16 March | Youth
«For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me my petition which I asked of Him.» 1 Samuel 1:27
Never doubt the power of prayer in the lives of those for whom we intercede fervently. God acts in everyone, but this action is more effective when we cry out for our loved ones. God is not biased towards anyone; however, He has exclusive blessings for those who are mentioned in our prayers.
Edvaldo was Zete's youngest son. His father was no longer there. The boy, his mother and his two older sisters remained. With sadness, the mother saw her children, as teenagers, one by one abandon their faith and the church. Only she persevered, despite the hardships. When the boy was of legal age, he went to study abroad. She obviously felt very alone. Along also came the terrible feeling that her son, far from home, was in danger, surrounded by negative influences.
The situation worsened when she saw photos on the internet of her son going to parties, drinking, smoking, living a life she did not approve. One day, over the phone, he said to her, “Mom, please stop praying for me!” She used to pray for him, no matter the time, even if it was early in the morning, when she would lose sleep, worried. When he said this, she asked him: “But, my son, why?” To what he replied, “You pray for me and send me a message saying that you are praying to God for me. When I am out partying and I get this message, everything loses its fun. Then I leave. So, Mom, will you please stop praying for me?”
You can use your free will to do whatever you want, even to try to escape God. However, you should not expect others to support you in everything. And you should not assume that God will change His opinion for yours or give you 100% support even in things that will not do you any good. God is not like that. When He answers the prayer of someone who loves you, He is not making you do what you do not want; He is just making it very clear what the spiritual battle you are in is like, so that there is no doubt about what the best choice to make is.
Both Edvaldo's mother and the mother of the prophet Samuel knew the pain of separation; both were convinced that the Lord's ways are best. You can disagree with them if you want. Just do not doubt that God often uses mothers to bring children closer to their heavenly Father. Think about it!