«I cried out to You, O Lord; and to the Lord I made supplication” (Psalm 30:8).
AT THE BEGINNING of 2014, I joined a group of mothers to pray for our children. Concerned as we were for our little ones, who live in a difficult world, surrounded by negative influences at school; within social networks; and through television, music, and culture, we decided to pray and fast for them. We were ten mothers who took time to pray for our children every Monday of the year and spent the day fasting, Some mothers pleaded far children who had turned away from the church or had serious problems; others prayed for God to help their children develop a Christian character. I cannot deny that we saw the manifestation of God.
I was astonished by the testimonies of mothers who saw their children return to the church; there were others who recognized the serious mistakes they had made and pledged to change with God’s help… It was impressive. As I listened to the stories about the power of prayer, I wondered how my fasts and prayers had impacted the hearts of my six- and eight-year-old children. Frankly, I could not see it.
One day, thinking precisely of that, I came across this quote by Ellen G. White: «By sincere, earnest prayer parents should make a hedge about their children. They should pray with full faith that God will abide withthem and that holy angels will guard them and their children from Satan’s cruel power” (Testimonies for the Church, vol. 7, pp. 42—43). I also found this in The Adventist Home:» Without human effort divine effort is in vain» (ch. 33, p. 206). Dear friend, God wants to do great things for your children, You will see the manifestation of God as I saw it that afternoon in December 2014, almost at the end of the year. When I thought that nothing meaningful had happened in my children’s lives during that year, I discovered that I was wrong.
It happened after family worship. My daughter made some astonishing confessions of behaviors that she rejected, repentant, and breaking down in tears: «Mom, I have three serious sins,» she said… «What an ugly nature I have! Mommy, I want to change.» My son also expressed his shortcomings. All three of us cried: they, tears of repentance; I, tears of joy.
Today I continue to fast every Monday for my children, besides praying day after day, so I can keep seeing the wonders of God. I invite you to do the same.