When Your Loved One Doesn't Come to Christ
When I left the room, I got angry. I wanted to kick the bed and punch my fist through the wall, but mostly I wanted to pummel God. I'd prayed my entire life for this? Not only did I have no reassurance that my father had become a Christian, but I had this cry of rejection! Those were going to be the last words I heard from my beloved dad? By this time the rest of the family was back, so I couldn't voice any of this to my husband or sister. I just suffered in silence. Soon my dad slipped into a coma and died.
Since then, others have tried to comfort me by saying that morphine does weird things to people and that he probably had no idea what he was saying, or for that matter, what we were saying. I accept this, because my dad openly talked about having hallucinations when he was on morphine at other times. But what I had trouble accepting was that I believe in a God who is all-powerful and in control of all things. He could have easily shut my father's mouth so that he would never say those words, or even given him something to say that would have comforted us instead of sucked all the hope out of us. But God didn't do that.
Some would say that I'm mistaken in believing that God could have shut my father's mouth. They would cite their confidence in our free will, and convince me that God limits his power and lets us go our own way. But I don't buy it. Any God who could make a donkey talk or cause Zechariah to lose the power of speech could certainly have silenced my father in that moment. But he didn't.
So it seems God gave me a really difficult experience so that I'd have to think it through and come to terms with what I really believe about God. How do I deal with what feels like a total and complete betrayal? How do I continue to believe God's promises and trust his Word when it feels like the most important thing I've prayed for is not answered? Like Jacob, I've "wrestled" with God and learned some things in the process.
God is good, even when he doesn't act as I think he should.
No matter what happens in life, I come back to this truth. I even have a plaque on my wall that says, "God is good, all the time" to remind me of it.
When my first child was born, my husband traveled a lot. Home alone, my fears would often multiply at night, causing me to be terrified of every noise and rustle. I prayed and memorized Scripture, but I still couldn't get over my fears. When I told a friend of these nightly terrors, she asked, "What are you afraid will happen?"
"I suppose my biggest fear is that someone would break in, attack me, and kill or take my son."
"If that happened, would you still believe God loves you?"
That question rocked my world. Either I believe that God is good and that he loves me—or not. If he does love me, then I truly do have nothing to fear, because he will always act in love. That means if the unthinkable happens, he is still acting out of love. The next night, I slept soundly for the first time in weeks.
More from JoHannah Reardon:
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Rebecca Webb
I am so thankful for this article. It's my husband I've been praying for. My step-dad talked to me about this same subject just yesterday and now I am reading the same subject. What a wonderful God that He speaks to us this way.
matilda
Am so grateful for this article i also lost my daddy in the same way when i had prayed for him for quit a number of years and he died without accepting christ and i became disappoiteded but later i realised that it is God who chooses whom to have mercy unto and also it is the responsibility of each individual to accept or refuse Jesus Christ. it has also encouraged me to continue pray for my husband and even the loved ones to come back to Christ. matilda.R.
Denise
God says: “I knew you before you were conceived in your mother’s womb.” So many things God’s children do not understand. Jesus came to offer comfort to God’s children and convict the religious leaders mandating theological rules to get into heaven. 2000 years later religion continues to propagate theological rules. One line “no one comes to the father but through the son” is used to spread theocracy and fear in the hearts of God’s children. You sense it in people’s stories of loved ones. Jesus’ messages and examples of unconditional love and acceptance to all angered the religious leaders. Today we question eternal destinations based upon religious persuasions. Jesus came to break the chains of religion, show us how to live our lives, prayed “forgive them for they know not what they do,” gave all mankind unconditional access to the Father, and without a sinner’s prayer told two next to him on the cross they would be with him in paradise, then told mankind “it is finished.” Shalom
trish
I truly believe that it is not only the born-again Christians who will be in heaven. I believe that Jesus will come again to judge the living and the dead, that leaves room for everyone.
Michelle
What a wonderful article. I hear so many Christians that are concerned about their "unsaved" family members and friends. I know I have a concern for mine too. Never underestimate the power of intercessory pray! I have faith and trust that God is up to some Awesome things and like the stubborn widow in Luke 18:1-8 if we continually come to God- praying without ceasing our God hears us and will respond. The demonstration of faith is persistant prayer. When you stop believing that a prayer will be answered, then you stop praying. You have given up hope. You have no faith. Satan just loves it when we give up. Keep praying for those that are not only lost, but those that need to come back to the Lord. I have always heard about how surprised we will be about who we will see in heaven. God will not let us down! Keep the Faith!
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