There were two extremely religious parents who prayed every day for their son to be saved from his sins. As their son grew into adulthood, they told him how they prayed that he would come to know Jesus and his saving grace. The son was indifferent and sometimes even angry and resentful about their prayerful interference in his life. Eventually he disowned his parents. Despite the deep pain in their hearts, they continued to pray for their only son every single day.
One day when his parents were quite frail, the son came to them in tears. He thanked them for their prayers and apologized for his resistance over the years. As they talked about his faith journey, it became clear to the parents that their son did not share any of their religious beliefs. He didn’t consider the Bible to be authoritative and had no interest in the creeds, rituals, and sacraments of the church. They asked if their son confessed Jesus Christ as his personal lord and savior. He did not.
The parents were very upset and confused. The son said, “Mom and Dad, I love you so much, and I am so thankful for you and your prayers. I know that you cherish your beliefs, but I will not betray the One who has set me free.”
Secrets of the Story
I come from a very religious extended family. I can recall many times in my younger years when my aunts in particular would tell me that they were praying for me. At those times I thought it was weird that they would tell me this whenever they saw me. I doubted that they actually did it, and even if they did do it, I wasn’t sure I even wanted their prayers.
Years ago, I realized that my relatives’ hopes and prayers for me had been answered. I came to discover that there was a Creator who loved me unconditionally and was showering ridiculous amounts of Love and blessings upon me simply because I asked for them. The people and prayers that had annoyed me became a blessing for which I felt incredible gratitude. Tears rolled down my cheeks as I realized that their prayers had been answered even though I did not ascribe to many of their beliefs regarding the Bible, the church, Jesus, religious practice, ritual, and creed. Actually, my guess is that when my extended family learns what I really think about religious matters, they may be deeply troubled like the parents in the story. I know in my heart that their prayers helped guide me to God’s Love which is beyond anything created or imagined by people.
God is most concerned with the orientation of each person’s heart and soul. In other words religious beliefs, concepts, practices, cultural affiliations, political tendencies, lifestyles, etc. are only a concern to God to the extent that they either help or prevent people from accepting God’s Love, loving others, and loving themselves. People of all types and backgrounds have received and continue to receive God’s Love and all of the benefits that flow from it. It’s just that many people do not engage in spiritual disciplines that help them to experience the inflowing of God’s Love into their souls on a regular basis and to such an extent that they are consciously aware of receiving it and of the good it is doing. Part of the purpose of this blog is to help people awaken to their own souls’ desire for God’s Love. It is there, but many have not yet been able to perceive it.
I hope this doesn’t come across as being too pushy or annoying, but my sincere prayer is that you will come to know this life-transforming power for yourself regardless of your personal, political, social, cultural, or religious leanings. Thankfully you may receive God’s Love simply by asking for it in all earnestness from your heart over and over and over again.
Thanks for another thought provoking story Bill. I had an experience a few years back where most of my relatives that I had known in my life but had since passed over came to me one by one to thank me for my prayerful efforts on their behalf, All of them said that they appreciated the work that I was doing though they had no understanding of it when on earth. Prayers can reach many people , some in unexpected situations. The power of prayer may not be evident or immediately recognized but it will work its magic as God orchestrates the answer. Keep praying my friends, and as Eva says, with humility and faith. God bless…….Al
Thank you for your wonderful comments, Al! They remind me of one of the lessons I learned from my first spiritual mentor, Jocelyn Harleston. She taught me that we will eventually become aware of the impact of the love we have expressed. Your story is a reminder that even though we might not see the effects of our love immediately or in any time frame that is meaningful to us in our life on earth, it is felt – it makes a real and meaningful difference – even when we aren’t aware of it. We are called to love and not hold anything back, ever. Love is the point of life. Love is life!
Hi Bill, another interesting story and especially insightful commentary where you bring out some important spiritual truths. I enjoyed reading your personal story as well.
Another spiritual truth is that our prayers or prayers for us by others are often answered differently to what we hope or ask for. That doesn’t mean the prayers are not answered, but God’s answer will always be in our best interest in the long run, even if different from our desires.
Many years ago I was in a church group and a story was told of an old lady who would pray for herself and others and add to her prayers a clause like: “Lord, if this is not your will, don’t make it happen!” Not a bad idea if we desire what is the best for us or our loved ones.
Thank you for your thoughts, Eva! I totally agree! When I think about my own experiences of prayer so far I can see how the my mind often has it’s ideas of what is best. I also seen how my ideas have had little to no connection with what God knows if best. I think your comments point to our need for humility and faith in prayer, where we can voice what we believe is best yet leave ourselves open to what is really best, since the chances are excellent that we have included something we shouldn’t or omitted something important. Thank you for your continued reading, feedback, and support, Eva! It means the world to me!