17 Years of Waiting for an Answer to Prayer.

          💬We have all experienced waiting for an answer to our prayers. Maybe right now we are also waiting for answers to the prayers we’ve made. Some have been waiting for a week, a month, a year, 5 years, or even many years. 

        Waiting is not always easy, but it is good for us. While we wait, we can gain many experiences with God. In those waiting moments, we are actually going through a beautiful process where we learn to accept God's will in response to the prayers we have made.

        Before sharing this testimony, I have obtained permission from the person involved, and I hope this experience will be a blessing to those who read this. 😊

        When I was little, my father was unconverted. He lived only for himself and his friends. He used to be a heavy smoker, a drinker, a gambler, and even used illegal drugs. My dad rarely came home, and when he did, he only wanted money. If there was no money, he would get angry, and my mom had to borrow money from others for his own pleasure. At that time, we were really poor. Thankfully, we lived in a place where we could get food from nature, like wild vegetables and fish from the river in front of our house. We couldn't even afford clean drinking water. We had to rely on rainwater to drink, and if there was no rain, we would drink water from the river, which looked like Coca-Cola.

        Despite the difficult circumstances we faced, I testified the beauty of my mother's faith. Even though she was suffered, she remained committed to keeping our family whole. Many people called my mom foolish, and many people believed my dad would never repent. Some even swore, 'Cut off my ear if he would repent.' Many close family members also urged my mom to leave or divorce my dad because of how painful her life had become.

        I still clearly remember that my mom would lead us, her children, in prayer for my dad's repentance. More than three times a day, we would pray specifically for my dad. I often saw my mom praying alone as well, crying deeply as she prayed for him. I also remember these Bible verses my mom would speak over us and she kept on repeating to her children:

        "Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil." (Jeremiah 13:23, KJV)

         With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible." (Matthew 19:26, KJV)

            Therefore, we continued to pray for my father's repentance, day after day, hoping that our prayers would be answered quickly by God. Many interesting things happened during the waiting period, and it was not easy to endure. However, when I reflect on it, I realize that during those waiting moments, God was not only working to answer our prayers, which He did 17 years later, but He also taught us to forgive our father every day for what he had done to us (in fact all his children have no resentment towards him today).  We learned to be persistent in prayer, even though it seemed like our prayers were unanswered. That experience also taught us to keep looking to, hoping in, and depending on Jesus. So, even though we were suffered because of my father's lifestyle, we were still able to experience a peace that the world could not give. It was just beautiful moment when my dad repents 10 years ago. He has been trying to be a good husband and a good father at the same time this past 10 years, he has been a servant at a church even though he never used to go to church. 💓

    Friends, as the Bible says in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 KJV) "Pray without ceasing."  Keep praying, hoping, and trusting in God. There are things that are impossible for man, but with God, nothing is impossible. And while we are in this waiting season, ask God to work in our hearts, making us willing to accept the answers according to His will and timing. Lastly, remember that during this waiting time, God is also working on good things in us that will bring great benefits, both in this current life and in the life to come. 🙏

Blessings,