16:15 pm

That brings a smile to my face Rina as you always do. :)

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Lori link
9/27/2012 08:55:34 pm

Laura,
Your post made me so thankful that God chooses to hear and answer prayers. It is such a privilege to be a part of his work in the world. I know he could do it completely on his own, but his gracious kindness in allowing us to be a part also gives us the opportunity to own the answered prayer when it comes. Thanks for a happy start to the day. Visiting from Be Not Weary, and glad I did :)

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Mindy @ New Equus - A New Creation link
9/27/2012 09:47:56 pm

Oh my! That is awesome news and a wonderful thing to celebrate! What a testimony to answered prayer and how it pays to NOT give up!

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bluecottonmemory link
9/27/2012 09:51:36 pm

Oh, this is good - this is something I needed to hear - still praying for some people 25 years later.

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Pamela link
9/27/2012 10:01:45 pm

What a precious {true} story. It brought tears to my eyes to think of an 11-year-old praying for her daddy. How special that he asked to pray for you!

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Melissa link
9/27/2012 11:06:49 pm

What a wonderful post. Some people seem like a lost cause, but we must keep on praying for them. Thank you for the encouragement to keep fighting the good fight - I've been waiting a few years, and it may be a few more, but I will keep praying. God bless you this week!

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Joe Pote link
9/27/2012 11:26:42 pm

What a blessing to see God answer prayers in drawing our loved ones to Himself!

Thank you, Laura, for sharing such an encouraging post!

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rJoAnne Potte link
9/27/2012 11:27:40 pm

So need to hear stories like this of faithful granted prayer. I do think that God grants prayers when our will and timeline intersect with His own, but I also know that salvation is always in His will. Never get tired, never get tired...

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Nikki @ Christian Mommy Blogger link
9/28/2012 12:05:48 am

For one thanks for linking up with FF. For two, thanks for hosting FFF! And for three, what a huge encouragement your story is. I have a sister who is not a believer. I admit my prayers have lost some of the hope they used to have. I have a gazillion reasons why I know she "doesn't" need Jesus. But how on earth can I minimize or limit God's power?! He hears my prayers. I may not see anything working, but there is something brewing. I pray to see it come to fruition in my lifetime. But I know He has a plan, regardless! Thanks for your encouraging words and PRAISE THE LORD your Daddy finally met HIS real Daddy!

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Mary link
9/28/2012 12:07:05 am

I love this... "Persevere in laying your sweet one at Jesus' feet for who knows what incredible story the Lord has in store." I prayed for over 20 years for my parents to know our Savior. After much prayer and extended grace, they both now know and love the Lord! My mom will call and ask for prayer and she and my dad pray together every day. I'm so thankful that the Lord has a sweet eternal story for them! Thanks for a great post!
Visiting from Mary @ Woman to Woman

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Kathleen link
9/28/2012 12:20:49 am

Oh this brought tears to my eyes. Like you I prayed for my Dad for years and now he is in Heaven with His Heavenly father and I know we will be together again for eternity... What joy that brings and I continue to pray for others - for two of my children to return to the Lord... I lay them at the Lord's feet daily. Bless you girl! You fight a good fight :)

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Becca
9/28/2012 01:16:22 am

Praise God!!

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Laura Rath link
9/28/2012 01:24:35 am

What an encouraging faith story! Sometimes when praying for someone, it does feel like nothing is happening, but only God knows what change is taking place in someone's heart.

Thank you for this sweet reminder Laura. And what a wonderful experience you've had with your father!

God bless,
Laura

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Sylvia Phillips link
9/28/2012 01:25:07 am

What an awesome blessing!

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Laurie Collett link
9/28/2012 02:16:28 am

Praise God for our new brother in Christ, & for answered prayer! Thank you for this lovely post reminding us never to give up, and for hosting the linkup! God bless!

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Alecia link
9/28/2012 05:25:21 am

Thank you for the encouragement to keep pressing on. Sometimes you feel like you've been praying forever for someone to turn their lives over to God and start to feel like it's never going to happen, but your testimony is proof not to give up!

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Gertrude link
9/28/2012 05:43:40 am

That's a beautiful story Laura. Since the prayers of a righteous person are powerful and effective, I have no doubt that the people I have been praying for will make it to heaven. Praise the Lord for your testimony !!

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Anita link
9/29/2012 03:59:45 pm

Hi Laura.

What great news. That brings such joy to your heart, as well as your wider Christian family, we rejoice with you - praise the Lord! :)

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Donna link
9/30/2012 04:08:47 am

What an awesome story of grace. Thanks for hosting.

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Salina link
10/1/2012 12:03:56 am

Bless you for this post Laura. I've been praying for my husband for 15 years. Only just recently have I seen changes starting to occur in his life. It gives me such hope, hope to continue to pray even harder for his salvation.

Thank you for sharing this beautiful story.

Reply



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  • Home
    • Ministry Resources for Women >
      • Beholding Him Freebie
    • Contributors
    • Statement of Faith
  • Blog
    • Ministry >
      • Evangelism {Win}
      • Discipleship {Build}
      • Living Missionally {Send}
    • God's Word >
      • Bible Study
      • Prayer
      • Devotionals
      • Bible Studies
      • Apologetics
    • Relationships >
      • Marriage
      • Singleness
      • Dating
      • Family
      • Friendship
    • World >
      • Social Justice Issues
      • Internet & Social Media
      • Politics
      • International
      • Science Revealing God
    • Life >
      • Image & Idenity
      • Health
      • Fashion
      • Food
      • Organization
  • Bible Study Resources
  • Prints
  • Stickers
  • Quiet Time Journals
  • Courses
    • Discover God's Calling
    • Women's Ministry Training Promo
    • How to Study the Bible
    • Women's Ministry Training Course
    • Growing in Your Faith Mini Course
  • Retreat
  • Video Bible Studies
    • Matthew
    • John
    • Galatians
    • Philippians
    • Know your Purpose
    • Creation Reveals
    • Ministry
    • Heart Growth
  • You Are Unshaken Book
    • Unshaken Groups
    • You Are Unshaken Launch Team
    • You Are Unshaken Paint Party
    • Unshaken Freebies
  • Shop