Exodus 20:12 (NKJV) “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you."
For over one year my mother's name remained on my prayer board while I prayed, "Please Lord, won't you provide my mother with an opportunity to boldly profess her faith in You?"
I started praying this particular prayer one morning after my mother had called. During that conversation, my mother shared a concern over losing her license to practice as a therapist. She said, "I want to talk about Jesus Christ with my clients but I am restricted by my license." I knew first hand the worry my mother felt. I too had felt God’s tug on my heart to share His message of hope with those who were hurting and in deep emotional pain. And like my mother, in the past, I faced worldly consequences for proselytizing. As a result, I knew just how to pray for her!
In each subsequent conversation, I graciously reminded my mother that God would protect her and watch over her as she spread the Word of Christ. Surprisingly one day, at the end of a phone call, my mother hesitantly asked me to add one of her client’s initials to my prayer board. She was careful to protect the hurting woman’s identity. Still, I assured my mother that God would know who the woman was, even if I only prayed using her initials.
Immediately, after saying our goodbyes, I went to my prayer board and wrote the client's first initial in the center of the board. Then, I instantly began to pray. "Please Lord, comfort this hurting and depressed woman."
Next, I prayed for the remaining names on my prayer board. When I came to my mother's name, I prayed, "Please Lord, give her courage. Help her lead this hopeless woman to You even at the risk of losing her license. Father in Heaven, please help my mother boldly proclaim, 'I am a Christian therapist' so that others will know to come to her in order to find peace. In Your mighty name, Amen.”
A few weeks later, I called my mother to catch up on the ins and outs of our daily lives. She listened patiently as I spoke about all the ways God had used me to reach out to others. Then, she said, "I was thinking about you yesterday. I don't know if I can tell you this story without crying." She continued, "This past week, when I met with my client, the client I had told you about, we prayed together." Speechless, I remained quiet. Then my mother added, "This time, when my client started to weep over her sadness, I said to her, 'I want to share the hope I found in Jesus Christ.'” Amazing!
My mother told me how her client simply listened as she spoke about the power my mother found through repentance. Together, the two women prayed the sinner's prayer. I could hear my mother's joy resonate through the phone as she tearfully spoke about leading her client to Christ. Quietly, I praised God.
After my mother finished her story, I told her I was proud of her. In response, my mother said those beautiful and sweet words I had been praying to hear her say. She said, "Well after all, I am a Christian Therapist!"
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And to read the first written and published Christian personal testimony
please go to: http://dlouyoung.blogspot.com/p/store.html
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