I wrote about my grandma’s health scare last year.
Although the doctors found nothing wrong with her body, the scare took a toll on her mental health. My grandma became depressed, and her body began to deteriorate because she had lost the will to live.
“What’s the point when I’m already so old?” my grandma would say. All she wanted to do was to sleep and not think.
She was frightened to think that she already had one foot in the grave. But I was shaken too; suddenly aware that her time was near.
It was then decided to be more conscious in sharing the gospel to her.
The first time I decided to muster the courage and ask my grandma if I could pray for her, was when she was weak and frail on a hospital bed. In broken Mandarin, I simply spoke God’s peace and protection over her.
The next time I prayed for her was after she got discharged. An opportunity came when my pre-believing relatives left the room, leaving my grandma just with me. Lying on the bed, she listened quietly as I prayed.
From then on, whenever I had the chance – I prayed with her.
Prayer can be a strange thing. I don’t know how God will answer my prayers (God always answers prayer) and I never know how the other party will receive it.
But while I used to take prayer lightly, I’ve become more willing to pour out my heart to God over the years.
I realised there are many things I can’t control in life. I can’t control my grandma’s health condition. I can’t control my family’s hearts towards God. I can’t this – I can’t that.
But I can always pray to a God who can do the impossible (Matthew 19:26)!
Most of the time – unless God is specifically telling you to be still – we can’t just pray and proceed to do nothing about the situation. There has to be an action step.
Just over a year after I first prayed for my grandma, I began to wonder if I had settled for a routine. Because, while I was thankful that my grandma was now open to prayer – I knew that wasn’t the end goal God had in mind.
God wanted to save my grandma. But I didn’t know when I would get an opportunity to share Christ with my grandma. Because my relatives usually gathered at her house on the weekends, there would always be cousins and aunties around.
The opportunity actually came in a rather unremarkable way. I was on leave, planning to spend the day with my boyfriend, when I thought of paying my grandma a visit. My mother and relatives had been telling me it would do my grandma good if I could spend more time with her.
Just then I felt the Holy Spirit whisper in my heart, “This is your chance you’ve been asking for. Now or never!”
I realised that I had a rare opportunity. Hardly anyone visits my grandma on a weekday afternoon because they’re working. I would have uninterrupted time with her!
But I was still hesitant. A thousand “what if”s ran through my mind, and they didn’t leave until I took that leap of faith.
My grandma accepted Christ that same afternoon.
Prayer puts us in touch with a miraculous God.
When I shared the good news about my grandma to my friends, they rejoiced and said, “We were just praying for you and your grandma!”
Mindblown. Who are the souls in your life you’re warring for? Some take thirty seconds, others thirty years. But are you willing to go on your knees for them – whatever it takes?
We have a God who is mighty to save – so don’t wait until the deathbed.
Stop to pray. Start to move.