Once upon a time there was a young man who’s mother was a very devoted lady . However this young man disliked his mother’s devotion and did not heed her repeated request to pray . Whenever his mother prayed, it annoyed him very much that he left the place. His mother was deeply upset due to all this as her continuous requests to pray and read the scripture was considered futile by her child. This mother never gave up, all the time she told her child about the great love of God even though her son never bothered to listen.
The mother used to wake up in the middle of the night and tearfully prayed for her son. One day this son told his mom that he was leaving the home and his monotonous empty life . The love of the mother pleaded the son to stay back – she said “ My son , please don’t leave me , I am praying for you , your life will be ruined without Jesus Christ .” The son replied “I do not want your God , I don’t want to pray either .”He was so rebellious and mad. As he was going away, his mother shouted “ Son , whenever you face a difficult situation in life please pray to MY God .”
He boarded a train and didn’t have an idea where he was heading to , he didn’t have a purpose in life. The thoughts of loneliness and hopelessness sunk him in deep despair. He wanted to end his life . Suddenly , his mother’s words echoed in his frail heart –“ whenever you face a difficult situation in life please pray to MY God .”
He immediately knelt down to pray . He prayed, “My mothers God , please come down to help me . I have no aim in my life , I don’t know what to do, where to go . My heart is filled with anger and my mind filled with fear . God , help me understand the meaning of life, help me understand YOUR love. O God of my mother, please save me from this deep pit of anguish and agony and hopelessness. He wept and prayed earnestly from the bottom of his heart . Suddenly , he was filled by a ray of hope, a love which he has never received before and renewed strength as he heard God’s voice. He experienced an eternal peace in his heart .He returned to his mother and asked her to forgive him of all his bad deeds. He told his mom “ Your God has saved me , He has taken all my fears away . I don’t know how, but I am enjoying heavenly peace . The mother and son prayed together and lead a life pleasing to God thereafter . The peace of Christ overwhelmed this young man . Do you know who this kid grew up to be ? This youngster grew up to be one of the finest preachers the world has seen- R. A . Torrey .
Dear friends, Our loving God calls us by our name , he knows us in and out and loves us unconditionally no matter what we have done to upset Him . He is the one who promised ‘ DO NOT BE AFRAID”