Are you praying for the salvation of your loved ones right now? Do you feel like you want to lose hope because it seems like nothing happened? Then this powerful testimony will entirely change your mind.
The renowned evangelist, author, and teacher, Francis Chan, shared an inspiring story of how God answered his 30 years of persevering prayer for his best friend. In one of his blog posts in desiringgod.org entitled “No Soul Is Too Far Gone,” he wrote a reminder for every Christian:
“There is tremendous power in perseverant prayer. God is not like us; he is not bothered by his children asking for the same thing over and over. He is pleased by the faith demonstrated when we pray and pray for someone to be saved.”
Then he shared a testimony about his best friend. According to his blog post, Francis and his best friend in college named Ken went on their separate ways, and their lives went in opposite directions. Ken doesn’t want to follow Jesus. But Francis didn’t stop praying for him.
“Whenever Ken’s name would pop into my mind, prayer was my natural reflex, ” he wrote.
And after 30 years, God answered his prayer. Francis invited his best friend to an event so that they can reconnect, and a miracle happened. He said, “Suddenly Jesus looked beautiful to him, and he couldn’t believe that he didn’t see it all this time. A few weeks later, Ken and his wife flew down to San Francisco, and I baptized them.”
This powerful testimony proves that God is faithful enough to hear your prayers. We have to be persistent in the presence of God. God can open the eyes of those who experienced spiritual blindness.
“In some mysterious way, God shines light in a person’s heart so that he instantly sees the beauty of the gospel. No amount of human effort can produce this. Salvation is a miracle of God,” Francis wrote.
So never give up. Continue to pray for the people you love, it may take longer, but trust that God is moving in the midst. Francis even concluded in his blog post:
“No soul is too far gone for God to bring back. No heart is too hard for God to soften. No son or daughter is too lost for God to rescue. Keep praying for God to do what only he can.’
