“What goes on in the minds of battered [not literally, but by their children’s sin] parents when it comes time to pray? Often a sense of defeat takes over the spirit, a cloud that can descend even when the parents have forgiven the young person and have real love in their hearts. The problem is that parents often have a fixed negative image of the child. He or she is seen as unchangeable, an image that may be powerfully reinforced by the recollection of the adolescents many failings: repeated acts of rebellion, words of rebellion, and looks of rebellion.
The devil knows how to use this image to undermine effective prayer. He suggests to the unsuspecting parent that this image of cold resistance is the final vision of the child. “This thankless child cannot be changed,” says the Master of Darkness. Listening uncritically to this voice, the praying father or mother then naturally lets the mind become fixed on the child’s stubbornness. Who can pray effectively when the mind is clouded by this picture of steely resistance?
To overcome this, simply shift the mind to the promises of divine grace found in the Scriptures. As a parent, focus your faith by meditating on a great biblical passage like Luke 15, in which you see the great images of faith. You discover the Father’s grace in action. Lost things do not remain lost; they are found. The dead come alive. The lost sheep is found by the shepherd, the lost coin by the housewife, and the lost son is welcomed home with almost scandalous warmth by a loving father. When you think about these things, you’ll realize that the Father loves even you, the parent, as a lost child that has been found. Will he not love your child the same way?”
The extract above is taken from Come Back, Barbara by C. John Miller and Barbara Miller Juliani about a family's struggle to love and believe for the salvation of their daughter who rejected Christ.
The lost cannot remain lost. It must be found. Our God is a God of All Possible and Almighty, He can actually command every soul to turn back to Him as everything is in His hand and control. But ever wonder why God choose not to? Perhaps God allows it so that the believers can pray in faith to witness the greatest conversion one day, to witness the power of prayer and God to reveal himself in the midst of our cry. Another is to develop the trust in God's perfect timing. It can be a great journey of trust and faith where we learn how to rely on God. God can use our unbelieved friends to mould and trim our character. We are preparing ourselves into a battle of believing God can move mountains and change the hardest hearts.
God's promises of faith are all that we need to cling on.
Luke 15:7 says "It tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent."
Luke 15:10 says "In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angles of God over one sinner who repents."
Be encouraged that every time when a man crosses from the darkness junction to the light way, angels of God are rejoicing! It is indeed a heavenly transaction when grace is captured by a soul.
I learn to pray harder for all those I know who are still living in the sinful pattern of this world. I want the angels to rejoice and dance with me.
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