Persistence in Prayer

Good morning Prayer-sisters!  If you logged on to do 'Day Five', it is just below this post.

While this blog's primary purpose is to post a daily devotional and prayer, from time to time I will be putting posts on here that are meant to inspire you in your prayer journey.  Hence, this is such a post.  Praying you will enjoy this beautiful, miraculous, true story!  It is worth every minute of its redeeming read! 

....Short chime, long chime, short chime....

It's after midnight and I am hearing my phone ringing in my subconscious...  I had picked my ring tone for its calming affect, but it was proving to be annoying right at this moment.  My eyes, all squinty-like, open and try to get my bearings... 'why is my phone ringing?' I wonder sleepily...

WHY IS MY PHONE RINGING??!! 

I jump out of bed with a start.  In one millisecond, the ring tone goes from annoying to alarming in the midnight hour.  

Seeing that it is Christy, I answer it with a muffled, yet troubled, 'hello???'

'Are you sitting down?'

I sit, quite sure that the next words out of her mouth are going to be, 'I'm pregnant!'....

Meet Christy--my oldest and bestest friend from my college years.  We jokingly like to say that we go waaaaay back:  we were by each other's side when we were 'running with the devil' and by each other's side when we began 'walking with Jesus'.  We've been through a lot, us two.

A few years out of college, at the ripe age of twenty-five, Christy finally quit running one day.  She slowed on down to a Sunday stroll and grabbed the hand of her Lord and Savior.  They've been walking hand in hand ever since.  As that relationship between daughter and Father strengthened, there came a longing for her earthly father to also know the sweet fellowship of her Heavenly Father.

And so began the fifteen years of petitioning and crying out for Dear Dad--Clemen Norris.

Faithful daughter shared the Gospel with her father on numerous occasions.  She, her husband and two children got up at 5 am for a season--knee-worned and bleary-eyed--persistently crying out for this man who held a special place in each of their hearts.  She went forward for prayer on behalf of him on more than one occasion. Year after year, his salvation was a regular staple among the Sunday School and bible study prayer requests. 

prayer after prayer after prayer after prayer.....year after year after year after year....

Prayer after prayer... he is hospitalized and almost bleeds to death...year after year...he is hospitalized again with a strange bleeding episode...prayer after prayer...he has open-heart surgery and has serious complications...year after year...he is found weeping after watching Billy Graham on television, yet not ready for surrender...prayer after prayer...he is put on dialysis...year after year...he is hospitalized again and a minor surgery turns into a life threatening situation...prayer after prayer...a preacher-friend of many, many years visits with him in the hospital and shares the Gospel...year after year...he is hospitalized again, in critical condition...prayer after prayer...a preacher from Christy's church visits him in the hospitaling and shares the Good News...year after year...he is in ICU yet again with complication after complication--this time being put on a ventilator...

prayer after prayer...year after year...

I was one of those on the sidelines.  I and many others.  None of us were major players in this story, yet in a way we were.  Because God likes to do His work by using a multitude of people.  Thus, I'm sure the other sideliners can share stories like mine--stories of the times that the Lord burdened them to pray for this man.

Like the time ten years ago when we lived in Nashville.  I was walking with my oldest two children out of a pregnancy appointment with baby #3.  As we walked to the car, my four-year-old and two-year-old were captivated by the life flight helicopter landing on top of Baptist Hospital.  Trying to explain what was happening the best I could, we bent our heads in prayer... On my way home Christy called, urgently asking for prayer for her daddy--he had just been life-flighted to Baptist Hospital.

Or the time five years ago when he was in the hospital for open heart surgery and in ICU due to complications.  I was on a morning run and felt the sickening, gut-wrenching feeling in my stomach to pray for him.  It was one of those Holy-Spirit led times of intercession.

And then, two and a half weeks ago, during his most recent hospital stay.  It was Sunday morning.  While I was teaching a roomful of fourth and fifth graders, Christy called to tell me they were trying to take her daddy off the ventilator.  I never have my phone on me while I am in church.  Yet, that day I did.  My whole class stopped and prayed for him right then.  During the rest of the class, I couldn't get him off of my mind.  Tossing up mental prayers, I finished up the Sunday School lesson and walked our kids down to the worship service.  The burden got so intense during worship, I had to walk out.  The Divine Appointer just happened to have two of my close friends standing in the kitchen of our church.  They are never in there during worship--but on this day they were.  For several minutes, the three of us had a tearful time of intercession for a man who was fighting for his life.  Tearful intercession for a man to find The Life.

This man who seemed to have nine lives--would he be able to pull through this?  Would God give him yet another chance to hear and accept the Good News of His son?

Clemen did in fact get off the ventilator but continued to be in ICU.  One day, about a week ago, Christy was sitting with him rubbing his arm.  He was very alert this day and appeared to want to talk, yet he seemed uncomfortable and not himself.  When he opened his mouth to form words, nothing came out. 

"Daddy, do you know Jesus as your Savior?" 

Eyes connect.  Shaking his head, he says no.

"Do you want to know Jesus as your Savior?"

Eyes are fixated.  He nods his head yes.

"Do you want me to pray with you?" 

He nods his agreement.

They pray.

"If you accepted Christ as your Savior, squeeze my hand."

He squeezes her hand.

Christy proceeded to ask him more questions, but he nodded off into a deep, deep sleep.  Leaving her to wonder if there was indeed a transaction of spirit with Spirit...

As each day passed, and her daddy was unable to communicate, Christy questioned and prayed and pleaded...where did her daddy fall in light of eternity?  Oh, God, where did this man of nine lives fall?

Which leads me back to the beginning of the story...after midnight March 7, 2011...anticipating that my friend of nineteen years is going to tell me she is pregnant. 

"My daddy just got saved!"

Eyes opening to new life in Christ...a regenerative birth of an old man's soul...pregnancy news of the most joyous kind!

And here is the rest of this story in Christy's own words:

"This afternoon, my daddy became alert...it was like someone had turned on a light switch.  He sat up.  His voice was strong.  It was like night and day.  We talked for awhile.  He recounted the last several days, telling what he could remember and not remember of the events that had unfolded.  Finally, almost busting at the seams, I asked him, 'Daddy, do you remember me asking you if you wanted Jesus to be your Savior?' 

'Well, kind of.  I remember some things, but not all of it.  But I do want Jesus to be my Savior.'

'Do you want me to pray with you?'

'No, I want to pray on my own.'

Then, he proceeded to pray.  He prayed for forgiveness for everything throughout his life...he cried and cried and cried.  I cried and cried.  I saw brokenness...I saw a man become transformed right in front of my eyes!  When he finished praying, he told me to hand him the phone--he had to call and tell my mom.'"

---And, this is my very favorite part of the story---

'Willene?'

'Who is this?'

'Clemen'

'Clemen?  You don't sound like yourself.  Are you sure it's you'

'Willene-- I  just got saved!'

'Well, it's about time!'

Oh, I love the honesty and candor between to souls that have been married over fifty years...and I love more than anything that their names are Clemen and Willene!

"After he called four more people, visiting hours were up and I had to leave.  When I walked out of the room, the nurse stopped me to tell me she had overheard everything that had transpired.  As we were talking, another nurse walked up. 'Don't I know you from somewhere?' she asked.

I told her that I thought we had been in Community Bible Study together last year.  I then asked her if she remembered praying for my daddy. 

'Yes, I do remember.  We prayed for him all year long.'

'Well, see that man in there?  That's my daddy.  And God answered that prayer request tonight!'"

One glorious, redemptive-loving, gracious God.  One faithful daughter.  A multitude of prayer warriors.

Year after year...prayer after prayer...His long-suffering meeting the long-suffering of intercession.

A daughter who never gave up on praying to her Daddy for her daddy, is now praising her Daddy for her daddy.

May you be inspired to keep on, keeping on, laboring on behalf of those lost souls in your life.  Today just might be the day that you get to witness a miracle of long-awaited answered prayer.