Faith Filled Friday & 17 Years Paid Off

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.

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

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.