momma prayed

yesterday i saw a car that reminded me of a very close friend of mine who currently lives in kentucky. i sent up a prayer for her and then texted her to let her know she was on my mind. about 2 minutes later my phone rang and it was my friend. once we got through the formalities (hello...how's life....etc) she told me something that infused my spirit with hope.

my friend has been a believer for a number of years. she has dedicated her life to the propogation of the gospel not only in america but in places all around the world. her passion and calling is for the people in china but her determination and hope is that "all" people will hear and know that Jesus is lord. this person has always helped me to see more clearly the grace and love of God. very early on in her faith journey she asked me to pray for her mom's salvation. over the years that has been a constant prayer for her. she loves her mom and has consistently demonstrated that love, not by buying her gifts or sending her cards, but by praying for her.

fast forward quite a few years and you land at my conversation yesterday. she told me that a few months ago she and her mom got into a conversation about God. she asked her mom if she ever read her Bible and her mom said "no, i don't understand it." my friend seized the opportunity to come alongside of her mom and the last few weeks they have been going verse by verse through the book of Romans. in one of their conversations her mom told her that she believes that she has trusted Jesus as her Savior but hasn't been able to believe that He loves her in spite of all of her struggles. if i understood the story correctly, my friend had purchased her mom a study bible some 5 years ago and when they got to Romans 8:31-39 the study notes helped her mom see something about God that she hadn't previously understood. she was grappling with grace and it was God's kindness that lead her to repentance....not guilt or shame. Jesus did in fact love her in spite of all the stuff that had been weighing her down.

it is impossible for me to properly and adequately blog the depth and magnitude of this story. here is a young woman who fell in love with Jesus and started praying for her mom. she has been praying for years. did you catch that....years. she never gave up and always trusted that God loved her mom too.

who are you praying for? who do you love enough to lift up to the Father? who have you given up on?

as we were concluding our conversation my friend told me that one of the most awesome, humbling, gratifying, merciful things that she has ever been a part of was having the opportunity to, for the first time in her life, listen on the phone while momma prayed.