She stared down into her steaming mug, the implications of her revelation hitting her dead on.
I got out of the habit. I was consumed by other things. Important things.
But still, how had she abandoned the habit of praying for her girl?
Her mind rewound the years.
She prayed for her baby girl as she rocked her to sleep, staring down into those trusting, innocent eyes, “Lord, may she always love You and serve You all the days of her life.”
As her little girl gathered her lunchbox and left for school, that mom prayed every day, “Lord, please protect her and thank You for going with her. May she always love You and serve You all the days of her life.”
As the thirteen-year-old young lady boarded a bus for a teen youth conference, her heart heavy with the burden of navigating friendships and learning who she was, her mom prayed. “God, please protect her always in all ways. You love her more than I. May she always love you and serve you in all her days.”
As her newly licensed driver took her first solo drive down the street, that mom prayed. “Lord please protect her, bring her home safely. May she always love you and serve you each and every day.”
Then life came down hard on that mom. That season she forgot to pray for her girl. That mom was talking to God about many, many other things. Her girl was grown and doing great things to make any mom proud. Months went by and that mom shockingly discovered her misdeed: she had prayed plenty but not so much for her girl.
Then, she looked around at her girl’s life: her daughter was a lovely lady of faith and loved and served the Lord with her life.
That’s when the words of Lamentations 3:22-23 hit her. “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning. Great is thy faithfulness!”
While her prayers remained consistent for many, many years and had lost regularity only recently; God had honored her prayers, her heart, and had faithfully protected her girl.
The realization left her speechless with tears rolling down her cheeks.
He is so faithful; even when I’m not.
He has great compassion.
His mercy never, ever fails…
My jaw dropped and I stopped everything to focus when I read the first line of this post. This is my story, and I was just thinking the other day how faithful God is to remember us even when we fail. It’s terrifying, realizing how much we’ve missed by not praying, but Oh how great is His goodness, which He has laid up for them that fear Him, which He has wrought for them that trust in Him before the sons of men! Thanks so much. God bless!
Thank you for your comment! When I am still and consider all He has done, I too am overcome. Thank you for sharing!