As a Christian mom, I often worry about the state of my childrens’ faith in Jesus. In the last few years, my oldest daughter, who recently turned 17, seems to have been wandering away from the faith. Unfortunately, her select softball team chooses to practice on Saturday and Sunday–almost always during church service hours. Yes, I could ban her from going to softball practice on Sunday, but that would most likely cause resentment. She doesn’t want to go to the high school Sunday school service later in the day, either, because she doesn’t “know anybody” there.
I’ve been praying for her consistently for a few years, asking the Lord to draw her to Him. Recently, the fruits of these prayers have begun to ripen. God placed a young Christian woman in the position of assistant coach of her softball team. The woman has taken my daughter under her wing and begun to mentor her. Now, when I’m freaking out about what college my daughter is going to go to, and whether a coach on a college softball team will recruit her–it’s late in the game and she has to apply to colleges RIGHT NOW!!!–my daughter looks at me serenely and says, “Mom, just trust God.” This is what her female coach has told her, and it’s sinking in. (Of course, I’ve told her this many, many times, but apparently what I have to say is just noise at this point.)
Then, a few days ago, my daughter told me that she has begun to mentor a younger girl via texting, and is now sending her a Bible verse every day. Glory be!!!!! My daughter is now literally paging through her Bible, using her Concordance to find verses in regard to key words, and typing them into a text. She is getting the word of God into her head and heart every day in a way that I would have never guessed.
God is so faithful. And so incredibly creative.
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are My ways your ways,” declares the Lord. (Isaiah 55:8)
I love His ways. They delight me continually. I am forever in awe of His answers to prayer, and how beautifully, and subtly and brilliantly He produces them. This is one of the wonderful aspects of being a Christian–being continually surprised–not with the fact that God answers prayer, for we know He does, but with how He answers prayer. I’m convinced that God not only loves to provide answers to our prayers, but also to give us the “wow” factor in His methodology.
I don’t know about you, but most often when I bring a request to Him, I’ve already got it figured out how I’d like Him to answer. And invariably, He shows up in a completely different way, in the most incredible way, and I shake my head, and say, “Wow…You’re just amazing.”
And here, with my daughter, He’s done it again.
But I need another little breakthrough. It seems like my daughter has no problem praying for other people, but doesn’t pray for herself. Ever. From some of the things she’s said, I think she has some guilt that she turned her back on God for these last few years. She’s afraid to talk to Him about herself, because she feels like she doesn’t deserve His attention. Of course we all know the story of the prodigal son, but she isn’t buying it. At least not yet.
I’d appreciate your prayers. Her name is Christian. Would you pray that God’s love would break into her heart, and that she would accept His forgiveness, and run into His open arms?
