Over the weekend I finished listening to “Out of a Far Country” the biography of Christopher Yuan who went from homosexual drug dealer to Christian in prison. The book itself is excellent because it not only describes his conversion, but the conversion of his mother (and father). Most of the book switches between the experiences of Christopher as he wandered from the Lord, and his mother as she prayed for His Salvation
Numerous times in the book his mother prayed the same prayer over and over again “Lord do whatever it takes for Christopher to become saved.” That prayer continued for almost five years while her son fell deeper and deeper into drug addiction, and then was finally answered when Christopher’s apartment was raided by police.
One thing that truly spoke to my heart was the burden God placed upon this mothers heart for her son
- She took a guest shower and turned into her prayer closet, spending hours and hours on her knees praying for Christophers salvation
- Early on she would fast every Monday for her sons Salvation
- Later the Lord led her to go through a deeper fast that she didn’t entirely explain….she continued this deeper fast for three-years before Christopher came to know Christ
- And she constantly sent Christopher cards with Bible verses and presentations of the Gospel
This deep burden for her son, and the prayer that went with it, convicted my own heart.
Many of us have lost loved ones or friends who the Lord has placed upon our heart, and we pray for their Salvation. But how many of us are willing to go to the lengths that this mother did? How many of us are willing to consistently and passionately pray for almost five years for Salvation?
The problem is our burden is just too weak…….
We pray for a while and then lose heart
This is a terrible thing to do because the Lord WILL bring that soul to a place of Salvation! But we must be faithful. It is only those willing to continue praying and never quit that will see their prodigal come home.
At the end of the book Christopher is taken by his parents from the prison back to his childhood home. There in the yard is a huge yellow ribbon tied in a large tree outside. Some of you may remember the song “tie a yellow ribbon round the old oak tree” a song about a prisoner who told his girlfriend if she still loved him, to tie a yellow ribbon in the oak tree in front of his home. As he neared the house on a bus, hundreds of yellow ribbons could be seen tied in the trees on both sides of the road.
Walking into the house Christopher saw hundreds of yellow ribbons taped to the wall of his parents home. Looking closer he could see writing on each one. His mother told him each ribbon was given by a person who had prayed for his Salvation.
The Lord is faithful to bring the prodigal home. But we must be faithful to continue praying till He does so
Johnhwilburn.org 