Inspirational Thought—Always Pray … When I was eleven years old, I remember my parents praying for my oldest sister, Barbara, who at the time was twenty-six years old. She had strayed from her Christian upbringing. In fact, she was so far from a Christian lifestyle that when a preacher friend came to visit her, she prayed, “Lord, please don’t let him find out about my sinful way of life.” Wow, interesting prayer!
My parents began to pray two hours a day for her, one hour each. Soon, her boyfriend who would later become her husband was included in their prayers.
Nine years later, God answered their prayers. What my brother-in-law called the “longest altar call in history” occurred. He drove 150 miles to pray with my parents and asked Jesus into his heart. Shortly after that, Barbara returned to her faith in God.
When I’m discouraged about unanswered prayer, I remember my parents’ faithful persistence, and it helps me. I remind myself to “always pray and not give up” (Luke 18:1).
“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him” (1 John 5:14-15).
